As Halloween approaches, our thoughts tend to shift to candy, costumes and pumpkin spice.
But there are places in the world – and in these mountains – where the old ways haven’t entirely been lost.
There is a chill from these spirits and their stories that has lingered from those who have passed tragically or with unfinished business.
With a rich history in Gatlinburg, there are plenty of opportunities for ghost stories and hauntings. So, here are the most likely haunted places around Gatlinburg, the Smoky Mountains and beyond:
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1. LeConte Lodge
There’s a possibility that the act of getting to LeConte Lodge is enough to drive people around the bend.
But at LeConte Lodge, there have been several reports of people awakening at exactly 3:33 am to see a little girl at the foot of their bed.
Reportedly, the little girl is gone before she can tell anyone what she wants.
There’s no specific information about who the girl might be or why she likes to watch hikers sleep in the wee morning hours.
However, I can promise you if I wake up with a ghostly girl at the foot of my bed, I’m hiking back down that mountain.
2. Elkmont
Elkmont is a former logging cabin and upscale mountain resort that has been empty for generations.
It’s a relic of a long-ago time when the world was wild, and the 20s were roaring.
Many of the ghost stories associated with Elkmont focus on the tragic losses of life that occurred around the logging and rail operations.
But the truly creepy aspect, to me, is the remote mountain resort that has more than a little taste of “The Shining”. Some visitors report seeing spooky things and lost souls in the area.
And while reports of the nagging apparitions of railmen and loggers are disturbing, it’s the ghost of the top-hatted Great Gatsby wannabes of the roaring 20s that sends a shiver down my spine.
You haven’t been right and truly scared until you’ve been alone in an Elkmont cabin.
Read Also: Elkmont Ghost Town: Why Was It Abandoned, What Does It Look Like Today?
3. Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
The Roaring Fork Motor Trail is another popular tourist drive, but the trail is reportedly haunted by the ghost of a barefoot woman named Lucy, who passed in 1909.
It’s a classic haunting yarn, a tale as old as time. A man named Foster – or Forrester according to some sources – met Lucy on the road. They shared a ride and he fell in love, which by the way, is a little bit fast.
Slow your roll, Foster.
Anyway, the man went back to talk to Lucy’s parents and ask for her hand only to be told she’d perished in a fire the year before.
So, if you meet a barefoot woman on the Roaring Fork Motor Trail, don’t slow down.
4. The Greenbrier Restaurant
The tale of the Greenbrier Restaurant in Gatlinburg is the classic story of a jilted lover exacting revenge upon patrons of a popular eatery.
In the 1930s, a woman named Lydia is jilted at the altar of a Gatlinburg church and returns to the lodge where she’s staying.
Distraught, she hangs herself using a rafter, still wearing her dress. The ex-fiance is found days later having been mauled by a mountain cat.
At the Greenbrier Restaurant, some diners to this day report seeing a strange young woman atop the pivotal staircase. Others report feeling an immensely sad presence, which may or may not have come with paying the bill.
Read Also: The Greenbrier Gatlinburg: The Best and Most Haunted Restaurant in Town
5. Cades Cove
When the sun begins to fall at dusk behind the mountains, the old cabins, churches and graveyards begin to take a more eery countenance than they do in the daylight.
There are reports of glowing orbs floating above the graves of people who lived in the Cove before it became a tourist track.
Some have even reported a woman’s face coming out of the walls of one of the churches.
Forget the bears. In Cades Cove, it’s the spirits that’ll get you, if you don’t watch out.
6. Cherokee
Spearfinger is a Cherokee legend of a stone woman with an obsidian spear for a finger. A deceptive shape-shifter, Spearfinger operates in the mountains between North Carolina and Tennessee, seeking out children.
In the autumn, the Cherokee tribe would burn brush fires, which Spearfinger would use to locate their village. She would come in the guise of an old woman.
She would offer to brush their hair until they fell asleep, then she would gouge them with her finger through the back of the neck and withdraw the liver, which she would eat.
Spearfinger had a song that she’d sing as she moved through the mountains, “Liver, I eat it.”
It flows better, I assume, in the original Cherokee. Though she most often appeared as an old lady, she could be anything she wanted. She could appear as another child, a friend or even an animal.
She was made of stone so no weapon forged by man could stop her. Her only weakness was her heart, which she carried in her right hand.
Her enemy, Stone Man, also ate livers. So, he wasn’t exactly helpful to the Cherokee who used the stories of Spearfinger to keep children close to the village.
She and Stone Man also had powers to move boulders and rocks. Spearfinger created a great rock bridge through the air to travel from mountain to mountain.
This angered the higher beings, who destroyed it with lightning. The remains of which are reportedly in Blount County.
Read Also: The Cherokee Legend of Spearfinger: What Did She Look Like?
7. White Oak Flats Cemetery
There’s certainly something spooky about an unmarked grave site.
The White Oak Flats Cemetery is home to many of Gatlnburg’s original residents and pioneers. It’s believed that the graves are unmarked because of financial reasons. However, rumor has it that if you visit this cemetery – these ghosts will make their presence known.
Are there haunted houses in Gatlinburg?
If you’re looking for a thrill or a guaranteed scare, there are some other spooky options in the form of haunted attractions for you on your Gatlinburg vacation.
For example, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure features Fright Nights throughout October, which is an extra scary and spine-chilling version of the already-spooky attraction. You can also save on multiple Ripley’s attractions with combination tickets.
The Mysterious Mansion is another haunted mansion in Gatlinburg. It’s a 3-story haunted house located in downtown Gatlinburg and has live actors.
Also, consider a walking ghost tour in Gatlinburg. You’ll be guided by a professional to explore the spooky, haunted corners of town on a stroll through the streets of Gatlinburg.
For a zombie experience, check out the Outbreak at the Hollywood Wax Museum in Pigeon Forge.
Have you heard of any ghost stories about the Great Smoky Mountains and beyond? Let us know in the comments!
Years ago my family and I were walking on River Road near the big hotels close to The Mysterious Mansion.
I looked up at one of the balconies, and I heard a a young child laughing, and I saw a young girl that looked like she was about 7 years old, and she had brownish blonde hair. She was looking over the balcony.
I lost sight of her for a few seconds, the hair on the back of my neck stood up for some reason. Next I looked down on the rocks below ,I saw the little girl standing on the rocks, pointing up to the balcony where I first saw her playing.
I walked back towards a bridge that crosses the stream, and I went into the hotel, and I went up to the front desk.
I first talked to the person behind the counter, and I told them what I saw. And they asked me to talk to the manager.
I talked to the Manager, and I told him what I saw, and he explained that a little girl fell from the balcony years ago, and from time to time people would see her playing on the balcony.
My husband and I hiked on a local trail, we heard people talking behind us, and I backed tracked and couldn’t find anyone behind us, and that upset me because I felt a hand on my shoulders!!