Do You Dare Enter?: Five Scariest Places To Visit In America

While you can find yourself out at hundreds man made haunted houses, why not go for the real deal and try the real thing. These truly scary locations are soaked in history while all are home to legendary tales and infamous spirits. But thrill seekers beware because something might really follow you home after your adventure. From a former insane asylum to cursed battlegrounds, these spooky sites are not for the fearful.

The Winchester Mystery House. The home was originally built by Sarah Winchester, the wealthy widow of William Wirt Winchester who is the son of the manufacturer of the famous Winchester rifle. Sarah tragically lost both her daughter and husband to illness and later asked for help from a spiritual advisor to overcome her depression.

The medium warned Sarah that the Winchester family had been struck by a terrible curse, and would be haunted by the ghosts of the many deceased who died from their product. The only way to make peace with the dead was to build a house for the lost souls. For 38 years, construction of the Winchester Mystery House continued for 24 hours a day, until Sarah died.

Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. This former state hospital for the mentally ill is a part of American history when noting about paranormal activity. Ghosts of Civil War soldiers and former patients are said to be walking through the two and half miles of hallways passing by without a physical body. Visitors claim to see things move or feel the presence of spirits. According to Fox News, The asylum originally housed 250 residents at a time but in the 1950's more than 2,000 patients called this place home.

Moundsville Penitentiary. This Gothic style prison once house thousands of inmates and many died within the prison cells. They died from natural causes, others from inmate fights or violence and the for some, they were executed. Today, many spirits are said to be walking around the hallways but their is one entity that is said to be very active, the most famous shadow man. There are also claims from people that they have seen a maintenance man who was stabbed to death by prisoners in the basement.

The Stanley Hotel. According to Rough Guides, this hotel is best known for its role in Stephen King's "The Shinning" which has scared the living more than a few guests and staff members since its opening in 1909 and today is well known to be one of America's most haunted hotels. Spend a night in this hotel and you could find yourself among guests both living and dead, including the spirit of Flora Stanley, the late wife of the original owner.