Sleep at Haunted Inns and Hotels North of Boston

These six historic haunts are never vacant thanks to the presence of guests from the past. There’s no better review a hotel can receive than “I never want to check out!” That’s the verdict cast night after restless night by the phantoms who linger round these North Shore properties.

Hawthorne Hotel, Salem

1. A ghostly woman, furniture on the move, and things that go bump in the night make the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem one of the most haunted hotels in the United States. Room 325 is said to have the most active poltergeists. The sixth floor and room 612 are other paranormal hot spots.

Garrison Inn, Newburyport

2. When Sarah White Banister’s father died in 1827, the Brown Square House in Newburyport became hers. Some say she remains to this day. Legend has it that her spirit still wanders through what is now the 24-room Garrison Inn. Stay overnight or visit Ladyfinger’s Tea Lounge for a glimpse of her specter.

The Merchant, Salem

3. The Merchant was once the home of wealthy Salem sea merchant Joshua Ward. But that’s not where the 1784 building’s supernatural history starts. The Salem witch trials’ notorious Sheriff George Corwin once lived and maintained his jail on the site where the 11-room boutique hotel now stands, and it’s said that his innocent victims still roam there.

The Salem Inn, Salem

4. The Salem Inn has 40 rooms across three historic homes in Salem, but only one is known as “The Haunted Room.” That’s room 17 in the 1834 West House, where three ethereal beings—a woman known as Katherine, a little boy, and even a cat—regularly visit guests.

Morning Glory Bed & Breakfast, Salem

5. Not only does Morning Glory Bed & Breakfast lean into Salem’s witchy past with rooms named for witch-trial victims, but guests have reported hauntings as well. Keep your eyes peeled for phantasms, including those of a young woman and children, at the restored circa 1808 Georgian Federal home.

The Hotel Marblehead, Marblehead

6. While The Hotel Marblehead might not be known for its resident apparitions, it gets an honorable mention here for playing a spookily convincing haunted house in the Adam Sandler movie Hubie Halloween. The film transformed the elegant blue-and-white 1871 Victorian into a creepy set, complete with a gray exterior, boarded-up windows, and overgrown vines. Not to worry, though: The 14-room boutique hotel was returned to its pretty self after filming.

Photo Credit: The Merchant Hotel by Rarebrick, The Salem Inn by NBCVB

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This blog is an excerpt from our digital guide “250 Ways to Explore, Discover, and Celebrate North of Boston”. To view the full guide, click here.