Haunted Places in Tennessee: 10 Sites With Real History

This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The best-known of the haunted places in Tennessee is the Bell Witch Cave in Adams, tied to a poltergeist legend set in 1817-1821, but the state's real record is in its Civil War sites, theaters, hotels, and prisons. Below are 10 haunted places in Tennessee from Nashville, Franklin, Memphis, Chattanooga, and the Cumberland Plateau, each split into what the record supports and what is only told as legend. Most ghost stories here come from ghost-tour operators and paranormal websites, not independent documentation, and we say so wherever that is the case.

Quick answer if you're short on time: Of the haunted places in Tennessee listed here, the Ryman Auditorium and Carter House are the easiest to tour, the Bell Witch Cave is the most famous legend, and Carnton is the best-documented site of suffering, since it held the largest field hospital after the Battle of Franklin.

1. Bell Witch Cave (Adams)

The Bell Witch story centers on farmer John Bell and his family in Robertson County, near Adams, with the reported haunting dated to 1817-1821. The earliest written mention we found is a military officer's 1820 journal, which describes a young girl and a mysterious voice that drew many visitors. A 1856 Saturday Evening Post piece explained the phenomenon as ventriloquism. The first full-length account is Martin V. Ingram's 1894 Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch, written decades later, and skeptics note that nearly everyone with firsthand knowledge was already dead. The popular claim that Andrew Jackson investigated has no documentary support. The cave itself was not part of the original legend and became a 20th-century tourist attraction. For the full case, see our Bell Witch true story, our look at whether the Bell Witch is real, and our best books about the Bell Witch haunting.

Can you visit: Yes. The Historic Bell Witch Cave is a private attraction offering tours of the cabin and cave, plus October lantern tours and events. Hours change by month, so confirm on its official site.

2. Ryman Auditorium (Nashville)

Businessman Thomas Ryman led construction of what opened in 1892 as the Union Gospel Tabernacle, and it was renamed Ryman Auditorium after his death in 1904. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1971, and designated a National Historic Landmark on June 25, 2001. The Grand Ole Opry broadcast from the building from June 5, 1943, until March 15, 1974. A major restoration began in September 1993, and it reopened on June 4, 1994. The ghost story told on Nashville ghost tours is that Ryman's spirit objects to rowdy performances, including a tale about an opera production of Carmen. We found these in ghost-tour and paranormal-site writing only, and nothing in the building's documented history confirms them.

Can you visit: Yes. It is a working concert venue that also offers daytime tours. Check current schedules.

3. The Hermitage Hotel (Nashville)

The Hermitage Hotel was commissioned in 1908 and opened on September 17, 1910, with J. Edwin Carpenter as architect. It was added to the National Register on July 24, 1975. In 1920 it became a headquarters for both pro- and anti-suffrage forces while Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment, and it was designated a National Historic Landmark on August 28, 2020, for that role. Its guest list is documented and includes visits by President Taft in 1911. Nashville ghost-tour lists include the hotel among the city's haunted sites, but the specific stories come from tour operators, and we did not find an independent record behind them.

Can you visit: Yes, as a guest or a customer of its restaurant and bar. Confirm what is open to non-guests.

4. Carnton (Franklin)

Randal McGavock built the house in 1826. After the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864, it became the largest temporary field hospital, less than a mile from the Union eastern flank. More than 1,750 Confederate soldiers died at Franklin, and the bodies of four Confederate generals (Patrick Cleburne, John Adams, Otho Strahl, and Hiram Granbury) were laid on the back porch. The McGavock Confederate Cemetery on the grounds holds 1,481 soldiers reburied in spring 1866. The property was listed on the National Register on January 18, 1973, and the Battle of Franklin Trust now manages it. Franklin ghost-tour companies describe soldiers in the fields and cold spots in the rooms. These are anecdotes, and the museum treats the site as a memorial.

Can you visit: Yes, through guided tours. Check the Battle of Franklin Trust's site for hours and any seasonal evening programs.

5. Carter House (Franklin)

Fountain Branch Carter completed the Federal-style brick house in 1830. During the Battle of Franklin it served as headquarters for the Twenty-Third Army Corps under Brigadier General Jacob D. Cox, while the Carter family sheltered in the basement. More than a thousand bullet holes are still visible in the buildings. The Carters' middle son, Tod, served in the 20th Tennessee Infantry, was mortally wounded in the battle, was brought to the house, and died on December 2, 1864. The house sits within the Franklin Battlefield National Historic Landmark, and the Tennessee Historical Commission has owned it since 1953. Ghost stories about Tod Carter circulate in regional folklore, but they are unproven.

Can you visit: Yes. Tours of the house and grounds are offered, run by the Battle of Franklin Trust. Confirm current hours.

6. Tennessee State Prison (Nashville)

The second structure on the site opened in 1898 on Centennial Boulevard, built by Enoch Guy Elliott with 800 cells, after an earlier prison dating to 1831. The prison closed in June 1992 and was shut for good by a federal court injunction in 1993. The Green Mile (1999) and Walk the Line (2005) were filmed there, among others. The interior was declared off-limits in 2011 because of asbestos, and an EF3 tornado damaged the site on March 2-3, 2020. It is named among reportedly haunted Tennessee locations and appeared in a paranormal TV series, but we found no documented source for specific ghost stories. Executions are part of the record, though we did not verify a count.

Can you visit: No. The grounds are closed and the buildings are unsafe. View it from public roads only, and do not trespass.

