The Haunted Coast: A Spooky Road Trip

Maine’s jagged coast isn’t just beautiful—it’s brooding. With a history of shipwrecks, harsh winters, and isolation, the state is a playground for the paranormal. This road trip follows Route 1 north, hitting the most active and legendary haunted spots in the state.

Day 1: The Southern Spirits

Morning: The Old Gaol (York)

• Stop: Museums of Old York.
• The Haunting: The Old Gaol (Jail) housed prisoners from 1719 to 1860. It is a heavy, somber place. Visitors report being touched by unseen hands and hearing cries from the dungeon.
• Look for: The “White Witch,” a woman in a white dress who is said to roam the grounds.

Afternoon: The Kennebunks

• Lunch: In Kennebunkport’s Dock Square.
• Stop: Captain Lord Mansion (Kennebunkport).
  • Walk by this stunning B&B. It’s said to be haunted by the wife of the Captain, who died before the home was finished.
• Check In: The Kennebunk Inn (Kennebunk).
  • The Ghost: “Silas,” a former clerk. He’s a trickster who moves glasses, unplugs equipment, and rattles silverware. Request a room on the second floor if you want to increase your chances of a visit.

Evening: Biddeford Pool

• Drive: Head to Biddeford Pool (20 mins).
• The Haunting: Wood Island Light.
  • While you can’t always get to the island at night, the view from the point is eerie enough. The lighthouse was the scene of a murder-suicide in 1896. Keepers have reported moans, shadows, and locked doors flying open.

Lodging: The Kennebunk Inn (if you dare) or a non-haunted hotel in Wells/Ogunquit.

Day 2: The Midcoast Mysteries

Morning: Wiscasset Jail Museum

• Drive: North on Route 1 (approx. 1.5 hours).
• Stop: Wiscasset Jail Museum.
  • Built in 1811, this stone fortress was designed to be escape-proof. It is cold, damp, and menacing.
  • The Haunting: Legend says the spirits of former inmates pace the ground floor. Staff have reported cold spots and the feeling of being watched intensely.

Afternoon: Seguin Island (Georgetown)

• Adventure: If you have time and the boat schedule aligns (from Popham Beach), take a charter to Seguin Island Light.
  • The Legend: The most famous lighthouse ghost story. A keeper’s wife, driven mad by the isolation and her husband’s piano playing, killed him and herself.
  • The Experience: It is Maine’s highest lighthouse. The wind here carries the sound of phantom piano music.

Late Afternoon: Owl’s Head Light

• Drive: Continue up the coast to Rockland area (1 hour).
• Stop: Owl’s Head State Park.
  • The Ghost: The “Little Lady.” A benevolent spirit who rattles silverware in the keeper’s house and has been known to tuck people in.
  • The View: Even without ghosts, the view from the cliffs is dramatic.

Lodging: The Strawberry Hill Seaside Inn (Rockport) or the Thorndike Hotel (Rockland) - rumors of hauntings exist at the Thorndike as well.

Day 3: The Cursed Colonel & The Fort

Morning: Bucksport

• Drive: North to Bucksport (1 hour).
• Stop: Colonel Buck’s Tomb (Bucksport Cemetery on Route 1).
  • The Legend: Colonel Jonathan Buck burned a witch, and her leg rolled out of the fire. She cursed him, promising to “dance on his grave.”
  • The Evidence: Look for the stain on the stone monument in the shape of a woman’s leg. It has been sandblasted and replaced, but the image allegedly always returns.

Afternoon: Fort Knox (Prospect)

• Location: Just across the Penobscot Narrows Bridge.
• The Haunting: A massive granite fort that never saw battle. The dark, echoing tunnels are a hotspot for paranormal investigators.
  • Activity: Strange footsteps, voices in empty rooms, and cold touches.
  • Tip: Bring a flashlight. The tunnels are pitch black even at noon.

Evening: The Lucerne Inn

• Drive: Head towards Bangor (20 mins).
• Check In: The Lucerne Inn (Dedham).
  • The Legend: A historic inn with a tragic suicide story.
  • Activity: Guests report seeing a woman in the halls, cold spots, and objects moving on their own. The atmosphere is undeniably old-world and moody.

Lodging: The Lucerne Inn.

Day 4: Derry (Bangor)

Morning: The Stephen King Tour

• Location: Bangor (the inspiration for “Derry” in It).
• Stop 1: The Stephen King House (West Broadway).
  • The iconic red Victorian with the bat/spiderweb fence. (Respect privacy, view from sidewalk).
• Stop 2: The Standpipe (Thomas Hill Standpipe).
  • Inspiration for the haunted water tower in It.
• Stop 3: The Paul Bunyan Statue.
  • Also features in It (when it comes alive).

Afternoon: Mount Hope Cemetery

• The Haunting: One of the oldest garden cemeteries in the nation.
• Connection: Filming location for the original Pet Sematary. Stephen King had a cameo here.
• Ghosts: Rumored to be haunted by Civil War soldiers. It is a beautiful, peaceful, yet undeniably spooky place to walk.

Optional Extension: The Haynesville Woods

• For the brave: If you want to drive another 1.5 hours north.
• Route 2A: “A Tombstone Every Mile.”
• The Legend: A spectral woman begging for a ride who vanishes when picked up. This is desolate logging country—drive carefully.

Spooky Packing List

• Flashlight: For Fort Knox tunnels and dark paths.
• Camera: For trying to catch orbs or apparitions.
• Warm Jacket: Even summer nights can be chilly (and ghost spots are notoriously cold).
• Open Mind: You never know what you might experience!