9 Eerie, Abandoned, and Haunted Places in Indiana You Can Actually Tour

You can tour them. That does not mean you should.

Some of Indiana’s strangest places come with boarded windows, creaky floors, unexplained footsteps, and enough local lore to make turning around feel like a perfectly reasonable decision. The catch is that these places are not simply ruins sitting behind a fence.

Visitors can actually get inside, walk the old hallways, explore forgotten rooms, and in some cases stay after dark to see whether the stories have any truth to them.

A former hospital, a gloomy mansion, an abandoned institution, and buildings with reputations far stranger than their architecture all make the list.

Bring curiosity, keep the flashlight handy, and maybe do not volunteer to go first.

1. Indiana Medical History Museum in Indianapolis

Few buildings in Indiana feel as frozen in time as this one. Constructed in 1896 as the pathology department of Central State Hospital, it holds the title of the oldest surviving pathology facility in the country.

The hospital operated from 1848 until 1994 under a name that makes modern visitors wince, and its record includes serious accusations of cruel treatment. Doctors here studied the physical causes of mental illness, performed autopsies, and preserved specimens that still sit in labeled glass jars.

Guided tours run by appointment and cover the anatomical theater, laboratories, and the original teaching amphitheater with its steep wooden seats. Evening tours draw a different crowd entirely.

Staff and guests have described floating lights, groans with no source, and the odd unexplained touch on a shoulder.

A 2013 renovation uncovered jars of human brains hidden behind a wall, each one marked with a patient number, and that corner of the building now carries the heaviest reputation of all.

Thousands of former patients are believed to rest in unmarked ground nearby, which adds a quiet weight to the whole campus. Wear comfortable shoes, since the floors are original and uneven in places.

Photography rules vary by tour, so ask first. Book ahead, because small group sizes fill quickly during autumn.

Address: 3045 West Vermont Street, Indianapolis, Indiana

2. Indiana State Sanatorium Near Rockville

Hidden down a wooded lane, this enormous complex greets visitors with rows of empty beds still waiting in silent wards. It served as Indiana’s primary tuberculosis hospital from 1908 to 1968, back when fresh air and long rest were the main treatments available.

After tuberculosis faded, the campus reopened in 1976 as a nursing home and private mental hospital, then shut down suddenly in 2011. Equipment, wheelchairs, and paperwork were left behind almost overnight.

Since 2021 the property has welcomed ghost tours and investigations, and there are several ways to experience it. Daytime self-guided roaming lets explorers wander at their own pace, while seasonal flashlight tours turn the corridors into something far more unnerving.

Overnight investigations are available for groups who want hours instead of minutes. Reported activity leans heavily toward sound, including male and female voices, coughing and wheezing in the older wings, and footsteps echoing up the stairwells of Adams Hall.

The laundry rooms have a reputation for objects sliding around on their own, and a weeping woman has been described near the offices.

Bring sturdy boots and a backup light source, because the buildings are enormous and mostly unlit. Cell reception out here can be spotty, so download directions before leaving town.

Address: A few miles east of Rockville, Indiana, hidden in the woods around Little Raccoon Creek

3. Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site in New Albany

Money bought a lot of beauty in 1867, and William Culbertson spent it generously.

His Second Empire mansion spreads across 20,000 square feet and twenty-five rooms, filled with hand-painted ceilings, frescoed walls, marble fireplaces, and a rosewood-grained staircase that still stops people mid-sentence.

Guided tours walk through the family rooms and share the story of one of Indiana’s wealthiest residents, including his charitable work around the region.

The elegance comes with a second layer. Staff and volunteers have described figures drifting between rooms, electrical systems misbehaving for no reason, sounds after closing time, and small items disappearing then turning up elsewhere.

The carriage house has the darkest chapter attached to it. Lightning struck the structure in 1888 and it burned, and some believe those who died inside never quite left the property.

Since 1987 that same carriage house has hosted an annual haunted attraction called the House of Anguish, which raises money for restoring the mansion itself. It is a clever arrangement, honestly, with fright fans funding the plaster repairs.

Daytime visits suit families and history lovers, while the autumn attraction is aimed at a braver audience. Tour schedules shift by season, so check before driving over.

Parking sits close by on residential streets.

Address: 914 East Main Street, New Albany, Indiana

4. Hannah House on the South Side of Indianapolis

Twenty-four rooms, brick walls thick enough to muffle a shout, and a reputation that has outlived nearly everyone connected to it. Alexander Moore Hannah, a businessman and politician, finished building this Italianate home in 1858.

Popular legend links the basement to a tragic fire involving freedom seekers, though historians have found no evidence supporting that particular story. Separating myth from record is part of what makes a visit interesting.

What remains undisputed is how much activity people report inside. The basement draws the strongest reactions, with visitors describing foul odors that appear and vanish, low moans, whispered conversation, and shuffling footsteps.

Upstairs, guests have mentioned a figure in a formal suit thought to resemble Hannah himself, along with lights and electronics switching on without help.

A small unmarked stone in the family cemetery plot is believed to mark a stillborn child, and stories of a crying infant in an upper bedroom have circulated for decades.

Open house history tours are held on the first Sunday of each month, which is the easiest way to see the place in daylight. Private paranormal investigations can be arranged separately for groups who prefer the quiet hours.

The house sits along a busy avenue, so it appears without much warning. Take the history seriously and the legends lightly.

Address: 3801 Madison Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana

5. Story Inn Tucked Inside Brown County

Brown County roads twist through hills and hardwood forest, and then a tiny cluster of old buildings appears like a scene someone forgot to update. Founded in 1851 as a logging community, the village nearly disappeared during the Great Depression before a revival in the late 1970s brought it back.

