West Virginia paranormal trail expands to include a theater, tavern, and cavern

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Officials at the West Virginia Department of Tourism have announced the expansion of the West Virginia Paranormal Trail with four new haunting locales.

Twenty-one paranormal sites are now part of the trail, according to Chelsea Ruby, cabinet secretary for the department.

In just three months of the trail’s opening in 2024, she said, participants from 45 states and four countries checked in, leading to more than 2,000 prize redemptions.

“We are so excited to bring back the paranormal trail this fall, featuring four new mysterious stops for travelers to explore,” Ruby said.

“When planning your leaf-peeping trips to the Mountain State, be sure to add some of these spooky adventures to your list. From stunning color to one-of-a-kind experiences, I have a feeling this autumn will be one of the best we’ve ever had.”

To experience the haunts of West Virginia and uncover chilling tales, travelers can register to participate in the West Virginia Paranormal Trail online and instantly receive the digital passport via email or text.

Paranormal enthusiasts then have the chance to explore eerie locations around the state while earning exclusive prizes along the way, including an official sticker, keychain, hat, and adventure-ready lantern.

West Virginia Paranormal Trail Passport

To get started, adventurers should visit wvtourism.com/paranormal and register for their free West Virginia Paranormal Trail Passport by filling out their contact information.

After signing up, the digital passport will be delivered to your phone via text or to the email provided. Now you can explore the haunts of West Virginia and check in at participating locations to earn these exclusive prizes along the way:

• Check in at three or more spots and receive a holographic sticker.
• Check in at seven or more spots and receive a custom keychain.
• Check in at 15 or more spots and receive an official Paranormal Trail trucker hat.
• Check in at all locations and receive a limited edition lantern.

Four new Spooky Stops

Apollo Civic Theater

Step back into a building born in the vaudeville age, where history lingers in every brick and beam. Alive with stage acts and roaring applause in 1914, it’s believed that some of the performers never truly left this Martinsburg landmark.

Over the decades, the Apollo has hosted a wide range of events, including vaudeville acts, films, and touring performers, as well as weddings, dances, and community gatherings. On the National Register of Historic Places, the theater thrives as a nonprofit performing arts center, offering local theatrical productions, youth programs, seasonal events, and its famously spooky Haunted Theatre, making it both a treasured piece of history and a vibrant home for the arts today.

Carnegie Hall

One of only four Carnegie Halls in the world still in operation, this Lewisburg gem has a legacy that extends beyond music and art. Built in 1902 after a mysterious fire consumed the original Lewisburg Female Institute, there have been reports of unexplained footsteps, flickering lights, and spectral whispers.

After the college closed in 1972 and the building narrowly escaped demolition, local residents formed Carnegie Hall, Inc., transforming the landmark into a vibrant nonprofit arts and education center.

Today, it offers a lively array of cultural programming—from live concerts and rotating art exhibits to arts education classes, outdoor summer concerts on the Ivy Terrace, independent films, workshops, and community events—engaging tens of thousands of patrons each year and serving as a cornerstone of Lewisburg identity.

Greenbrier Valley Theater

If you dare, visit and catch a showing of Greenbrier Ghost, one of the many interpretations of the local Greenbrier County legend, where the trial of Zona Heaster Shue’s murder in 1897 was won based on the testimony of a ghost.

Shue, often remembered as the “Greenbrier Ghost,” is central to one of West Virginia’s most famous and unusual murder cases. In 1897, she was found dead under mysterious circumstances, with her death initially ruled natural. However, her mother later claimed that her spirit appeared to her in dreams, insisting she had been murdered by her husband.

This spectral testimony prompted authorities to exhume Zona’s body, which revealed evidence of strangulation. The case remains unique in American legal history, as it is the only recorded instance where a ghost’s alleged testimony was credited with helping secure a conviction.

Seneca Caverns

Long known as a gathering place for Native Americans, the vast underground chambers known as Seneca Caverns are said to hold secrets, and perhaps spirits, that linger in the shadows. Visitors often report hearing mysterious sounds and experiencing an otherworldly stillness that makes this natural wonder both breathtaking and chilling.

Discovered in the late 18th century at Riverton, it became a commercial attraction in 1930 and remains one of just four publicly accessible caves in the state. A guided walking tour stretches roughly half a mile and descends to depths of around 165 feet, leading visitors through a world of striking calcite formations—stalactites, stalagmites, cave coral, and gleaming flowstone—that reflect millions of years of geological artistry.

About the West Virginia Paranormal Trail

The West Virginia Paranormal Trail is an immersive, statewide initiative launched in October 2024 by Governor Jim Justice and the West Virginia Department of Tourism to shine a spotlight on the region’s most haunted and mysterious sites.

The trail features a curated set of eerie destinations—from the ominous Gothic ruins of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum to the ghostly remnants of Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park, and the shadow-haunted corridors of the West Virginia Penitentiary.

Initially comprising 14 haunted and cryptid-themed spots, the trail expanded to 18 destinations just weeks after its debut in response to overwhelming interest—with more than 5,000 sign-ups from across the U.S. and beyond.

The new additions broadened its spooky appeal and include such attractions as the West Virginia Bigfoot Museum, Silver Run Tunnel (known for sightings of a woman in white), Cryptid Mountain Miniature Golf, and the seemingly haunted Hempfield Tunnel in Wheeling.

Endorsed by travel outlets like Thrillist, the trail taps into the growing fascination with paranormal tourism by blending local legends, immersive history, and adventurous exploration across the Mountain State.

For more information on West Virginia’s Paranormal Trail or to register for a digital passport, visit wvtourism.com/paranormal. To nominate a haunted location to be included next season, click here.