The Most Mysterious Place You Can Visit in Every US State

The Most Mysterious Place You Can Visit in Every US State

It’s easy to plan a trip in the United States around places known for being haunted. But anyone can conjure a ghost story or start a rumor by saying they saw a mysterious shape. Haunted places can be fascinating, but also disappointing — especially when these places are treated more as a gimmicky way to make money than as an actual supernatural experience.

However, there’s no shortage of truly mysterious places across the country — places that have been studied, researched, analyzed, and visited for years but still can’t be explained by science.

The US is loaded with eerie and unexplained destinations thanks to a host of factors: its vast and diverse geography, its rich history, and its layers of intersecting cultural influences, to name a few. Some mysteries originated less than a hundred years ago, others millennia. The country’s Indigenous nations all have their own stories about spirits, phenomena, creatures, and dangers tied to the landscape. Mix in fears and urban legends about wild animals and UFOs, plus the fact that the US government has some of the world’s most advanced secret technology, and it’s no wonder each of the 50 states has its own mysterious destination that skeptics and investigators alike can’t get enough of.

From swamps that may host unknown creatures to entire mountains that may hold everything from hidden portals to buried treasure, these are the most mysterious places worth visiting in every US state.

The Most Mysterious Place in Every State

Alabama | Arkansas | Florida | Georgia | Kentucky | Louisiana | Mississippi | North Carolina | South Carolina | Tennessee | Virginia | West Virginia
In the South, legends, natural wonders, and old-school spooky stories mix like nowhere else. Add in plenty of cultural influences from around the world, and you have a hotbed of places with lots of questions and not too many answers.

Read more

Connecticut | Delaware | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New York | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | Vermont
The idea of creating the country of the United States was born in the Northeast, where history runs deep. While some of the most mysterious places in this part of the country are rooted in centuries-old stories, some have more modern origins (and involve government secrets).

Read more

Alaska | California | Colorado | Montana | Idaho | Hawaiʻi | Nevada | Oregon | Utah | Washington | Wyoming
There’s no end to the mysteries waiting to be solved in the Western US, especially given its extreme geography, seemingly endless horizons, and dramatic landscapes that could conceal everything from buried treasure to proof of unknown scientific phenomena.

Read more

Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Ohio | Michigan | Missouri | Minnesota | Nebraska | North Dakota | South Dakota | Wisconsin
Under the Midwest’s welcoming atmosphere of small towns, forested lakes, and friendly people is an intriguing spooky side. Here, you’ll find everything from UFO hotspots to a museum filled only with eerie items.

Read more

Arizona | Oklahoma | New Mexico | Texas
The Southwest has mysteries as unrestrained and sweeping as the desert. From a lake so spooky it inspired sci-fi movies to the remains of a long-forgotten company town, these places are the most mysterious in the Southwest.

Read more

CREDITSEditorial lead:

Suzie Dundas

Contributors:

Katie Gavin, Nickolaus Hines, Tim Wenger, Kelsey Wilking

Art and design:

Rulo Luna