Wisconsin’s Best Ghost Tours: A Badger State Haunted Guide
Wisconsin ranks among America's most haunted states, with over 700 Great Lakes shipwrecks, the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history, and notorious serial killers creating layers of paranormal activity. This comprehensive guide covers ghost tours and haunted experiences across the entire state, from Door County's maritime hauntings to Madison's campus ghosts, providing actionable information for planning your Wisconsin paranormal adventure.
Door County: Wisconsin's haunted peninsula
Door County operates as Wisconsin's premier ghost tour destination, combining 70 miles of scenic peninsula with 240+ documented shipwrecks and multiple haunted lighthouses. Door County Trolley has operated professional ghost tours since 2000, making it one of the state's most established operations.
Trolley of the Doomed (flagship tour): Two hours, departing Egg Harbor station at 7PM (May-Sept) or 6PM (Oct-Nov). Cost: $39.95 adults/$34.95 children 5-15. Stops include Alexander Noble House in Fish Creek where Emily Noble's ghost appears as white mist, Peninsula State Park's Pioneer Cemetery featuring six-year-old Huey Melvin's grave (died Christmas 1905, still plays near Eagle Bluff Lighthouse), and shipwreck stories from "Death's Door" passage. Tours sell out frequently during fall. Book: doorcountytrolley.com or 920-868-1100.
Haunted Pub Crawl: $74.95 (21+ only), June-Nov 1, three hours visiting haunted taverns including Shipwrecked Brew Pub and Blue Ox Bar.
Shipwrecked Brew Pub (Egg Harbor, 920-868-2767): Built 1882, Al Capone hideout with underground tunnels. Five documented spirits including former owner Verna Moore, "Jason" (Capone's alleged son murdered in attic), murdered logger, federal agents killed in tunnels, and Victorian woman. Building burned completely August 2017, rebuilt June 2018—ghosts returned. Operating restaurant serving hand-crafted ales.
Alexander Noble House (Fish Creek, 920-365-3711): Built 1875, museum operated by Gibraltar Historical Association. Emily Noble (died 1873) appears as white mist, cameras malfunction in upstairs bedroom, man's face appears in mirror photos. Daytime museum tours plus evening trolley stops.
Haunted Lighthouses: Pottawatomie (Rock Island, built 1836, Wisconsin's oldest) - original keeper David Corbin buried on island, doors open/close independently, unexplained thumping. Requires two ferries. Tours Memorial Day-Columbus Day. Chambers Island (7 miles by boat from Fish Creek) - 1970s-80s renovations brought intense activity, nuns attempted cleansing 1987, 38 years documented by caretaker. Sherwood Point (last manned Great Lakes lighthouse, automated 1983) - Minnie Hesh Cochems (died 1928) tidies after visitors, clanks teacups.
Nelsen's Hall (Washington Island): Wisconsin's oldest continuously operating tavern (1899). Tom Nelsen operated as "pharmacy" during Prohibition dispensing Angostura bitters. His ghost shuts doors, creates footsteps, changes radio stations. Join "Bitters Club" by taking shot of bitters for certificate. Requires Northport ferry.
Encounter History LLC (Sturgeon Bay): Walking ghost tours June-October, 60-90 minutes covering Historic Third Avenue murders and hauntings. encounterhistory.com
Door County Maritime Museum (Sturgeon Bay, 920-743-5958): Exhibits on 240+ shipwrecks, VR tours of sunken vessels. September 2025 announced F.J. King discovery (144-foot schooner sank 1886, found 139 years later to the day).
Best time to visit: Late Sept-October for fall colors and full tour operations (book 2-4 weeks ahead). Summer offers most tour options with warmer weather but crowds. Winter severely limits availability.
Madison: Campus hauntings and capitol ghosts
Madison Ghost Walks
Madison operates year-round ghost tours through multiple companies covering different aspects of the city's paranormal history.
American Ghost Walks ($30, select weekends 7:30PM): Three tours - Capitol Square Spirits (King Street, oldest area), UW Campus Walks, Lost Souls of State Street (bars/theaters). 1-2 hours, ~1 mile walking. Meeting points: Capitol tours at King St/South Webster across from Great Dane; campus tours at Library Mall fountain. americanghostwalks.com
US Ghost Adventures ($30, nightly year-round 8PM): One hour, meeting outside Children's Museum (100 N Pinckney St). "Murmurs of Mourning & Murder" downtown tour. No printed tickets—bring ID. usghostadventures.com
Mad City Ghost Walks: Two-hour tours (longest in Madison) covering fraternity row, Camp Randall Stadium to Memorial Union. madcityghostwalks.com
Wisconsin State Capitol (free daytime tours): Built 1906-1917, replaced 1904 fire-destroyed capitol. November 8, 1909 roof collapse killed construction workers—their spirits haunt dome and 4th floor. Cold spots, disembodied voices, apparitions throughout.
UW-Madison Campus: Bascom Hill served as Madison's first cemetery (1837-1846). Two bodies remain under Lincoln statue: William Nelson (first white Madison death, 1837 typhoid) and Samuel Warren (lightning strike while building capitol, 1838). Bronze plaques mark graves. Young woman in white walks hill at night.
Science Hall (most haunted building): Housed anatomy department until 1956 with cadavers in attic, morgue in basement, autopsies on upper floors. Body parts found until 1974. Beakers fly off shelves, blood/formaldehyde odors, computer malfunctions, overwhelming presence on 4th floor. "Cadaver chute" dumbwaiters allegedly transported bodies between floors.
Camp Randall Stadium: Union Army training camp (1861) trained 70,000+ troops, held 1,200 Confederate POWs (1862). 140 Confederate prisoners died (buried Forest Hill Cemetery). Tailgaters see Civil War soldier apparitions in uniform and hospital dressings on chilly game mornings.
Orpheum Theater (216 State Street, active music venue): Built 1926, nearly burned 2004. "Pete the Projectionist" hanged himself in projection booth, moves things around. Former head usher fell to death from balcony. Phantom footsteps with jingling keys, 1920s-30s apparitions, well-dressed 1930s woman near bar.
