Haunted Hotels in New Jersey
Haunted Places to Stay in New Jersey
New Jersey’s 5 haunted accommodations range from Revolutionary War battlefields to Prohibition-era gangster violence, capturing the Garden State’s role in America’s foundational conflicts. When you search for haunted hotels online or on Google Maps, you’ll find over 33,000 matching results, but we’ve meticulously reviewed every single one to create the most realistic, historically accurate collection of truly haunted hotels you can actually visit and stay in.
These properties house spirits of Revolutionary soldiers, Colonial era persecution victims, industrial workers, and the organized crime figures who made New Jersey synonymous with underworld activity. Discover Mid-Atlantic hauntings where Revolutionary sacrifice meets modern corruption, creating supernatural encounters that span America’s transformation from colonial idealism to urban complexity.
Table of Contents
Haunted Hotels in Cape May, NJ
Congress Hall
Address: 200 Congress Pl, Cape May, NJ 08204
Phenomenons reported: Congressman Thomas Hughes Tommy’s Folly 1816 Construction; America’s Oldest Seaside Hotel Four Presidents; Third Floor Drowned Victorian Guests Active Spirits; Cape May Great Fire 1878 Reconstruction Awakening; Delaware Bay Atlantic Ocean Convergence Drowning Victims
Why it's Haunted
Built in 1816 by Congressman Thomas Hughes as ‘Tommy’s Folly’ due to its massive size and recognized as America’s Oldest Seaside Hotel, Congress Hall became forever haunted when unlucky Victorian-era visitors drowned in the dangerous convergence of Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean waters, their restless spirits taking up eternal residence in the grand hotel that hosted four U.S. Presidents during Cape May’s emergence as America’s premier Victorian seaside resort destination.
The hotel’s paranormal epicenter is the third floor where the ghosts of drowned guests remain most active, terrorizing cleaning staff through televisions and radios turning on independently, phantom knocking on guest room doors in the middle of the night, and the sounds of children playing in empty hallways as the spirits of those who died seeking seaside pleasure continue their eternal stay.
The property experienced devastating destruction when Cape May’s Great Fire consumed the original mansion in 1878, but the rapid reconstruction and subsequent $22 million renovation completed in 2002 after decades of Depression-era decay awakened supernatural activity from bygone eras when wealthy tourists from Philadelphia, Washington D.C., New York, Delaware, and Maryland escaped intense city heat to indulge in seaside escapes that ended tragically for some guests.
Current owner Curtis Bashaw embraces the hotel’s haunted legacy, declaring ‘The hauntedness of the place!’ as inspiration for bringing Congress Hall back to its Victorian glory, while the convergence of oceanic forces and abundance of quartz in Cape May’s ground creates ideal conditions for paranormal manifestations throughout America’s most haunted seaside resort.
The Southern Mansion
Address: 720 Washington St, Cape May, NJ 08204
Phenomenons reported: Esther Allen George Niece Dancing Joyful Spirit; 1863 Southern Architecture Inspired Industrialist Villa; Italian Gardens Victorian Corridors Perfume Petticoat; South Jersey Ghost Research Perfect Manners Investigation; Boarding House Period Soldier Ballroom Phantom
Why it's Haunted
Built in 1863 as a three-story American bracket seaside palace by wealthy industrialist George Allen inspired by Southern architecture, the Southern Mansion became forever haunted when Esther Allen, George’s beloved niece who was the last family member to call the estate home, died heartbroken after her husband couldn’t bear to remain in their shared sanctuary and sold the entire furnished mansion for only $8,000, her joyful spirit choosing to dance eternally through the Italian gardens and Victorian corridors rather than depart from her cherished summer retreat.
The mansion’s primary ghost is Esther herself, whose happy apparition manifests through staff and guests witnessing her dancing throughout the house, smelling her distinctive perfume wafting through empty rooms, and hearing the rustling of her petticoat as she wanders through her beloved home where restoration work awakened paranormal activity that she greets with positive enthusiasm from the spirit world.
The property harbors additional benevolent spirits including friendly Allen family members, former boarders from the mansion’s 50-year boarding house period, and a soldier seen striding through the ballroom, all described by South Jersey Ghost Research investigators as having perfect manners, friendly playfulness, and willingness to help guests as they continue their eternal residence in Cape May’s most graciously haunted accommodation.
The mansion experiences widespread supernatural phenomena including investigators being touched softly by entities, unusual cold spots in several rooms, doors locking mysteriously after being checked and found unlocked, and spirits displaying such courteous behavior that they’re considered ideal supernatural hosts for a bed and breakfast and wedding venue.
Haunted Hotels in Lambertville, NJ
The Hawke
Address: 74 S Union St, Lambertville, NJ 08530
Phenomenons reported: 1860s Civil War Era Construction Death Spirits; Disembodied Footsteps Doors Opening Lights Flickering; Hair Pulling Unseen Entities Staff Aggressive Interaction; Ghost Whispers Empty Dining Areas Supernatural Encounters; Inn of Hawke Historic Hospitality Employee Attachments
Why it's Haunted
Originally built in the 1860s and operating as Inn of The Hawke before becoming The Hawke restaurant in 2022, this historic Lambertville establishment became forever haunted by the spirits of those who lived and died within its walls during over 160 years of continuous hospitality operations, creating one of New Jersey’s most actively haunted dining destinations where employees consistently encounter supernatural phenomena that terrorize staff and create an atmosphere where the living and dead coexist in uncomfortable proximity.
