New York Haunts the Nation: 2 of the Top 10 Haunted Hotels Are Here

Are you brave enough to sleep with spirits?

New York is home to not one but two of the 10 Best Haunted Hotels in the country.

#10 Hotel Saranac (Saranac Lake, New York)

Tucked away in the Adirondacks, Hotel Saranac has been welcoming guests since the 1920s. It’s built on the site of what used to be a high school, and the ghost of Howard Littell, the school’s longtime superintendent, is rumored to still linger on the property.

Visitors have reported a wide range of unusual occurrences.

On the third floor, eerie scratching noises seem to come from nowhere. The fourth floor has its own mysterious visitor—a young girl who appears and vanishes without a trace. And on the sixth floor, some guests swear they’ve heard faint, haunting singing echoing through the hallways.

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Whether you’re a skeptic or a believer, the hotel’s rich history and paranormal reputation make it one of the Adirondacks’ most intriguing—and spine-tingling—destinations.

#1 The Fainting Goat Island Inn (Nichols, New York)

There's also a place in New York that's so haunted even the goats are fainting.

Overlooking a 17-acre island in the Susquehanna River in Nichols, New York, you'll find The Fainting Goat Island Inn. It's been named the Best Haunted Hotel by USA Today, up from #2 last year.

READ MORE: One of Most Haunted New York Cemeteries Home to Cursed Bronze Lady

Visitors have shared plenty of eerie experiences over the years.

Guests have reported hearing mysterious voices at night, footsteps echoing on empty stairs, and even seeing two women calmly having tea in a room where no one else was supposed to be.

One of the more curious stories involves a child’s chair that appears out of nowhere—some say it belongs to one of the inn’s most active spirits, a little boy who likes to make his presence known in the Nubian Room.

Hard to Remain Skeptical

When owner Marie Streit bought the inn, she had no idea it came with any ghostly residents. “It’s hard to remain a skeptic,” she told Binghamton Homepage, noting that the unusual happenings have slowly convinced her that the inn may indeed be haunted.

READ MORE: Travel Down One of CNYs Most Haunted, Curvy Roads, If You Dare

If you visit the Fainting Goat Inn, don’t forget to check out the namesakes themselves! The fainting goats aren’t just part of the quirky name; they really do freeze up (or “faint”) when startled.

Why Goats Faint

Not all goats faint. Those that do are spooked by loud noises or sudden movements, according to the National History Museum.

The sudden stiffening of muscles as the animal attempts to flee sometimes causes them to fall over, which looks a bit like they have fainted from fright.

I'd fall over from fright if I heard or saw spirits, too.

Check out the 10 Best Haunted Hotels at USA Today, if you dare.