Everything OddWay knows about. Narrow it down by what you're after, or where you're going.
Hotels, theatres, prisons and back roads with a reputation.
Galion, OH
Brownella Cottage was built in 1887 and later became the home of Bishop William Montgomery Brown and his wife Ella, with much of the house's original character and furnishings preserved. The Galion History Center now offers scheduled paranormal investigations and ghost tours in the cottage, including recurring public investigation dates.
Monroe Township, OH
In 1896, Celia "Ceely" Rose poisoned her parents and brother at the family home in Pleasant Valley after becoming fixated on a local man, creating one of Richland County's most infamous stories. The house survives within Malabar Farm State Park and can be viewed from the park road or walking route, but the interior is not open to the public; local tradition also associates the house and nearby cemetery with Ceely's ghost.
Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati Music Hall opened in 1878 and remains one of the city's major performance venues, but its long history has also produced persistent stories of apparitions and unexplained activity. The building can be entered for performances and official tours, including occasional behind-the-scenes experiences that discuss its unusual history.
Toledo, OH
The massive building now known as the Collingwood Arts Center began as a convent and school complex associated with the Ursuline order and later became an arts facility. Its old dormitories, theater and corridors have generated enough paranormal reports that the center offers scheduled public and private ghost hunts; tours and investigations require arranging access rather than wandering the building.
Lancaster, OH
The former Fairfield County Infirmary is a large institutional building associated with generations of poor-farm and county-home residents. It now operates as a paranormal and historical venue offering scheduled tours, photography sessions, public ghost hunts and private investigations rather than everyday walk-in access.
Fairport Harbor, OH
The 1871 Fairport Harbor lighthouse and keeper's house now operate as a seasonal marine museum, but their strangest resident is said to be a ghostly gray cat seen darting through the former living quarters. During renovation work, a mummified gray cat was found in a crawl space and is now part of the museum's story; the museum and tower are seasonal.
Columbus, OH
The former 13th Floor Haunted House in Columbus now operates under local ownership as Fear Columbus Haunted House. It remains a large seasonal horror attraction with elaborate walk-through sets, live actors and additional special-event nights, but the OddWay record should be renamed and pointed to the current brand.
Cleveland, OH
Built for German immigrant Hannes Tiedemann in the early 1880s, Franklin Castle became one of Cleveland's most persistent haunted-house legends after a series of deaths and later stories of apparitions and hidden rooms. The restored private venue offers scheduled tours, storytelling events and overnight experiences, but it is not a casual walk-in attraction.
Lebanon, OH
The Golden Lamb has operated in Lebanon since 1803 and is Ohio's longest continually operating business, with a restaurant, guestrooms and fourth-floor historical displays. Staff and guests have long reported apparitions associated with figures including Sarah Stubbs and politician Clement Vallandigham, who accidentally shot himself at the inn in 1871; the property itself publishes and preserves these ghost stories.
St. Clair Township, OH
Gretchen's Lock is a surviving ruin of the nineteenth-century Sandy and Beaver Canal inside Beaver Creek State Park. Legend says canal engineer E.H. Gill temporarily entombed his young daughter Gretchen in the lock after her death before attempting to return her body to Europe, and visitors still tell stories of her spirit near the stones; reaching the lock requires a park trail hike.
Pataskala, OH
Haunted Hootchie at Dead Acres is an intense, adult-oriented Ohio haunted attraction known for large sets, live performers and deliberately extreme horror imagery. It is a seasonal fall destination and should be treated as limited access outside its posted operating nights.
Lafayette, OH
Haunted Town Hall transforms Lafayette's old town hall into a multi-level seasonal haunted attraction filled with actors, dark corridors and themed rooms. It operates on select September and October nights rather than year-round.
Granville, OH
The Buxton Inn traces its history to an 1812 tavern and stagecoach stop and has operated in Granville for more than two centuries. Stories of former owners, guests and even a ghostly cat have become part of the inn's identity; it remains an active hospitality property, so public access is through its current lodging, dining and event operations.
Delaware, OH
Delaware County's brick jail and attached sheriff's residence were completed in 1878 and continued holding prisoners until 1988. The preserved complex now operates as a historic site with scheduled tours and seasonal lights-out ghost hunts, so visitors need to attend an official opening or event rather than entering on their own.
Trinway, OH
Prospect Place is an 1856 mansion built for abolitionist George W. Adams and is now preserved by a nonprofit historical organization. Its legends and reported paranormal activity are incorporated into scheduled flashlight tours and ghost hunts, while free daylight tours are offered seasonally from March through November.
Zoar, OH
Zoar was founded in 1817 by German religious Separatists who created a communal village that survives today as a collection of historic museum buildings. Seasonal lantern ghost tours use stories of unexplained encounters reported by residents, staff and visitors, so the paranormal version of the stop requires a scheduled ticket.
Brown Township, OH
Hope Furnace was built in 1853-54 to smelt iron and operated until 1874, leaving a large stone furnace stack beside present-day Lake Hope State Park. Local legend says a night watchman who died at the furnace still appears carrying a lantern during storms, while the surviving furnace and historical marker remain publicly accessible.
Cincinnati, OH
Bootlegger George Remus fatally shot his wife Imogene near Eden Park's Spring House Gazebo in 1927 while she was on her way to divorce proceedings. Local legend says a woman dressed in black still appears around the gazebo and former reflecting pool, which remain freely accessible within the public park during park hours.
Marietta, OH
The current Lafayette Hotel opened in 1918 after fire destroyed the earlier Bellevue Hotel at the riverfront site. Guests and staff have reported phantom footsteps, unexplained lights and apparitions including a former manager and a woman in dark clothing, while the building continues to operate as a normal hotel and public hospitality business.
Loudonville, OH
Landoll's Mohican Castle runs guided haunted-history walks that lead visitors through the property, nearby Heyd Cemetery and a replica nineteenth-century cabin. The experience combines documented local history with the area's ghost stories and is offered only on scheduled dates, so advance booking is required.
Newark, OH
The Licking County Historic Jail opened in 1889 and held prisoners until 1987, preserving its original cells and sheriff's residence in downtown Newark. Deaths, a notorious 1910 lynching and decades of incarceration helped create its paranormal reputation, and the building now hosts scheduled historical tours, paranormal investigations and the seasonal Jail of Terror attraction.
Madison, OH
Built in 1847 as a school, Madison Seminary later served as a home for Civil War veterans and their families before passing through several institutional uses. The restored building is now best known as a paranormal investigation venue, with tours and overnight ghost hunts offered by reservation rather than normal walk-in access.
Chillicothe, OH
Chillicothe's Majestic Theatre traces its history to the nineteenth century and is tied in local lore to the devastating 1918 influenza epidemic at nearby Camp Sherman. Stories claim the theater was used to hold bodies during the crisis and now hosts apparitions and voices; it remains an active theater, with access through performances, scheduled tours and occasional ghost hunts.
Waynesville, OH
Local legend says a young girl named Mary disappeared after her parents became ill in the early nineteenth century and that her laughing spirit still waits for her mother at what is now the Museum at the Friends Home. A Legends & Lore marker stands at the museum, where stories describe Mary rocking inside or appearing on the front porch; interior access follows the museum's schedule.
