7 American Ghost Towns You Can Still Walk Through

Ghost towns may not actually be haunted, but they feel eerie nonetheless. There’s just something about confronting the echoes of the past that makes the hairs on the back of our necks rise. But if you are one of the many people who get a thrill out of such unsettling encounters, the numerous ghost towns of the United States are some of the best tourist attractions for you.

When thinking of ghost towns, most people will envision a dilapidated saloon from the Wild West era. But there are abandoned towns across the country from many different time periods. Some of these towns are even so well-preserved that it feels like you stepped back in time. If you’re looking for ghost towns that you can actually visit and feel the past surround you, here are some of the best the U.S. has to offer.

1. Batsto Village, New Jersey
2. Bodie, California
3. Cahaba (Cahawba), Alabama
4. Glenrio, Texas/New Mexico
5. Kennecott, Alaska
6. Rhyolite, Nevada
7. St. Elmo, Colorado

Batsto Village, New Jersey

One of the oldest ghost towns still standing, Batsto Village began as an iron works site in 1766. The iron ore extracted from the nearby bog was used to make supplies for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. When the iron began to decline in the 1800s, Batsto switched to glassblowing and saw another wave of success in this new market.

Unfortunately, the glassblowing also declined, and people began to leave. But the village has become a historical site and still boasts several original structures, including a mansion, the glassworks, and the post office. The post office is actually still in operation by the Batsto Citizens Committee, and you can send letters from the site.

Bodie, California

Once a gold-mining town, Bodie has now become the Bodie State Historic Park of California. It is one of the most well-preserved ghost towns, and the California Parks Service keeps it in a state of “arrested decay.” This means that even goods and furniture were left inside buildings and homes, as if their owners would return.

The town was named after William S. Bodey, who discovered gold in the area in 1859. Of course, that discovery set off the Gold Rush, and the town was quickly built and booming. But once the gold began to run dry, and a few fires destroyed some of the town, the population dwindled. It officially became a historical site in 1962.

Cahaba (Cahawba), Alabama

Cahaba, or the old spelling of Cahawba, Alabama, was built to be the original capital city for the state. It was the capital city from 1819 to 1826. That was when the fear of flooding led the people to change their capital to Tuscaloosa. The population shrank then, but grew again with the introduction of the railroad.

But when the Confederate Army requisitioned the railroad during the Civil War, the town found its economy falling faster than it could keep up with.

After the Civil War, there were several disasters of fire and floods that left Old Cahawba in ruins. The town was abandoned by all except a few former slaves. The city was completely deserted by the early 1900s. Now, you can tour the ruins and the few structures still standing.

Glenrio, Texas/New Mexico

If you’ve seen Disney/Pixar's 2006 film, Cars, then you already know the story of Glenrio. Located on the border of Texas and New Mexico, Glenrio was part of the historic Route 66. It was a bustling town until Interstate 40 bypassed it, leaving it in the dust. Cars actually gives a nod to this ghost town when the old motel that was remodeled to be a racing museum was named Glen Rio Motel.

Today, there isn’t much left of the town, but there are still a few old buildings, like a diner, a café, a motel, and a gas station. You can see the remnants of all the people who got their kicks on Route 66, and you can reminisce about the good old days before the large corporations and big interstates drove small towns to ruin.

Kennecott, Alaska

The copper mines in Kennecott, Alaska, only ran for approximately three decades before all the copper was exhausted. The mines and town were established in 1903, and by 1938, Kennecott had pretty much shut down completely. The loss of such a precious material at the same time as the Great Depression was just not something Kennecott could overcome.

Sometimes spelled Kennicott due to different people keeping the records, this town was once receiving investments from J.P. Morgan and other wealthy hotshots because of the need for copper at that time. Now, you can take a walking tour through the mill and other town buildings that were erected on the cliffside.

Rhyolite, Nevada

Located near Death Valley, Rhyolite was another gold-mining town. In 1904, prospector Frank “Shorty” Harris discovered that the land was “lousy with gold.” The town exploded in popularity for a few years, until the gold ran out. It was so successful that wealthy investors provided luxuries like telephone lines and electricity. But once the gold was gone, the town disappeared as quickly as it had been built.

By 1910, the population was already declining, and in 1920, there were only about 14 people left. Most of the wood and stone were taken from Rhyolite buildings to be used elsewhere due to scarce resources in the desert. Today, tourism to Rhyolite brings new life, but it only began when Death Valley was made a national park and art installations drew people to the area.

St. Elmo, Colorado

St. Elmo is considered the best-preserved ghost town in Colorado, and some say, the entire West United States. It was founded in 1880 after gold and silver mines cropped up nearby. It even boasted a railway line, which was rare for a small mining settlement. The town couldn't last, however, when a number of fires and slow refinement of the mined ores caused people to move elsewhere.

In the 1940s, only two people were residents of St. Elmo, and many of the town’s buildings had been destroyed or dismantled. Legend says that one of those residents still haunts the town after her death. Today, the town does still have around forty of the original buildings, and is a tourist spot for history-lovers and hikers alike.

Which of these ghost towns do you most want to visit? Do you think that, like some of the legends tell, some residents never left and now haunt these towns? Or, is the history of such places enough to draw you in as a tourist?