Majestic Theater (115 King Street, 1906): Oldest Madison theater, hosted Houdini. Performer hung himself from balcony creating "Putty Man" (tall shadowy figure, boneless body). "Waving Ghost" on balcony waves before disappearing.
Great Dane Pub (123 E Doty St): Site of Fess Hotel (1840s-1972). George Fess died 1875. Phantom phone calls from non-existent rooms (believed to be Fess expressing disgust about alcohol in formerly temperance hotel). "Spooky Room" basement storage constantly cold with deep dread. Pool cues fall one by one, apparitions walk up stairs and vanish.
Tempest Oyster Bar: Former Frautschi Funeral Home (early 1900s). 1997 Heaven's Gate cult 40th member found dead hanging in basement. Poltergeist activity: flying plates, fire extinguishers launched at employees, doors opening/closing, objects sliding across tables, disembodied voices.
Forest Hill Cemetery (1 Speedway Rd, 608-266-4720, office 7:30am-1:30pm M-F): Established 1857-58, contains seven Native American effigy mounds (700-1200 CE). ~140 Confederate POWs from Camp Randall (northernmost Confederate graveyard) plus 240 Union veterans. "Lady in White" in hoop dress wanders (possibly Alice Waterman who tended Confederate graves). Shadowy Civil War soldiers, distant drums/bugle calls, instant headaches near military plots. Wisconsin Veterans Museum offers October tours including candlelit evening ($15, 608-261-0540). Free self-guided brochures at office.
Lake View Park (Sanatorium Hill, 7am-9pm daily): Lake View Sanatorium operated 1930-1966 (tuberculosis, thousands died). Activity concentrates in woods/cemetery behind building. Odd lights, mists, apparitions, hot/cold spots, phantom hands touching visitors.
Best time to visit: Year-round operation. October has expanded schedules and Halloween events. Summer 60-75°F evenings comfortable; winter requires warm layers. Book 1-2 weeks ahead for October weekends.
Milwaukee, Green Bay, and La Crosse
Milwaukee (brief - covered elsewhere)
Multiple operators including Brew City Ghosts, Hangman Tours, City Tours MKE, American Ghost Walks. Shakers Cigar Bar (422 S. 2nd St): Top 5 most haunted U.S. bars, built 1894 over cemetery, Capone speakeasy, Dahmer met victims here. Pfister Hotel: 26-hour fire, Charles Pfister ghost, MLB players report paranormal encounters. Forest Home Cemetery: Candlelight tours.
Green Bay: Lambeau Field and triple-cemetery downtown
Wisconsin's oldest city (1634) built on THREE cemeteries (Native American mounds, French La Baye, English/European), creating "playground for the forsaken."
Green Bay Ghost Tours (920-499-2783, greenbayghosttours.com): Walking tours 30min-2hrs, Cemetery Tours at Woodland Cemetery May-Oct 8pm ($10 adults/$8 kids under 12). Guides in period clothing, EMF detectors provided, go INSIDE haunted buildings. Meeting: Captain's Walk Winery (235 N Jefferson St).
US Ghost Adventures ($30 adults/$20 kids 6-12, 816-722-7363): One hour, 1 mile, group discounts 10+.
Lambeau Field: Haunted NFL stadium. "Hat Man" dark presence encountered by quarterback. Old-timey suits figures (possibly Vince Lombardi, past legends). Haunted locker rooms, shadowy sideline figures.
Captain's Walk Winery (1857 building): Helen Morrow's ghost refuses to leave childhood home. Bathroom lights turn off during tours. Tour meeting point, special October events ($15 with EMF ghost hunting).
St. Brendan's Inn (Johnson Bank Building): Atop ancient burial grounds (Native American, French, early American) on 1745 de Langlade trading post site. Beds shake, lights flicker, ghostly voices, shadowy figures, objects move. "Gerry" (former night cleaner) still tidies.
Windigo Paranormal (920-437-1840, Ana Olp): Hazelwood Historic House investigations, Paranormal Walk-Through $40 (2hrs, 16+, teaches SB-7 Spirit Boxes, REM Pods, K2 Meters). Overnight investigations $99, 13+ hours.
Best time: May-October full operations, October maximum activities.
La Crosse: Wisconsin's most haunted river city
Consistently ranked Wisconsin's most haunted, "bordered by sleepless Mississippi River." 100+ year buildings, major river transportation hub, former red light district, Prohibition speakeasies, 500-foot bluffs.
Ghosts of Historic La Crosse Walking Tour (Footsteps of La Crosse nonprofit): Thu-Sat 8PM in October (Oct 2-4, 9-11, 16-18, 23-25 in 2025). $15, less than 1 mile. Meeting: Friendship Gardens, Riverside Park (410 Veterans Memorial Dr). Storyteller Michael Scott. Benefits La Crosse Public Library. Private weekday tours: 608-317-2917.
Dark La Crosse Walking Tour ($15, same meeting point): Red light district, Prohibition, vigilante justice. Not recommended under 15. Check 2025 dates or book private 608-317-2917.
Dark La Crosse Trolley Tour (Explore La Crosse): All fall 2025 Fridays (Sept 5, 26; Oct 3, 10, 17, 24, 31). Book: explorelacrosse.ticketspice.com or 608-782-2366. Includes La Crosse Public Library Archives presentation at Pump House featuring Dark La Crosse Stories video/podcast. Not recommended under 15. Sales final 48hrs prior.
Bodega Brew Pub (downtown): Malin's Pool & Sample Room (late 1800s). Paul Malin allegedly hung himself in basement 1901. Slamming doors, objects moving, locked doors with no locks, cold drafts, glasses moving, shadows. Multiple ownership changes due to haunting. Operating vintage brew pub.
Del's Bar (100+ years): Owner hung himself in basement. Voices, giggling, apparitions, phantom footsteps. Staff actively share stories (unusual for haunted bars). Known for Bloody Marys.
Freighthouse Restaurant (La Crosse River): Former freight station/dock built 1880, restaurant since Oct 1978. Owner Jon Erickson discusses video-documented ghostly interactions, strange noises, footsteps, falling glasses, figures.
