• Slide 1 of 12: <p>If there is one thing <a href="https://www.theactivetimes.com/travel/world/postcard-perfect-european-villages-straight-out-fairytale"><strong>cities, towns and villages</strong></a> of all sizes and cultures have in common it is people. When they are missing – whether you know the reason why or not – a place feels scary and it sends bad vibes. Your only <a href="https://www.theactivetimes.com/travel/us/top-haunted-attractions-across-country"><strong>companions in certain spots will be ghosts</strong></a>, if you believe in them.</p>
  • Slide 2 of 12: <p>This has been known as one of <a href="https://www.theactivetimes.com/travel/us/top-haunted-attractions-across-country"><strong>America’s most haunted prisons</strong></a>. It has a past darker than most; but, after all, it had been in operation for more than a century. Before the prison closed in 1995, nearly 1,000 prisoners died inside. The history of the penitentiary includes several riots, escapes, hangings, electrocutions, and grisly murders. Visitors say they can feel the <a href="https://www.theactivetimes.com/travel/national-parks/boo-these-national-parks-are-haunted"><strong>presence of trapped souls still lingering</strong></a>. You can stay overnight. See if the original electric chair, “old sparky,” is still in its place.</p>
  • Slide 3 of 12: <p>This <a href="https://www.theactivetimes.com/content/20-creepiest-abandoned-theme-parks-around-world"><strong>Christian-themed 18-acre park</strong></a> was built in the late 1950s and initially <a href="http://www.theactivetimes.com/travel/us/best-amusement-park-every-state"><strong>thrived as a Connecticut attraction</strong></a>, according to Atlas Obscura. In the mid-80s, the park’s owner closed it down to work on expanding the site, but then died in 1986 and it was never reopened. Now long abandoned, Holy Land USA has been widely vandalized and was even the <a href="http://www.theactivetimes.com/travel/us/most-dangerous-city-each-state"><strong>site of a murder</strong></a> in 2010. </p>
  • Slide 4 of 12: <p>It was once home to more than 140 retail stores, but year of decline and financial struggles led to its closure in 2008. As the years went by, it started to look more and more like a scene setting from The Walking Dead. The city called the site a <a href="http://www.theactivetimes.com/travel/us/most-dangerous-cities-pedestrians"><strong>danger to residents</strong></a>. Officials <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/akron/index.ssf/2016/07/akron_city_council_oks_demolit.html"><strong>increased</strong></a> police presence there and issued public safety statements <a href="https://www.theactivetimes.com/adventure/people/dangerous-cities-you-should-never-tour-alone"><strong>warning people to stay away</strong></a> in June 2016. The mall is slated for demolition. The process began in October 2016.</p>

Slide 1 of 12: <p>If there is one thing <a href="https://www.theactivetimes.com/travel/world/postcard-perfect-european-villages-straight-out-fairytale"><strong>cities, towns and villages</strong></a> of all sizes and cultures have in common it is people. When they are missing – whether you know the reason why or not – a place feels scary and it sends bad vibes. Your only <a href="https://www.theactivetimes.com/travel/us/top-haunted-attractions-across-country"><strong>companions in certain spots will be ghosts</strong></a>, if you believe in them.</p>
Full screen
1/12 SLIDES © Shutterstock

11 Terrifying Abandoned Places in the U.S.

If there is one thing cities, towns and villages of all sizes and cultures have in common it is people. When they are missing – whether you know the reason why or not – a place feels scary and it sends bad vibes. Your only companions in certain spots will be ghosts, if you believe in them.