The Ultimate Terrifying Michigan Road Trip Is Right Here - And You'll Want To Do It
By Serena Maria Daniels|Updated on June 26, 2019(Originally published June 12, 2019)
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Serena Maria Daniels
Author
Serena Maria Daniels is an award-winning freelance journalist in Detroit, by way of Chicago, by way of the West Coast. She writes about Michigan for OIYS. Serena enjoys learning about language and culture and taking road trips with her beagle Ralph.
Be honest, you like to scare yourself silly. You thrill in staying up late and watching old horror films on Netflix. You are the one who knows all the ghost stories by heart. And you’ll take any dare to enter a forbidden, haunted place.
You are why we’ve designed this custom, creepy Michigan road trip, which takes travelers to some of the most terrifying places in Michigan that are said to have disturbing, spooky pasts. The trip only takes about 6 and a half hours to complete. The added benefit is that many of these places are haunted hotels. So, if you get weary on the road, you can always stop off and experience the truly freaky atmosphere of a haunted place overnight…that is, if you dare.
Here is a link to the directions, should you want to partake in this otherworldly tour. Have a look at what we’ve uncovered at the creepiest places in Michigan.
Also known as the Wayne County Infirmary, Psychiatric, and General Hospital Complex, this once sprawling asylum served the infirm and mentally ill for more than 150 years. Abandoned in the '70s, the facility remained a spooky oddity for thrill-seeking teens, where it was said that discarded medical waste and even human bodies remained. The place has since been razed and turned into a golf course.
In its heyday, this facility, also known as the Southwest Michigan Tuberculosis Sanitarium, was considered a state-of-the-art facility for treating patients suffering from TB. As the deadly threat of tuberculosis subsided in the 1960s, the place became the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital. To this day, neighbors of this building are said to hear the wailing of souls of those who spent their last years confined to the institution.
Another former institute for treating tuberculosis patients, this santitarium opened in 1907. Like the Kalamazoo facility, it also switched to treating the mentally disabled, changed hands a couple of times, and then was shuttered for good in 1982. Years later, the property was torn down to make way for upscale housing; however, the area was said to be haunted.
This facility opened in 1952 and was considered one of the finest facilities in country for treating psychiatric patients. But that reputation did not last, as reports became public decades later that patients were forced to sleep in hallways, were left with nothing to do but chain smoke and watch television all day, and were even subjected to attacks by staff members and other patients. The facility now sits derelict and subject to trespassers, curious to see this haunting place. The property is not safe for those wanting to walk inside, so instead, check out several professional photos here.
Back in the '80s, a man was shot here by a waitress who was angered by a lousy tip. The man's ghost is said to linger in Room 117, pulling pranks like hiding the TV remote, shrinking shampoo bottles, and moving the complimentary Bible around.
Before this place was rebranded as the Henry, it was a Ritz Carlton, which featured a ghostly attribute: doors that swung open by themselves in Room 418. Since the hotel was sold and renamed, the haunting has too appeared to have left.
Address: 300 Town Center Drive, Dearborn, MI 48126
Two apparitions are said to dwell in this B&B in Midtown. One, a woman clothed in a wedding dress, is said to walk the halls of the Roehn House. The other is the ghost of a man, who is rumored to grab your arm if you stay in room 4102 of the Owen House.
Perhaps the creepiest place in the Traverse City area, this state hospital originally opened as an insane asylum in 1885. Patients with tuberculosis, typhoid, diphtheria, and polio were also treated in this facility, appropriately designed in Gothic style.
Address: Traverse City, MI 49684
Our state is home to some bone-chilling ghost stories, many of which come from these terrifying places in Michigan. If you enjoy being scared, then check out this creepy Michigan road trip that takes you to many of the most haunted places in Michigan. Just remember, aside from the hotels and restaurants, view these creepy places from afar.
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