The Warehouse (concert venue): Young girl spirit floats, always out of reach. Increases during renovations. Security captures doors opening/closing in empty areas.
Coate Hall (UW-La Crosse dorm): Writing on fogged bathroom mirrors, messages on walls, former students haunting, unusual figures in bathroom stalls, ghostly presences. Campus folklore passed through generations.
Best time: May-October walking tours, October maximum programming, Halloween week (Oct 23-31) busiest. $15 tours (best value in Wisconsin).
Wisconsin Dells, Eau Claire, Appleton
Wisconsin Dells: Authentic vs entertainment distinction
AUTHENTIC: Haunted Dells Trolley Tour (dellstrolley.com): 90 minutes, $29.99 adults/$16.99 kids (free child per adult promo). Ghost meters/EMF detectors rent $8. Stops: Spring Grove Cemetery (Confederate spy Belle Boyd's grave), Brat House Bar & Grille (former church, young girl/Union soldier), Showboat Saloon (Ghost Molly died in apartment above). Real history, documented deaths, cemetery visits, orb hunting.
ENTERTAINMENT (Not paranormal): Dells Ghost Boat (dellsghostboat.com): 1.5hr theatrical horror with actors, special effects, jump scares. After-dark Wisconsin River boat ride + haunted trail. Daily through Labor Day, Sept-Oct seasonal. ~$24.50+ ages 12+. Intense, not recommended ages 9 under. Reservations essential (sells out). Mixed reviews—visitors expected historical stories, got haunted-house scares.
Native American history: 2,000+ years Ho-Chunk inhabited area. Rock formations with pictographs. Some locations on/near burial grounds. Dartford Cemetery reports Native American apparitions.
Eau Claire: Dark history with respect
Chippewa River Trolley Dark History Tour (chippewarivertrolley.org): 90min, Sept 25-Nov 1, 2025. Authentic real crimes, scandals, hauntings with historical documentation. Eau Claire's first murder, lumber family drama. Off-trolley exploration including rail bridge walk, century-old cemetery chapel access. Theatrical lighting/soundtracks with respect for tragedies. 18+ unless with parent/guardian, waiver required. Includes drink ticket for The Lakely. Two short walks plus narrow staircase option. Authentic paranormal/history, NOT jump-scares. Content warnings: factual murders, assaults, recent history.
Stone's Throw (304 Eau Claire St, 262-633-8239): Built 1893-94, Chippewa Valley Bank. Now bar serving "spirits." Man hung himself in building 1900s (alternative: murdered, dragged to basement). Footsteps, whispers alone, beer bottles shattering violently, objects misplaced, lights on/off, ghost's reflection in bar mirror. After-closing activity. Sources: "Haunted Chippewa Valley" by Devon Hall. Owner rarely allows investigations—casual visits best.
Banbury Place (800 Wisconsin St): 1917 Gillette Safety Tire Co, WWII ammunition factory (61% female workforce), closed 1992 as Uniroyal. 1.8M sq ft with tunnel systems. Building #13: Tenant electrocuted, screams/painful moans reliving death. Shadowy hallway figures, eerie Building #4 presence, tunnel apparitions/running footsteps, apparitions staring down from windows at night. Industrial/commercial complex, limited public access.
Kjer Theatre (UW-Eau Claire): Earl S. Kjer (professor, taught drama/speech from 1943, died age 61 heart attack). Spirit remains, activity coincides with show opening nights. Famous favorite seat—ghost yells at sitters. Items missing (blamed on Earl), doors rattle, doorknobs shake, pipes make noises, shadowy white figure during dress rehearsals. Students widely acknowledge presence.
Fire Station No. 10: Alex "Arnie" Blum (fireman died 1981 heart disease). Pots/pans fly off walls, Blum apparitions, heavy doors open/close independently. 80% current firefighters report seeing Blum—one of Wisconsin's most actively witnessed hauntings with contemporary testimony. Source: "Wisconsin's Ghosts" by Sherry Strub.
Halloween entertainment (not authentic): Field of Screams (Oct 4,10,11,17,18,24,25,31 at Rockin' T-R Ranch), Wicked Oz Haunted House (dark Oz twist, downtown Dewey St, Oct 16-Nov 1), Screamin' Hollow (Oct 30-Nov 1 with food trucks/music/bonfires), Leffel Roots Corn Maze (Fri/Sat nights Oct).
Appleton: Houdini's haunted hometown
Houdini lived Appleton age 4-8 (1878-1882), but city embraced with plaza, elementary school, museum exhibits, walking tours.
Spooks and Spirits Tours (spooksandspiritstours.com): 2hrs, $20, 7PM start at Houdini Plaza bust (College Ave/Appleton St, 100 W Lawrence). Limited 30 people/tour, reservations max 6 people. 2025 dates: Fri-Sat in Sept (5-6,12-13,19-20,26-27) and Oct (3-4,10-11,17-18,24-25,31 Halloween). Arrive 15min early. Not recommended under 10; under 16 needs adult. No alcohol/smoking. Rain or shine (severe weather only cancellation). 24hr refund notice. Private events year-round.
History Museum at Castle (330 E College Ave, 920-733-8445, myhistorymuseum.org): "A.K.A. Houdini" permanent exhibit—handcuffs, lockpicks, keys, tools, full-body straitjacket, scrapbooks, photos, posters, ads. 35,000 photos from 1857. Houdini bust reportedly haunted (guests/staff "feel presence" though curator hasn't experienced firsthand). $7.50 adults. Also: "Asylum Out of Shadows" rotating exhibit (Outagamie County Asylum for Insane historical conditions).
Trout Museum of Art: Backyard of Houdini family home (1878-82), former funeral home. Staff report unusual occurrences. Official Houdini Séance October 31 annually since 1926 death, led by medium Cheryl Burch (De Pere), honoring pact with magicians to return from dead if possible. Featured on Houdini Walking Tour.