The restaurant’s paranormal epicenter experiences widespread ghostly activity including disembodied footsteps echoing through empty dining areas, doors opening independently without human intervention, lights flickering mysteriously throughout the building, clipboards flying off desks through invisible force, and staff members having their hair pulled by unseen entities that demonstrate aggressive interaction with the living during routine restaurant operations.
The property harbors multiple spirits whose manifestations include ghost whispers heard throughout the establishment during quiet moments when staff work alone, creating an environment where supernatural encounters have become routine aspects of daily operations as employees adapt to sharing their workplace with entities who refuse to abandon the location where they found comfort, sustenance, and social interaction before death claimed their mortal forms.
The building’s 1860s construction period coincided with Civil War era violence and disease outbreaks that claimed numerous lives throughout New Jersey, while its continuous operation as an inn and restaurant created spiritual attachments among guests, travelers, and staff members who died during stays or employment periods when medical care was primitive and death rates remained high in hospitality establishments.
Haunted Hotels in Ocean City, NJ
The Flanders Hotel
Address: 719 E 11th St, Ocean City, NJ 08226
Phenomenons reported: Emily Lady in White WWI Love Loss Tragedy; Belgian Cemetery American Soldiers Memorial Naming; Five-Year-Old Daughter Drowning Maternal Search; Basement Catacombs Two Murder Victims Sarah Hypothermia; Prohibition Dancing Spirits Gaming Social Enjoyment
Why it's Haunted
Opened in 1923 and named for a Belgian cemetery honoring American soldiers killed during World War I, the Flanders Hotel became forever haunted by Emily, the mysterious Lady in White whose tragic death—either suicide as a heartbroken employee or mourning her WWI battle-killed love—transformed her into Ocean City’s most famous ghost who wanders barefoot in flowing white gowns seeking eternal peace she never found in life.
The hotel’s primary spirit is Emily herself, appearing as a woman in her early twenties with long brown hair whose mischievous presence manifests through playing with doors and locks, unscrewing light bulbs mysteriously, rearranging place settings when staff isn’t looking, and singing haunting melodies in empty hallways, while her portrait painted by artist Tony Troy based on witness descriptions hangs on the second floor where she most frequently appears.
The property harbors additional tragic spirits including a five-year-old girl believed to be Emily’s daughter who drowned in the sea and continues her perpetual nocturnal search for ghostly maternal comfort, while the basement Catacombs contain the spirits of two murder victims and Sarah, who died from freezing ocean water after being carried through tunnels to the lower level where hypothermia claimed her life.
The hotel experiences widespread paranormal activity including male and female spirits from Prohibition days dancing together in festive moods as they relive their fun times of drinking, gaming, and social enjoyment, creating happy supernatural atmosphere where past investigators obtained ‘above average physical evidence’ through EVPs, photographs, temperature drops, and unexplained readings with 10% of photos containing energy orbs.
Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 2009, the Flanders Hotel stands as Ocean City’s most haunted accommodation where WWI memorial naming, employee tragedy, childhood drowning, and Prohibition celebration created a supernatural community of spirits who refuse to abandon their seaside sanctuary, making this landmark a haunted monument to the complex emotions of love, loss, and revelry that continue manifesting through Emily’s eternal residence and her ghostly family’s search for reunion in death.
Haunted Hotels in Perth Amboy, NJ
The Proprietary House
Address: 149 Kearny Ave, Perth Amboy, NJ 08861
Phenomenons reported: William Franklin Royal Governor Revolutionary War Spirits; Little Boy Blue Third Floor Door Opening Ghost; Dining Room Window Woman Period Dress Vigil; TAPS Ghost Hunters Jersey Unique Minds Investigation; Colonial Political Betrayal Family Division Supernatural Hotspots
Why it's Haunted
Built between 1762 and 1764 as the official residence of William Franklin, the last Royal Governor of New Jersey and illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin, The Proprietary House became forever haunted when Revolutionary War conflicts, political betrayals, and family divisions created one of the original thirteen colonies’ most concentrated supernatural hotspots where the spirits of colonial officials, wartime casualties, and political prisoners continue their eternal residence in America’s only remaining royal governor’s mansion.
The mansion’s paranormal epicenter includes the dining room window where a mysterious woman in period dress continues her eternal vigil, the third floor where a little boy dressed in blue opens doors for visitors and leads them through corridors where he died during the building’s most turbulent operational periods, and throughout the structure where the ghost of a Revolutionary War soldier maintains his eternal military duty despite death ending his earthly service to the colonial cause.
The property harbors multiple spirits whose manifestations have attracted professional paranormal investigators including Jersey Unique Minds Paranormal Society and The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) from SyFy’s Ghost Hunters, their documented encounters confirming supernatural activity that spans centuries of American political turmoil where colonial loyalty, revolutionary fervor, and family betrayal created lasting spiritual attachments among those who died defending competing visions of American independence.
The Proprietary House experiences ongoing supernatural phenomena through its annual haunted tours, Haunted Lantern Walks that extend to St. Peter’s Graveyard, and Halloween events featuring costumed guides who share tales of ghosts, murders, and pirates that reflect Perth Amboy’s violent colonial and maritime history where waterfront dangers and political conflicts claimed countless lives.
Find other Haunted Hotels in America
Click your state to find a Haunted Hotel near you.
*Blacked Out States = No Haunted Hotel Locations*