This Tiny Western Town Was Just Named America’s Spookiest Place
There’s a town in Nevada where you can visit an old saloon with a crypt, take a ghost tour, and spend the night in a supposedly haunted hotel. It’s called Virginia City, and it just took first place on a new list of America’s spookiest cities.
Home security company Vivint released its 2026 rankings, with Virginia City coming in ahead of Tombstone, Arizona, and Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Vivint used information from ghost-sighting websites, Yelp listings and Google searches to put the list together.
The 2020 Census counted just 787 people living in Virginia City. Vivint measured several categories per 10,000 residents, so the results weren’t based on which cities had the most attractions overall.
Virginia City became a mining boomtown after the Comstock Lode silver discovery in 1859. Its old C Street still has wooden sidewalks and saloons with names like the Bucket of Blood.
How Virginia City Got the Top Spot
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The study counted seven things, and only two involved reports of ghosts or haunted locations. The others were funeral services, haunted house attractions, psychics and astrologers, spiritual shops and spooky Google searches.
Virginia City finished first for haunted house attractions and spiritual shops compared with its population. It also had the highest rate of spooky Google searches, with about 10,870 searches for every 10,000 residents.
Other places had more reports of ghosts, though. Austin, Texas, had 115 reported sightings, while Los Angeles had the most places listed as haunted, with 61.
You Can Visit a Haunted Saloon With a Crypt
The Washoe Club on C Street still operates as a saloon, but guests can also take a ghost tour through the building. According to the club’s website, the tour covers all three floors, including an old crypt and a spiral staircase.
The Silver Queen Hotel is another place with plenty of ghost stories. Built in 1876, it has a 15-foot-tall portrait of a woman wearing a dress made with 3,261 silver dollars.
Guests staying at the hotel have reported hearing footsteps and voices, along with seeing a woman called Rosie near Room 11. According to local legend, she’s been hanging around the hotel since the 1800s.
There’s also the Mackay Mansion, built in 1859 and once owned by silver millionaire John Mackay. Visitors can see the old rooms and hear stories about two little girls who are said to appear upstairs.
Virginia City Has a Whole Month of Halloween Events
The town calls October Hauntober, and its 2026 schedule includes ghost tours, paranormal investigations, train rides and Halloween parties.
On October 24, there’s a Spirits Made Me Do It Saloon Crawl, where adults can visit different businesses around town for drinks and treats. The Fourth Ward School Museum is also holding a Victorian Halloween ball that evening.
The Virginia & Truckee Railroad has a Haunted Halloween Graveyard Train scheduled for October 29, 30, and 31. Visitors can also take a tour of the historic Silver Terrace Cemetery on Halloween.
On October 31, Virginia City will have a costume contest and parade, followed by trick-or-treating at the businesses along its wooden boardwalk.