Outagamie Asylum: Building demolished, site developed. History Museum "Asylum Out of Shadows" exhibit with interactive components, app with actual worker narratives documenting suffering/conditions. Ghost stories passed generations, prominent on Haunted History & Mystery Tour.
Zuelke Building (near Houdini Plaza): Built by Irving Zuelke, music store inside. Irving's spirit: piano music at night, cleaning crews report ghostly figures, floating male torso. Activity associates with piano.
Stone Arch Brew Pub ("Between the Locks," ~1mi from museum): Appleton's most famous haunted building. Historic stone arch structure along Fox River, pub/brewery. Paranormal investigation conducted, results to post online. Position between two locks in Fox River system.
Best time: Sept-Oct when tours operate Fri-Sat nights, Oct 31 Halloween premium. Book ahead (30-person limit). Daytime: History Museum and Trout Museum Houdini exhibits.
Oshkosh, Kenosha, Racine, Sheboygan, Stevens Point
Oshkosh: The Grand Opera House
Grand Opera House (100 High Ave, 54901, thegrandoshkosh.org): Wisconsin's oldest operating theater (1883). "Spirits of Grand Tours" October 2024-25. Family-Friendly: Sundays Oct at 2,3,4PM. Late Night (PG-13): Select dates (Oct 15-18, 22-25) at 7,8,9PM. $20 adults/$12 kids/under 4 free. Limited 24 people, advance tickets required.
Interactive guided tours with actor/guides in period character. Visit lobby, auditorium, balcony, basement, dressing rooms (typically closed). Tours end Grand Lounge with beverages. Spirits: Percy Keene (former stage manager, balcony sightings), woman in Victorian clothing (never made 1883 "Bohemian Girl" opening night), young boy (coal boy heated building), phantom dog (so corporeal actors asked to remove from stage), orange mist on stage. Activity: footsteps on balcony stairs, seats pushed down by unseen entities, performers see apparitions in audience during rehearsals.
Windigo Paranormal: Historic Morgan House investigations (special Oct events), paranormal experiences at Grand (select dates).
Kenosha: Lakefront pedal tours
Lakeshore Pedal Ghost Tours (lakeshorepedal.com): 90min pedal-powered trolley (14-16 passengers), downtown paranormal history with two bar stops. Stories: SS Wisconsin shipwreck (1929), Rhode Theater's Lavender Lady, Bridget McCaffrey murder (Wisconsin's only execution leading to death penalty abolition), Native American burial practices. BYOB allowed (36oz beer/fermented beverages each). Private tours $300-450; public individual seats (6-rider minimum). Through fall/Oct.
Ghost Tours of Kemper Center (6501 3rd Ave, 53143): Walking tour through Durkee Mansion, Ambrose Hall, sealed-off floors. $15 (online discounts; $6 college students Sundays). Oct weekends (Fri/Sat/Sun 7PM). Since 2012. Originally Senator Charles Durkheim 1861 home, converted Kemper Hall Episcopal girls' boarding school (1865-1975). Sealed floors with documented "happenings," apparitions throughout.
SS Wisconsin shipwreck: 6.5mi south-southeast Kenosha, 90-130ft underwater. Iron-hulled passenger/freight steamer built 1881, sank Oct 29, 1929 during gale with automobiles/iron castings. 8-10 died including Captain Dougal Morrison (died later exposure). National Register Historic Places (2009). Popular dive site, Lake Michigan haunted maritime history—one of three major 1929 wrecks (SS Wisconsin, SS Senator with 238 Nash automobiles, SS Milwaukee, all within days late Oct 1929).
Simmons Library (Daniel Burnham design, built on Durkee cabin site 1840s): Very limited self-guided haunted tours Oct (mykpl.bibliocommons.com). Catherine Durkee died age 25, first buried Green Ridge Cemetery. Underground tombs (father/son). Papers moving, giggling from spiral staircase, tapping, apparitions, lights dimming, shadows dancing among bookshelves. Suspected spirits: Catherine roaming, father/son tapping from tombs.
Racine: Built on burial grounds
Limited formal tours—sporadic Walking Ghost Tour of Downtown Racine in past with Billy Givens (medium), image projections on buildings. Route: Littleport Brewery (214 Third St) to Social on Sixth (324 Sixth St). When operating: $12 benefiting Volunteer Center Racine County. No confirmed regular 2024-25 schedule.
Winslow Elementary School (1325 Park Ave): Built 1856 on Racine's first cemetery site (est 1842). Bodies supposedly moved to Mound Cemetery 1854, but remains still found including complete skeletons. Phantom footsteps, voices, apparitions in classrooms/windows, custodians refuse boiler room alone, unexplained shadows. Rare documented haunting in operating public school.
D.P. Wigley Building (234 Wisconsin Ave on Root River, 262-633-8239): Operating retail store (gardening/brewing supplies, curiosities). Built 1847 linseed oil/grain mill, became D.P. Wigley Co 1903. Singing in Welsh heard by dock (connected to Welsh woman's grave found during street excavation). Ghostly presences. Open Mon-Sat (9AM-5PM, Sat close 2:30PM)—shop while potentially experiencing activity.
Racine Paranormal Investigators (RPI) (racineparanormalinvestigators.com): Active with medium Michael Sorensen. Investigate homes/businesses using K-II meters, Spirit Box 7, voice recorders, EMF detection. Recently investigating downtown locations including Social on Sixth. Free services.
Sheboygan: Real asylum investigations
Sheboygan Asylum Ghost Investigations (Fox Valley Ghost Hunters/Haunted Midwest Ghost Tours, ticketleap.com): Former Sheboygan County Hospital for Insane (N3773 Garden Pkwy, Sheboygan Falls 53085). Real paranormal investigations (not theatrical), 3-4hrs, $61-89 per session. Time slots: 7-10PM or 11PM-2AM (Oct 11:15PM-2AM due to Halloween attraction). Multiple weekends year-round, sell out quickly (limited through 2025 high demand). Age 14+, minors with guardian. No alcohol/drugs (zero tolerance), all sales final.