7. Orpheum Theatre (Memphis)

The Grand Opera House opened at Main and Beale streets in 1890. A fire destroyed it in 1923. The building became part of the Orpheum Circuit in 1907, and the present Orpheum opened on November 19, 1928, on the same site, designed by Rapp and Rapp. It closed on Christmas Day 1982 for a $5 million renovation and reopened in January 1984, and it was added to the National Register on August 15, 1977. The theater's resident ghost is said to be Mary, a 12-year-old girl. The account that she died around 1921 in a falling accident comes from ghost-lore sources, and we could not confirm it from a primary record.

Can you visit: Yes, for performances and some tours. Check the venue calendar.

8. The Read House (Chattanooga)

The Crutchfield House opened on the site in 1847 and served in the Civil War as a Confederate garrison headquarters in 1862, a military hospital, and later a Union hospital for wounded from the Battle of Chickamauga. In 1872 Civil War surgeon John T. Read converted a building into a 45-room hotel. The current 10-story building opened in 1926, designed by Holabird & Roche, and the hotel reopened in 2018 after a $27 million renovation. It was added to the National Register on December 23, 1976, and it is described as the longest continuously operated hotel in the South. The famous legend is about Room 311, said to be haunted by a woman called Annalisa Netherly and linked to Al Capone's stay, with iron bars on the windows. We found no record of the woman, so treat the story as legend.

Can you visit: Yes, as a hotel guest. Room 311 availability varies.

9. Graceland (Memphis)

Graceland was built in 1939 by architects Furbringer and Ehrman, and Elvis Presley bought it on March 19, 1957, for $102,500. It was added to the National Register on November 7, 1991, designated a National Historic Landmark on March 27, 2006, and opened to the public on June 7, 1982, drawing around 600,000 visitors a year. Elvis is buried on the grounds. Popular accounts say visitors have sensed his presence or heard singing from the private upper floor. Those are visitor anecdotes found on travel and entertainment sites, and Graceland's documented history contains no paranormal claim. Priscilla Presley has been quoted in interviews describing feeling her husband's presence at the house, which is personal testimony, not evidence.

Can you visit: Yes, through paid mansion tours. Book ahead, especially in August around the anniversary of Elvis's death.

10. Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary (Petros)

The prison opened in 1896 in Morgan County, built after the Coal Creek War of 1891, an uprising against convict leasing in coal mines. Prisoners initially worked on-site coal mines. On June 10, 1977, James Earl Ray escaped with six other inmates by climbing a fence, and he was recaptured less than 58 hours later about 8.5 miles away. The prison closed on June 11, 2009. Since 2018 the site has become a tourist destination with tours, events, and a distillery. The reputation as one of the haunted places in Tennessee comes from event marketing and paranormal-tour promotion; we found no documented source for any specific apparition.

Can you visit: Yes, via the tours and events offered by the current operators. Confirm schedules before driving to the Cumberland Plateau.

What's Actually Verifiable

Across these haunted places in Tennessee, the founding years, the Battle of Franklin, the 1977 escape, and the landmark designations are documented. The ghosts mostly are not. The Bell Witch story rests on an account written in 1894, about seven decades after the events it describes, and the Andrew Jackson episode has no support in his documented movements. The same pattern repeats elsewhere: the history is real, and the supernatural layer is told by tour operators.

Visiting Haunted Places in Tennessee Responsibly

Haunted places in Tennessee range from museums and hotels to closed state property. Stay on public ground, book official tours, and do not enter closed buildings. Trespassing is illegal, and the Franklin cemetery and battlefield sites are memorials. Opening hours, tours, and October events change from year to year, so check each site before you plan a trip. For the wider American picture, see our guide to haunted places in the United States, and for sites that welcome visitors, our list of real haunted places you can actually visit on Halloween.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most haunted place in Tennessee?

There is no objective ranking of haunted places in Tennessee. The Bell Witch Cave is the most famous legend, and Carnton is often called the most haunted house by ghost-tour companies. Treat any “most haunted” label as marketing, since the ghosts are unproven and the history is what can be checked.

Is the Bell Witch story true?

The Bell Witch is a legend, not a documented event. The earliest sources are an 1820 journal mention and an 1894 book written long after the people involved had died, and the Andrew Jackson story has no documentary support. Our Bell Witch true story article covers the evidence in full.

Can you visit the haunted places in Tennessee on your own?

Many of them, yes. The Ryman, Hermitage Hotel, Orpheum, Read House, and Graceland are open to the public, and Carnton, Carter House, and the Bell Witch Cave offer tours. The Tennessee State Prison is closed and unsafe, so it can only be seen from outside. Always confirm hours first.

Why are so many Franklin sites called haunted?

The Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864, killed more than 1,750 Confederate soldiers, and Carnton and the Carter House were at the center of it. Large-scale death and a lively ghost-tour industry explain the reputation. None of this proves a haunting, and the sites present themselves first as history.

Is Elvis's ghost at Graceland?

There is no documented evidence of it. Visitor anecdotes and interview comments from family members describe sensing his presence, but Graceland's historical record contains no paranormal claim. The house is best treated as a landmark and a memorial.

Is it legal to explore abandoned haunted places in Tennessee?

Not without permission. Entering a closed building or private land without the owner's consent is trespassing. The Tennessee State Prison interior has been off-limits since 2011 over asbestos and was damaged by a 2020 tornado. The legal ways to see these sites are official tours and public visiting hours.