If you had your choice between a ritzy, glitzy 5-star hotel or one that may tell a tale of sordid spirits, which would you choose? This time of year, go for the haunts and spooks. New Jersey has many hotels filled with history, legends and possibly ghosts. Are you willing to fight the fright for a night and stay in one of these rooms? If so, here’s a list of places you and your kids can check out – if you dare!
Angel of the Sea
Cape May
Cape May is the ultimate New Jersey ghost town, and the Angel of the Sea may be one of the most well-known haunted spots. There are tales of Sarah Brown, an Irish exchange student staying at the inn, falling to her death in the 1960s. Her continued haunting is the subject of a book by New Jersey author Marlo Berliner.
The Flanders Hotel
Ocean City
Known as the “Lady in White,” Emily is said to be the spirit of a woman in her early 20s with long brown hair who walks around barefoot. She seems to be harmless, though she disappears into the walls and plays with door locks. Hotel guests say this resident ghost sings, swings doors and unscrews lightbulbs. Ghost tours claim Emily was the girlfriend of a WWI soldier who never returned from Europe.
The Grenville
Bay Head
Listen closely, because guests report hearing children in the hallways when no children are to be found. Some people reported things moving in the dining room.
The Historic Hotel Macomber
Cape May
Legend has it a family visited Cape May for many years, and after a woman’s husband died her children convinced her to keep coming back to her favorite hotel to stay in their favorite room – No. 10. Yet some people say the woman, Irene Wright, actually did not have kids or a husband but instead traveled with a large trunk. She died in the 1970s but still haunts Room 10.
Surf City Hotel
Long Beach Island
According to the history of the hotel, “Before the previous structure burned down, it was rumored to be haunted. There are still many people on the island who have heard the ghost stories and come to the hotel looking for intrigue. The new owners, Colleen and Greg Gewirtz, who purchased the hotel in April 2017, have been looking to meet up with the ghosts, so far without success.”
Union Hotel
Flemington
There’s a really cool video you can check out about this currently closed haunted hotel. After the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh’s son, many journalists stayed at the hotel across from the courthouse during the trial of the accused murderer. The rooms and corridors are vacant and closed to the public but some workers from the restaurant have reported strange happenings such as doors closing, the sounds of footsteps or light humming.
Widow McCrea House
Frenchtown
It seems that a friendly cat inhabits this property – the ghost of a deceased, cat that is. But this cat is said to be more friend than foe. Guests who spend the night have reported hearing faint “meows” or the feeling of a cat jumping on their lap, with nothing visible to be seen.