Asylum built 1939 (completed 1940), closed 2002. Treated mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance abuse. Three-story, six-wing facility. Anita Schmahl (music director) found dead with plastic bag over head 1990s (murder/suicide unclear). Abandoned, now has raccoons/mice alongside paranormal. Footsteps, knocking, loud yelling, Spirit Box communications, cat balls lighting up in men's quarters basement. Strong presence in former staff areas. Former patients' spirits in photo displays. Featured Travel Channel "Destination Fear." Wisconsin's most authentic asylum paranormal investigation.
Separate: Sheboygan Haunted Asylum (same location, sheboyganhauntedasylum@outlook.com): Theatrical Halloween haunt with actors Sept-Nov (2024: Sept 26-27, Oct 3-4,10-11,17-18,24-26,30-31). Real asylum setting, actors touching allowed with "Patient Pass" ($10), VIP tours ($99.95), horror celebrity guests.
Lottie Cooper shipwreck (Deland Park by Harbor Centre Marina): Only Great Lakes wreck visible from shore in Wisconsin. Three-masted lumber schooner sank April 8, 1894 Sheboygan harbor during gale. 89ft hull section (discovered 1992) on permanent display. Edward Olson drowned attempting shore float on planks (body recovered two months later). Tangible Great Lakes maritime history connection.
Best time: Year-round asylum investigations (book well ahead), Sept-Oct Halloween attraction, anytime Lottie Cooper viewing.
Stevens Point: Bloody Bride Bridge
Limited formal tours—Dark Waters Ghost Tour II (Stevens Point Paranormal) sporadically in Oct. Walking tour downtown with optional mini-investigation at Kristin's Riverwalk Food AND Spirits (includes drink chip). 9:45PM tour includes full 2hr midnight investigation option. Check HauntedWisconsin.com for dates. Second annual series, sporadic vs regular weekly.
Bloody Bride Bridge (Highway 66 Bridge near Jordan Park): Bride killed wedding night in car accident en route to wedding. Police officer first sighting: thought he hit woman, investigated, found nothing—then saw her in back seat. Bride/groom apparitions in car backseats, especially late night/winter months. Fishing bridge, fishermen report encounters. One of three haunted bridges in area (also Red Bridge on Casimir Rd, Black Bridge), all connected to bride spirit legend.
Club Forest Bar (Plover): "Melvin" (former caretaker shot defending woman from unruly customer). Jukebox on/off independently, TV volumes turn up unexpectedly, bar stools fly across room (especially when loud/forceful men present). Melvin on menu, welcomed presence.
Forest Cemetery: Twilight Tours with Portage County Historical Society (Oct), tragedy/love stories. Historical burial ground.
Best time: Oct for potential Dark Waters and Forest Cemetery tours. Bloody Bride Bridge year-round (late night/winter most active).
Statewide Attractions and Historical Context
Major seasonal haunted houses
50+ seasonal attractions statewide. Burial Chamber Complex (Neenah/Appleton, off Hwy 41): 3 full-size houses with burial simulators. Terror on the Fox (Green Bay): Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group (world's largest Halloween company, 15+ locations), elaborate 2024-25 "Nautical Nightmare" ghost ship theme, premium 21+ themed bar. The Hill Has Eyes (Franklin near Milwaukee): #1 Midwest outdoor haunt, 45 acres, 60min terror, 4 attractions for one price, chemical waste/abandoned quarry theme.
Dominion of Terror: Wisconsin's longest-operating (founded 1974, 50+ years), fundraising model "Raising Money for OUR Community." Abandoned Haunted House Complex (Mount Pleasant near Milwaukee): 4 attractions—Ambush, Hysteria, Stalker Corn Field, Shoot a Freak.
WisconsinHauntedHouses.com: 96,269 visitors Halloween 2024. Multiple directories track dozens of attractions (haunted houses, corn mazes, hayrides, trails).
Historical tragedies creating Wisconsin's haunted reputation
Peshtigo Fire (Oct 8-9, 1871): America's deadliest wildfire. ~1,500 killed (1,152 known + 350 believed), burned 1.2M acres (280,000 in 2hrs), destroyed 15+ towns including Peshtigo (800 deaths) across 8 counties. 10mi wide, 40mi long swath through NE Wisconsin. Door County: 128 lives. Property loss $5M + 2M trees/saplings, scores of animals. Possibly started by railroad workers clearing land, exacerbated by severe drought. Same night as Great Chicago Fire, thus less well-known despite far more deaths. Peshtigo Fire Museum preserves memory; victims' spirits linger—one of Wisconsin's most haunted locations.
Lady Elgin disaster (Sept 8, 1860): Greatest loss of life on open water in Great Lakes history, Milwaukee's deadliest single disaster. Sidewheel steamship struck by lumber schooner Augusta 2:30AM off Winnetka IL (9mi from shore). 300+ killed (estimates 287-400) from 500+ Milwaukee passengers. Primarily Irish Union Guards militia from Milwaukee's Third Ward. So many Irish-American political operatives died that Milwaukee political power shifted "from Irish to Germans." Herbert Ingram (Illustrated London News founder/owner, Member of Parliament) among victims. Northwestern University students helped pull survivors; only ~100 survived. Led to laws requiring sailing vessels carry running lights (1864). Wisconsin Historical Marker in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward, monument at Calvary Cemetery, memorial song "Lost on Lady Elgin" (1861).
700+ Wisconsin shipwrecks in Great Lakes waters, preserved by cold freshwater. Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary (designated 2021): 962 sq mi, 39+ known shipwrecks (potential 100+ more). 15 vessels nearly completely intact, 3 with standing masts (rare). Recent discoveries: Western Reserve (found 2025, sank Aug 30, 1892 Lake Superior, 27 of 28 died including Captain Minch's family), F.J. King (found 2025, 139 years missing, discovered off Baileys Harbor), SS Arlington (found Feb 2024, WWII steamship sank 1940, 650ft deep Lake Superior), SS Pere Marquette 18 (found 2020, steel ferry sank 1910, 29 died, 500ft deep off Sheboygan).
