Haunted Seattle: 10 Paranormal Attractions in the Emerald City

From the most-haunted bar in America to secret underground ruins, here are the must-visit spooky spots in Seattle.

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December 16, 2019

By: Deanne Revel

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Photo By: Rachael A. Jones

Photo By: Visit Seattle, Karen Grubb

Photo By: Rachael A. Jones

Photo By: Sorrento Hotel, Danny Owens

Photo By: Moore Theatre, Bob Cerelli

Photo By: Rachael A. Jones

Pike Place Market

When you think of spooky towns in the U.S., Savannah or Salem probably come to mind. But Seattle has some seriously haunted spots, too. And many of them are already popular tourist attractions such as the iconic Pike Place Market. The upper level may be packed with Instagrammable tulip bouquets, PNW marionberries and flying fish, but the market’s subterrain levels are down right creepy with a turn of the century magic shop, junk stores with way too many dolls, hallways that go nowhere and old, wooden floors that squeak and creak with every step. Clearly, the perfect home for a ghost. And apparently Pike Place has several which you can learn about on the market’s ghost stories walking tour.

Seattle's Underground

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Seattle, Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour takes guests through a piece of what used to be Seattle. After the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, the city essentially sealed off lower levels of town and built new buildings on top of the ruins — creating a secret tomb of underground buildings and passageways. If that wasn’t spooky enough, in addition to the regular underground tour ticket, the company offers an Underground Paranormal Experience where guests embark on an investigation using real paranormal equipment. Hear the notorious ghost stories as you roam creepy hallways and passageways. Given the Pioneer Square neighborhood’s history of murder, violence and not to mention the deaths of the fire, your paranormal odds are definitely high.

Cadillac Hotel

Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood has its fair share of ghosts from the great fire of 1889 and the Klondike gold rush that followed in the early 1900s. And the Cadillac Hotel is rumored to host several spirits from those times. The historic building is no longer a hotel but is home to the Seattle branch of the Klondike Gold Rush National Park. Pop in for free exhibits, but keep your ears on alert for the eerie sounds of a mother and child crying.

Kells Irish Restaurant & Bar

Considered by some to be the most-haunted bar in America, Kells Irish Restaurant and Bar is located in the basement of what used to be Seattle’s first mortuary. It doesn’t get more creepy than that. And the building is teeming with paranormal activity, from glasses shooting off the bar to a little girl in a red taffeta dress asking to come play with her. Even the "Ghost Adventures" team conducted a lockdown here and their paranormal investigation captured some seriously chilling audio.

Hotel Sorrento

Leave it to Seattle to have the ghost of the inventor of pot brownies. Yes, you read that right. Alice B. Toklas, longtime partner of Gertrude Stein and credited as the first baker of pot brownies, is said to haunt Seattle’s upscale, boutique Hotel Sorrento — specifically room 408. She’s also been known to move glasses around in the hotel’s Dunbar Room. And to celebrate this fancy bohemian spirit, the hotel offers special events such as a dinner party with Ver Clicquot champagne, ghost stories and a tour of the hotel.

BOOK NOW: Hotel Sorrento | Expedia.co, Starting at $152/night

Moore Theatre

The oldest operating theater in Seattle, the Moore Theatre is a Gilded Age gem with dramatic archways, gorgeous chandeliers and ornate molding and marble throughout. And in addition to all of that opulence, the theater may have some paranormal flare, too. Today, the theater hosts concerts, Broadway tours, comedians and more and some employees have claimed to witness moving apparitions or flickering lights. And those claims aren’t off base as, technically, the theater partially sits on land that used to be Seattle’s first cemetery. If you want to learn more about the theater’s history, you can visit the Historic Theatres Library on Tuesdays or Thursdays for free!

Smith Tower

When you talk about touristy aerial views of Seattle, people fall into two camps: Team Space Needle or Team Smith Tower. While the Space Needle is a more thrilling attraction with a rotating glass floor, the Smith Tower has the best views of Puget Sound and the building is steeped in history. The Art Decor stunner and Seattle’s first skyscraper is rumored to have several paranormal inhabitants including Seattle’s first female mayor Bertha Landes. The best part about visiting Smith Tower’s observation deck is the swanky bar at the top. But watchout: Mayor Landes was mayor during Prohibition and the ardent teetotaler is said to throw guests some judgey side-eye while enjoying a cocktail.

Mayflower Park Hotel

The elegant and historic Mayflower Park Hotel in downtown Seattle is a great, centrally-located home base for exploring Seattle. In fact, the location is so good there may be a permanent resident. Room 1120 is believed to be haunted by an older man who used to live on the sixth floor of the building. The spirit is said to be benign and the hotel claims he’s friendly.

BOOK NOW: Mayflower Park Hotel | Expedia.com, Starting at $154/night

Lakeview Cemetery

Seattle’s Lakeview Cemetery in Capitol Hill has several famous graves including the final resting place of iconic actor and martial artist Bruce Lee and his son Brandon Lee as well as Princess Angeline, the eldest daughter of Chief Seattle. The Salish tribe princess died in 1896 and is rumored to still wander the grounds. Others have claimed to see soldiers dressed in uniform wandering the Civil War cemetery.

Hotel Andra

The ghost guests at Hotel Andra love to party. The building that is now one of Seattle’s luxury hotels was constructed in 1926 and was first used as efficiency apartments before being renovated into a boutique hotel. Guests have reported hearing loud jazz music and breaking glass from the ninth floor. But when hotel employees investigate, there’s nothing there.

BOOK NOW: Hotel Andra | Expedia.com, Starting at $179/night

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Seattle

Haunted Seattle: 10 Paranormal Attractions in the Emerald City

Related To:

Shop This Look

Pike Place Market

Seattle's Underground

Cadillac Hotel

Kells Irish Restaurant & Bar

Hotel Sorrento

Moore Theatre

Smith Tower

Mayflower Park Hotel

Lakeview Cemetery

Hotel Andra

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