North Carolina's Haunted Coastal Trail Explores The State's Intriguing Dark History And Ghostly Tales

With misty mountains, beautiful beaches, and small towns with enough charm to inspire multiple Nicholas Sparks novels, North Carolina serves as a backdrop for some of the most romantic getaways in the South. But the state also has its fair share of spooky destinations. Brooding with a dark history, the coast of the Old North State holds an ocean of paranormal places – from haunted lighthouses guarded by phantom cats to historic inns whose ghostly guests never checked out.

If you want to discover the darker side of the state, the North Carolina Haunted Trail is a positively eerie route that takes you to some of the region's most haunted locations. Taking three to five days to complete, the bone-chilling road trip spans more than 300 miles along the hauntingly beautiful coast, with plenty of paranormal pit stops along the way. Brimming with spooky legends that are perfect for a Halloween vacation, it's a road best traveled in October — or any time of year you're craving a creepy coastal retreat.

The route kicks off in Kenansville, about 95 miles southwest of Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). Make your first stop at the Country Squire Restaurant, Inn, & Winery, a 1960s haunt where dark decor collides with dark legends. The hotel's guest book is filled with page-turning paranormal accounts, including sightings of a ghostly woman in white. Some say the inn's deceased owner, Joe West, still floats around to keep an eerie eye on things. Dine with the dead in the restaurant, and sip with the spirits in The Tavern –- just beware of the phantom darts said to fly off the dartboard on their own.

Next up is New Bern. Though the charming North Carolina town is a walkable riverfront gem, it's also home to one of the state's most haunted inns: The Harvey. Dating to the 1790s, the historic inn's most frequent guest is a female apparition dressed in Victorian attire, often spotted wandering the second and third floors. Book a room, if you dare, and listen for phantom footsteps echoing through the halls at night.

After sleeping with the spirits, continue your journey north to the Great Dismal Swamp in South Mills. As legend has it, its mysterious waters are haunted by the "Lady of the Lake," a mournful spirit who lost her lover in the bogs years ago, and still searches for him in her sad, spectral form. Leaving the weeping whispers of the swamp, continue seaward to the Black Pelican Restaurant in Kitty Hawk. Situated in a former lifesaving station, it is said to be haunted by the former keeper, whose spirit appears in the dining room of the historic oceanfront eatery. After dinner, take a short drive south to Manteo to catch a flick at the Pioneer Theater -– the country's oldest family-run theater, dating to 1918 –- where a phantom projectionist is said to still run the show.

Before embarking on the last leg of your spooky journey, get some shut-eye at The Roanoke Island Inn. Nestled in the idyllic Outer Banks of North Carolina, the charm-filled inn is also packed with ghost stories about former owner and postmaster Roscoe Jones. Don't worry – he's regarded as a friendly ghost who innocently flickers lights, turns radios on and off, and sometimes appears in his postmaster's uniform as he wanders the halls.

Rising from the fog with an eerie glow, lighthouses are mysterious enough on their own — even more so when they're haunted. Located about 12 miles from The Roanoke Island Inn, the Bodie Island Light Station haunts the northern side of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, where visitors have reported ghostly apparitions as they climb its tower. Farther south, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse -– America's tallest brick lighthouse -– is said to be haunted by the spirit of its former keeper and by a phantom feline that rubs against visitors' legs before mysteriously disappearing.

The final stop on the North Carolina Haunted Trail is Ocracoke Island. To reach it, you must take a ferry ride from Swan Quarter or Cedar Island, which will drop you off at the Silver Lake harbor. Brimming with paranormal pirate lore, the small island is infamous as the place where Blackbeard met his end in a bloody naval battle in 1718. Brutally killed and decapitated, legend has it that Blackbeard's benevolent spirit still roams the island looking for his long-lost head.