Newhall House Fire (Jan 10, 1883, Milwaukee): 71-72 killed (possibly 90), deadliest Milwaukee fire and most deadly U.S. hotel fire for decades. Six-story, 300-room landmark built 1857 by Daniel Newhall ($275K). Burned 20 times over 26-year existence—firefighters called it "tinderbox." Fatal fire started wooden elevator shaft ~4AM, spread rapidly, burned 26+ hours. Many jumped from upper floors, charred bodies found in ruins for days. Firefighter Herman Strauss rescued 10-16 female servants using ladder across alley. P.T. Barnum's General Tom Thumb and Lavinia Warren survived. Site now Hilton Garden Inn, reportedly one of Milwaukee's most haunted hotels (doors opening/closing, unexplained noises, hair-pulling, especially rooms 201 and 326).
Native American burial mounds and sacred sites
Wisconsin is CENTER of effigy mound culture worldwide. Originally 15,000-20,000 mounds, ~4,000 preserved today. Built 650-2,500 years ago (effigy mounds 650-1,200 CE). Protected under Wisconsin Statutes s.157.70 (all burial sites, public/private lands).
Types: Conical/dome-shaped (earliest, ~2,500yrs), linear/long, effigy mounds (animal-shaped: birds, bears, deer, buffalo, turtles, panthers, water spirits), compound mounds (rare chainlike arrangements). Built by ancestors of Ho-Chunk, Iowas, Dakotas, Otoes, Missouris. Served ceremonial, spiritual, territorial purposes. Usually single burials in shallow pits with few artifacts (egalitarian society, no status-based burials).
Aztalan State Park (near Lake Mills): Wisconsin's most important archaeological site, National Landmark. Built ~1,000yrs ago by Middle-Mississippian people (not Woodland culture). 35-acre village with 3 gigantic platform/pyramid mounds, wooden stockade fortress, temple, mortuary, plaza, dwellings. Artifacts: Mississippian deity figures, shell/copper/stone jewelry, pottery. Evidence of conflict between agricultural villagers and hunting/gathering Mound Builders.
UW-Madison campus: Multiple mound groups in Lakeshore Nature Preserve, including eagle effigy with 624-foot wingspan (believed world's largest effigy mound) on Mendota Mental Health Institute grounds. Madison concentration: Bear Mound Park, Burrows Park, Hudson Park, Vilas Park, Edna Taylor Conservation Park, Forest Hill Cemetery, UW Arboretum.
Wyalusing State Park (Prairie du Chien): Mounds at Wisconsin/Mississippi Rivers confluence where 14+ Native American tribes lived/traded.
Desecration over centuries creates ongoing cultural trauma. Dane County requires 25ft preservation buffers. Green Bay and Madison downtown areas built over Native American burial grounds—paranormal investigators cite as primary haunting source. Current 11 official Tribal Nations in Wisconsin maintain cultural connections. Visitors prohibited from walking on mounds or picnicking on burial sites.
Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer locations
Ed Gein (Aug 27, 1906 La Crosse - July 26, 1984 Madison): Crimes 1954-57 Plainfield area. Confirmed murders: Mary Hogan (1954), Bernice Worden (1957). Exhumed corpses from graveyards, made household items from bones/skin. "The Butcher of Plainfield."
Gein Farm (SW corner Archer/2nd Ave, west of Plainfield): House mysteriously burned March 20, 1958 (10 days before estate auction)—rumored to prevent "House of Horrors" attraction. Now empty overgrown lot (private property). Workers found human bones early 1960s. Plainfield Cemetery: Contains Ed Gein's grave and mother Augusta. 1976: Filmmakers Herzog/Morris planned to dig up mother's grave. Waushara County Jail: Preserved cell visitable in museum. Committed Central State Hospital for Criminally Insane (Waupun) Jan 6, 1958, transferred Mendota Mental Health Institute (Madison) where died July 26, 1984.
Inspired Psycho (1960), Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Silence of the Lambs (1991). Netflix Monster: The Ed Gein Story (2025) stars Charlie Hunnam. Ed Gein's cauldron in Zak Bagans' Haunted Museum.
Jeffrey Dahmer: 17 men murdered 1978-91 (12 at Oxford Apartments Milwaukee, 3 at grandmother's West Allis). Arrested July 22, 1991. Died Nov 28, 1994 killed by inmate Christopher Scarver at Columbia Correctional Institution, Portage.
Oxford Apartments (924 N. 25th St, Unit 213): 12 victims murdered May 1990-July 1991. Demolished Nov 1992 (15 months after discovery). Purchased $325K by Campus Circle Project (Marquette University initiative). Now empty lot.
Ambassador Hotel Room 507: Dahmer killed Steven Toumi (Nov 20, 1987), second victim. One of Milwaukee's most haunted hotel rooms—overwhelming heaviness, waking 3AM (witching hour), nightmares, sleep paralysis. Numerous séances held. Hotel still operates, Room 507 bookable (many request different rooms upon learning history).
Shaker's Cigar Bar (422 S. 2nd St, Walker's Point): Top 5 most haunted U.S. bars. Built 1894 barrel-making facility for Schlitz Brewing, allegedly over cemetery, Capone brothers speakeasy/hideout. Dahmer met several victims here 1980s-90s. Paranormal: Molly Brennan (vanished worker), Elizabeth (little girl in women's bathroom). Featured Netflix Dark Tourist. Hangman Tours operates "Cream City Cannibal Tour" from this location.
Planning Your Wisconsin Ghost Tour Adventure
Seasonal considerations
Year-round locations: Milwaukee, Madison, Lake Geneva operate throughout year.
Seasonal operations: Door County trolley tours primarily May-October (peak summer/fall).
Peak season: October—all cities expand schedules, tours sell out 2-4 weeks advance. Halloween week busiest.