The old general store became a bed and breakfast, and the whole settlement is now one of Indiana’s most talked about overnight stops.

Its best known resident goes by the Blue Lady. Some believe she was married to Dr. George Story, the founder of the village, and her presence is reported most often in the room directly above the restaurant.

That room now carries her name. Guests have written about a woman in a white gown with pale blue eyes, blue objects turning up unexpectedly, and a faint cherry scent in the air.

A guestbook tradition dating back to 1980 has collected these accounts page by page, which makes for fascinating reading over breakfast. Local lore says switching on a blue lamp in her room invites her attention.

Investigation teams have reported doors moving, small objects shifting, and floating orbs in photographs. Even skeptics tend to enjoy the setting, since the surrounding forest is stunning in October.

Address: 6404 IN-135, Nashville, Indiana

6. Whispers Estate in the Town of Mitchell

Pretty from the sidewalk, unsettling once the door closes behind a group. Built in 1894, this white Victorian was purchased in 1899 by Dr. John Gibbons and his wife Jessie, who ran a medical practice out of the first floor.

Tragedy followed the family closely. Their adopted daughter Rachael died in 1921 after her clothing caught fire near a fireplace, their infant daughter Elizabeth died mysteriously in the master bedroom, and Jessie herself passed soon after from pneumonia.

Patients and later residents added more names to the home’s long list of losses. The estate takes its name from the faint whispers guests keep describing, often just beyond understanding.

Other reports include the smell of baby powder in one bedroom, sudden sour odors elsewhere, slamming doors, footsteps on the stairs, and hands touching people who are standing alone.

A shapeless dark mass nicknamed the Big Black is said to slide across floors and stretch up walls and ceilings. Visitors also mention a young girl’s figure and the cries of an infant with no source.

Options range from short flashlight tours to mini investigations and full overnight stays for groups who want the whole night. Bring layers, since the house holds a chill.

Mitchell itself is small and quiet, which somehow makes the drive home feel longer.

Address: 714 West Warren Street, Mitchell, Indiana

7. Randolph County Asylum in Winchester

Big, brick, and impossible to ignore from the highway, the 1899 county infirmary was built to shelter people with nowhere else to go. Its residents included the poor, the elderly, orphaned children, unwed mothers, and those living with mental illness.

Earlier buildings on the same land struggled with unsanitary conditions and a fire, so this replacement was meant to be an improvement. Improvement still meant hardship.

Tuberculosis swept through more than once, and records point to at least two hundred deaths inside these walls, with many burials in unmarked ground on the property.

Paranormal groups treat the place with real respect because of how much gets reported here. Children’s voices, laughter, and playful chatter are described most often in the first floor women’s wing.

Pained screams echo down the halls according to some accounts, and doors slam near the old holding cell used for difficult residents. Shadow figures, full apparitions, and footsteps round out the list.

A former tenant and kitchen worker named Doris gets credit for dolls repositioning themselves in her old bedroom and utensils shifting downstairs. An attic tricycle reportedly rolls without a rider.

Guided tours dig into the history and the stories side by side, and longer investigations can be arranged. Flashlights are essential.

Address: 1882 US-27, Winchester, Indiana

8. French Lick Springs Hotel in Southern Indiana

Presidents, entertainers, and a few famously shady characters all passed through these halls at one point or another. Established in 1845, the resort built its fame on natural mineral springs that visitors once believed could cure almost anything.

Grand columns, tiled corridors, and sweeping gardens still carry that early twentieth century swagger. The sister property at West Baden Springs, with its enormous domed atrium, sits just down the road.

Ghost stories here tend to be more charming than terrifying. Thomas Taggart, a former owner who died in 1916, is said to still make his rounds, checking on standards in the service elevator and along the sixth floor.

Guests occasionally hear voices, clinking glassware, and the murmur of parties that ended generations ago. A bellhop in older uniform has reportedly been mistaken for staff before disappearing around a corner.

One guest bathroom is tied to a persistent tale about a red stain connected to a bride’s death. Whether any of it holds up matters less than how much fun the retelling is.

Historical tours walk through the restoration work, the mineral water history, and the wild social scene of the resort’s peak years.

The surrounding hills make for a lovely drive, and the domed atrium nearby is worth an extra hour.

Address: 8670 West State Road 56, French Lick, Indiana

9. Willard Library and the Grey Lady of Evansville

A ghost with her own tour season is a rare thing, and Evansville has exactly that. Opened in 1885, this Victorian Gothic building holds the title of Indiana’s oldest public library, and its pointed arches and steep gables look like something from a storybook.

Inside, genealogy researchers work quietly among archives that draw visitors from across the Midwest.

The Grey Lady arrived in the record in 1937, when a night watchman described a figure in grey drifting through the building. Sightings never stopped.

Staff, patrons, and investigators have reported books shifting position, reflections appearing in glass, and motion detectors triggering in empty rooms. She is usually described as gentle rather than frightening, more caretaker than menace.

Speculation often points to Louise Carpenter, daughter of founder Willard Carpenter, who reportedly had a strained relationship with her father and others around her. There is also a persistent tale about one particular book in the collection said to carry a heavy presence.

Rather than hide the reputation, the library leans into it with annual Grey Lady Ghost Tours and overnight investigation opportunities. Live video streams from certain rooms have captured images that keep online watchers arguing for hours.

Visit during regular hours first, then return after dark for the full effect.

Address: 21 First Avenue, Evansville, Indiana