Travelers discover vacationing in a ghost town can be grim

Ramy Awad saw old photos and stuffed animals when he visited an abandoned Italian town with two friends. (Photo: Ramy Awad via WSJ)
Ramy Awad saw old photos and stuffed animals when he visited an abandoned Italian town with two friends. (Photo: Ramy Awad via WSJ)

Summary

Some abandoned locales are marketing longer stays, but visitors say that’s too much time with actual ghosts; chased by drones

Ramy Awad saw old photos and stuffed animals when he visited an abandoned Italian town with two friends.

For a vacation to Italy, Ramy Awad wanted an adventure. So he picked Fossa, a town deep in the middle of the country that was abandoned after a 2009 earthquake. But things quickly went sideways for the 35-year-old and two friends he brought with him.

It took the group almost three days to find the town, with GPS leading them in circles. When they finally arrived late at night and got ready to settle in, they heard strange voices. They didn’t know if they were real or imagined, but nobody wanted to leave the tent to investigate. In the morning, they woke up to the sound of a drone that followed them for the next three days.

At some point, Awad wondered if he should have settled for the Leaning Tower of Pisa. “My least favorite part was getting chased by drones," said Awad, a content creator based in New York City. “That’s something I will never forget."

Americans have been visiting ghost towns for years, but usually for an afternoon. Lately travelers have been planning extended stays in abandoned towns, seeking adventure or an opportunity to disconnect. Some are discovering that ghost towns in heavier doses can be grim.

There are more than 3,800 deserted towns across the U.S., according to Geotab, a company that provides data analytics, including GPS location. While most ghost towns remain vacant, some have restored their remaining hotels, seeking to transform them into more luxurious or family-friendly destinations.

People who live near the ghost town Shaniko, Ore., get together for a potluck with live music once a month.

“We’ve got people that are staying for several days now, instead of just people wandering through, taking pictures and leaving," said Scott Marrs, general manager of a hotel in ghost town Shaniko, Ore., that reopened in 2023 after being abandoned for 16 years.

Price is a selling point. The cost of a ghost-a-away can be anywhere from $50 to over $300 per night, depending on location. Some travelers say they quickly realized there wasn’t enough to do to fill the time or that the paranormal activity that often is a draw was a little too real.

Cimcie Nichols and her best friend were looking for a fun place to go for the Fourth of July weekend. While listening to a podcast, they heard about renting a cabin in a ghost town called Gunslinger Gulch for around $250 a night. Intrigued, they decided to check it out.

“I have not done ghost tourism before but I do love spooky movies," Nichols, 44, said of trips to locations associated with death or the supernatural. “So we thought, ‘Why don’t we spend the night?’"

Cimcie Nichols, right, loves spooky movies.

When they arrived at the town on the outskirts of Anaconda, Montana, they joined a ghost hunt using a “ghost box"—a device designed to let spirits communicate through FM radio frequencies. The two were having a great time until that night.

While sleeping in their 1880s-style cabins, Nichols said she felt something trying to pull her out of bed, but she couldn’t move. When she discovered the next day her friend didn’t have a similar experience, Nichols was ready to go.

They stayed another night, but only because they had already paid.

“It’s like immersive theater but there’s no safe word," said Nichols, owner of a beverage business called Hatchet Granny, from Los Angeles.

Nichols said she probably wouldn’t return because of her experience. “Once you’re in the middle of it, and it’s the real world…you might chicken out," she said.

The owner of Gunslinger Gulch, Karen Broussard, who bought the 52-acre property with her three children, said they have traced the town’s history back to 1864, when it was a stagecoach stop for miners and prison transports. “Paranormal activity is quite normal around here," said Broussard, who often hosts overnight investigations for guests at the ranch.

Not all ghost town stays are a bargain.

Jennifer Broome relaxed in a hammock next to the hot springs at a ghost town resort in Colorado.

Jennifer Broome stayed one night at a luxury resort called Dunton Hot Springs in an abandoned town in Colorado in 2022. Within 24 hours, she hiked up a mountain, got a massage at the spa, and relaxed in a hammock next to the hot springs.

Although she wished she stayed an extra night or two, she didn’t think she would make it past three days. “A three-night stay is kind of that sweet spot," said Broome, a 52-year-old freelance journalist in Denver. “You’re not staying so long that you’re going ‘ah now I’m bored.’"

Stays at the resort range from $1,165 to $4,700 a night, depending on season, accommodation and number of guests.

Alex Sarha and his wife, Nicole, had passed through Shaniko, the ghost town in Oregon once known as the wool capital of the world. After the town’s hotel reopened in 2023, they returned for a weekend.

Since then, they have stayed several times. During one trip, they decided to test the paranormal rumors using a ghost-hunting app. At first, Nicole was skeptical, refusing to believe in anything unusual. But when their car keys went missing overnight and later turned up hidden in Alex’s camera case, she became more open to the possibility that something strange could be happening.

“It has the creep factor, but it’s the cool creep factor," said Alex, 58, who works for a trucking company.

The Shaniko Hotel in Oregon.

Their most recent visit in October was quieter. There were no paranormal events but dining options were limited. The hotel’s cafe—the only food place in town—is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., so they had to pack their own dinners and snacks. That’s why they haven’t stayed for longer than a weekend.

Still, the couple said they enjoyed the lack of distractions and the opportunity to disconnect as the hotel has no TVs and slow Wi-Fi reception.

“I don’t think I’d ever run out of things to do," said Alex. “Even if you just sat with a book."

Awad, who went to the abandoned Italian town, said he would return in a heartbeat. His friends, however, weren’t so enthusiastic. They couldn’t shake the strange voices, one of them had a nasty encounter with sleep paralysis, and none of them liked being watched by a mysterious drone 24/7.

“I would prefer for [spooky] things to happen," said Awad. “It makes the adventure more fun, more exciting or memorable."

Fossa, a town in Italy, was abandoned after a 2009 earthquake.

Write to Kailyn Rhone at kailyn.rhone@wsj.com

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