Best weather for tours:
Summer (July-Aug): 60-75°F evenings, comfortable walking, peak Door County season
Fall (Sept-Oct): 40-60°F, ideal temperatures, fall colors, busiest period—book ahead
Winter (Dec-Feb): Below freezing, dress warmly for 60-90min outdoor walks, quieter season
Spring (Mar-May): 40-65°F variable, possible rain, fewer crowds, good value
Regional travel planning
Southeast Cluster (easy 2-3 day loop):
Milwaukee → Lake Geneva: 50mi (1hr)
Milwaukee → Madison: 79mi (1.5hrs)
Lake Geneva → Madison: ~90mi (1.5hrs)
All three easily combined weekend itinerary
Central Wisconsin:
Madison → Wisconsin Dells: 59mi (1hr)
Easy day trip or add to multi-day itinerary
Northeast Wisconsin:
Milwaukee → Door County (Sturgeon Bay): 170-177mi (2.5-3hrs)
Madison → Door County: 170mi (3hrs)
Door County peninsula 70mi long—plan multiple days
Driving essential for Wisconsin ghost tour road trips. Limited public transit between cities. Milwaukee (MKE) and Madison (MSN) airports serve as entry points.
Recommended itineraries
Weekend Southeast Loop (2-3 Days):
Day 1 Milwaukee: Afternoon arrival, 7:30PM Third Ward Ghost Walk ($30, 90min)
Day 2 Lake Geneva: Drive 1hr, afternoon explore town, 7:30PM Ghost Walk ($30, 90min)
Day 3 Madison: Drive 1.5hrs, afternoon Capitol Square, 7:30PM Capitol Ghost Walk ($30, 1hr)
Week-Long Haunted Wisconsin (5-7 Days):
Days 1-2 Milwaukee: Third Ward Ghost Walk, Shakers Cigar Bar area exploration
Day 3 Lake Geneva: Drive 1hr, Baker House tour, evening Ghost Walk ($30)
Day 4 Madison: Drive 1.5hrs, Capitol/downtown, choose from 3 ghost tours ($30 each)
Day 5 Wisconsin Dells: Drive 1hr, Ghost Boat tour (seasonal) or Baraboo walk
Days 6-7 Door County (optional): Drive 3hrs, peninsula villages, Trolley of Doomed ($40, 2hrs)
Door County Focus (3-4 Days):
Day 1: Arrive Sturgeon Bay, explore downtown
Day 2: Egg Harbor/Fish Creek/Ephraim, evening Trolley ghost tour ($40, 2hrs)
Day 3: Sister Bay/Ellison Bay/Peninsula State Park
Day 4: Return or Washington Island extension (Nelsen's Hall)
Halloween Week Special (4-5 Days, mid-late October)—BOOK 3-4 WEEKS AHEAD:
Day 1 Madison: Capitol Square Ghost Walk
Day 2 Wisconsin Dells: Day trip for Ghost Boat/Baraboo walk
Day 3 Milwaukee (Fri): Third Ward Ghost Walk 7:30PM
Day 4 Lake Geneva (Sat): Evening Ghost Walk
Day 5 Optional northern WI extension
Booking and pricing
Typical costs: $20-30 per person for standard walking tours. Door County Trolley ~$40 for 2hrs. Sheboygan Asylum investigations $61-89 for 3-4hrs. La Crosse $15 (best value).
Advance booking:
2-4 weeks recommended for October dates (especially Halloween week)
1-2 weeks for summer weekend tours
Tours can sell out (especially Door County Trolley, October dates)
24-hour cancellation usually offers full refunds
Tour durations: Most walking tours 60-90 minutes (~1 mile). Door County Trolley 2hrs. Sheboygan Asylum investigations 3-4hrs.
Physical accessibility: Walking tours involve standing/walking ~1 mile on city sidewalks. Terrain generally flat but may encounter stairs at historic buildings. Wheelchair access limited. Contact operators for specific needs. Door County Trolley more accessible (riding with stops).
Age restrictions: Most family-friendly with parental discretion. Wisconsin Dells Ghost Boat 10+ recommended. Shakers tours under 18 needs parental consent. Hangman Tours Cream City Cannibal adults-only. Dark La Crosse tours not recommended under 15.
Photography: Generally permitted and encouraged (may capture paranormal activity). Tours remain outside buildings (don't enter private property).
Accommodation suggestions
Milwaukee: Stay Historic Third Ward or downtown for walking distance to tours. Pfister Hotel (reportedly haunted itself) upscale option.
Madison: Downtown/Capitol Square area ideal—walking distance to all 3 tour routes. State Street for restaurants/nightlife after tours.
Lake Geneva: Downtown for walkability. Baker House B&B (featured on tours, reportedly haunted). Lakefront resorts.
Door County: Sturgeon Bay as southern base, Fish Creek/Sister Bay for central/northern access. Book early for summer/fall peak season.
Budget breakdown (per person):
Weekend Southeast Loop (2-3 days): $440-815 (tours $90, lodging $200-450, gas $50-75, meals $100-200)
Week-long road trip (5-7 days): $1,112-1,940 (tours $112-140, lodging $500-1,050, gas $150-250, meals $350-500)
Contact information for major operators
American Ghost Walks: americanghostwalks.com (Milwaukee, Madison, Lake Geneva, Bayfield, Waukesha)
US Ghost Adventures: usghostadventures.com (Madison, Milwaukee, others)
Door County Trolley: doorcountytrolley.com or 920-868-1100
Hangman Tours: hangmantours.com (Milwaukee/Shakers)
Footsteps of La Crosse: 608-317-2917 or explorelacrosse.ticketspice.com
Green Bay Ghost Tours: 920-499-2783 or greenbayghosttours.com
Spooks and Spirits Tours: spooksandspiritstours.com (Appleton)
Chippewa River Trolley: chippewarivertrolley.org (Eau Claire)
Fox Valley Ghost Hunters: ticketleap.com (Sheboygan Asylum)
Travel Wisconsin: travelwisconsin.com (state tourism resource)
Statewide paranormal investigation groups
For those seeking deeper paranormal experiences beyond commercial tours, Wisconsin hosts multiple professional investigation groups offering free residential investigations and public events.
