USAZak Bagans' Haunted Museum in Las Vegas has topped USA Today's best haunted destination list since 2020. Here's what a visit costs and what to expect inside.
The country's most celebrated haunted stay isn't a retired ocean liner or a Colorado hotel that inspired a horror novel. It's a 30-room museum a few miles off the Las Vegas Strip.
If your trip wishlist leans toward the eerie, the name recognition of the Queen Mary or The Stanley Hotel might steer your booking. Both carry real history and real ghost lore.
But the title of best haunted destination in the U.S. went somewhere else entirely, and knowing why can help you plan a visit that actually matches what you're after...
What Took The Top Spot
Zak Bagans' The Haunted Museum in Downtown Las Vegas took the title of best haunted destination in the country from the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.
It's held that distinction every year since 2020, so this wasn't a one-off.
The museum is housed in a 1938-built mansion and opened as an attraction in 2017.
Bagans, host of the long-running series "Ghost Adventures," fills it with macabre collectibles: murder memorabilia, cursed dolls, and more than 30 rooms of artifacts gathered from reportedly haunted places around the country.
The building itself is said to be haunted, not just what's inside it.
Why The Queen Mary And Stanley Didn't Make The Cut
Neither the Queen Mary nor The Stanley Hotel appears on the 2026 list at all. The ten destinations were chosen by a panel of travel writers and paranormal enthusiasts.
The Queen Mary ferried troops during World War II and has logged documented deaths, from a greaser crushed in a watertight door in 1966 to a construction worker killed before the ship ever sailed.
The Queen Mary still runs haunted tours and overnight investigations.
The Stanley, in Colorado, famously hosted Stephen King, whose stay led him to write "The Shining."
What A Visit To The Haunted Museum Actually Involves
If you decide to go, treat it as a guided experience, not a quick walk-through.
Tours are led and run two hours or longer, and you'll sign a waiver before entering. A sign warns that the attraction won't be liable for actions by "unseen forces."
Expect dim lighting and fog machines, which Google reviews describe as adding to the atmosphere. Photography isn't allowed inside, though you can rent a Polaroid.
Children aged 12 and older are welcome, but some exhibits are extremely graphic, so factor that in if you're traveling with younger teens.
Booking and planning details
General admission starts at $54, and tickets are available online. The museum is open Wednesday through Monday. If you want the darker version, ask about the Late Night Flashlight Ghost Tour.
Headline artifacts include the Dybbuk Box, a wine cabinet believed to hold an entity, and a doll named Peggy that visitors say speaks through a spirit box.
The Other Nine Worth A Detour
The list included nine more places beyond the museum, and several make strong anchors for a road trip.
The Lizzie Borden House in Massachusetts, site of an unsolved 1892 murder, is now a bed-and-breakfast offering house tours, ghost tours, and re-enactments.
In Indiana, the Roads Hotel runs small-group public investigations and private explorations, while the Randolph County Asylum, with at least 50 unmarked graves on its grounds, offers mini ghost hunts and overnight investigations.
Fort Mifflin, a National Historic Landmark that saw a major battle during the Revolution, hosts candlelight ghost tours and overnight stays.
If you'd rather pair the paranormal with a meal, the Lemp Mansion in Missouri, once home to beer barons and the site of multiple deaths, serves murder mystery dinners and a Spirits Tour with a cash bar.
T
Tom Brennan
Packing gear tester.