Paranormal Investigators of Milwaukee (PIM): Founded 2007 by Noah Leigh. Non-profit, fully insured. Free private home investigations, public education sessions, guided investigations. Scientific method, controlled environments. Equipment: EMF meters, infrared thermometers, spirit boxes, full-spectrum cameras. 2018 Expedition to 4 most haunted U.S. locations. Website: paranormalmilwaukee.com
Fox Valley Ghost Hunters: Founded 2010 by Craig Nehring. Specialty: Sheboygan Insane Asylum 3hr tours (2hrs guided, 1hr free roaming). Featured in John Borowski film Serial Killer Culture. Craig Nehring authored Wisconsin's Most Haunted (2016) featuring Summerwind, Berlin Tannery, haunted schoolhouse. Teams in Green Bay and New London.
South East Wisconsin Paranormal Investigation Team (SEWPIT): Based Caledonia. 15+ years serving Wisconsin, Illinois, NW Indiana. Free, confidential private investigations of homes, businesses, apartments, historical locations. Website: sewpit.com
Wisconsin Caps (Cryptids, Anomalies, and the Paranormal Society): Multi-phenomenon research (paranormal, Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Dogman, werewolves, aliens, UFOs). Produced "The Hairyman of Dairyland: Wisconsin's Bigfoot" documentary. Hyden Adventure Exhibit touring Wisconsin. Encourages witness reports.
Windigo Paranormal (Green Bay area, 920-437-1840, Ana Olp): Investigations at Hazelwood Historic House and other locations. Paranormal Walk-Through $40 (2hrs, 16+), teaches SB-7 Spirit Boxes, REM Pods, K2 Meters. Overnight investigations $99 (13+ hrs).
Southern Wisconsin Paranormal Research Group: Documented La Crosse area investigations. Scientific approach: EMF detectors, radiation monitors, humidity/temperature tracking. "My job is to disprove everything that is going on" professional skepticism. Team includes construction workers, pharmaceutical sales, publishers, engineers, computer scientists. Investigated Alcatraz, Gettysburg, Mansfield Prison. Confidential, often free for private residences.
Racine Paranormal Investigators (RPI): racineparanormalinvestigators.com. Active with medium Michael Sorensen. K-II meters, Spirit Box 7, voice recorders, EMF detection. Investigating downtown Racine locations. Free services for homeowners/businesses.
Wisconsin's most haunted locations: Summary
Summerwind Mansion (Land O'Lakes, Northern WI): Often cited as THE most haunted Wisconsin place. Mr. Lamont shot at ghost thinking intruder, immediately abandoned. Hinshaw family visited by explorer Jonathan Carver's ghost. Featured Life Magazine and book. Destroyed by fire 1988, ruins still visitable and extremely haunted.
Sheboygan Asylum (Sheboygan Falls): Wisconsin's only real asylum haunted house. Operated 1939-2002. Vacant for years. Featured Travel Channel "Destination Fear." Real paranormal investigation tours available.
Pfister Hotel (Milwaukee): Built 1893, largest Victorian artwork collection in U.S. hotel. Charles Pfister haunts. Multiple MLB players 2001-2010 reported disembodied voices, TV/AC switching off, pounding walls. World-class operating hotel.
Whitewater: "Second Salem" nickname. Morris Pratt Institute spiritualists' experiments conjuring/speaking with dead left town deeply haunted. Multiple sites including Witches Tower, Rienzi Cemetery particularly active.
Oktagon House (276 Linden St, Fond du Lac): Built 1856, National Register Historic Places. #2 most haunted Wisconsin house on History Channel "Hidden Passages." Ghostly young boy throughout house, items moved/disappeared, doors open/close, footsteps, shadowy figures, cold spots, unexplained sounds/lights.
Little Bohemia Lodge (Manitowish, Northern WI): Built 1929 by Emil Wanatka. 1934 Dillinger gang shootout with FBI. John Dillinger, "Baby Face" Nelson hid here. Historic haunted reputation.
Dartford Cemetery (Green Lake): Early pioneers, Chief Highknocker (died 1911 age 90 attempting swim Fox River). Many children buried (disease). Ghosts push people sitting on mausoleum. Neglected garden appearance.
Kemper Center (Kenosha, 6501 3rd Ave): Senator Charles Durkheim 1861 home, Kemper Hall Episcopal boarding school 1865-1975. Legend: Cruel nun tortured wealthy troubled girls, girls murdered her on spiral staircase in observatory. Multiple paranormal reports. Ghost tours available October.
Boy Scout Lane (Stevens Point): Urban legend (no confirmed disappearances). Boy Scout troop disappeared/murdered 1950s-60s (various versions). Actually named from Boy Scouts purchasing land for camp (never built). Lantern lights bobbing through forest, children's handprints on cars, phantom bus sightings. Private property—trespassing enforced.
Conclusion
Wisconsin's haunted reputation stems from documented historical catastrophes, 700+ preserved shipwrecks, 4,000 Native American burial mounds, and layers of tragic history creating paranormal activity across the state. From professional trolley tours through Door County's maritime graveyards to authentic asylum investigations in Sheboygan, from Madison's campus hauntings built on cemeteries to La Crosse's Mississippi River spirits, the Badger State offers America's most diverse ghost tour experiences.
The best itinerary depends on your interests: Door County for maritime history and scenic beauty (3-4 days, late September-early October), Southeast Loop for urban ghost tours and convenience (2-3 days weekend, year-round), or week-long road trip covering 4-5 cities for comprehensive Wisconsin haunted experience (5-7 days, preferably October). Book 2-4 weeks in advance for October dates, especially Halloween week. Most tours cost $20-30 and run 60-90 minutes, welcoming families while maintaining authentic historical focus over theatrical jump scares.
Whether you're a paranormal investigator seeking authentic evidence at the Sheboygan Asylum, a history buff exploring Civil War hauntings at Madison's Camp Randall Stadium, or a traveler seeking Door County's haunted lighthouses and shipwreck stories, Wisconsin's ghost tours provide expertly guided access to America's most tragic and haunted locations. The state's unique combination of preserved 19th-century buildings, cold-water shipwreck preservation, massive historical disasters, and indigenous sacred sites creates paranormal activity that paranormal researchers rank among the nation's most active.
Start planning your Wisconsin ghost tour adventure today—the spirits are waiting.
This comprehensive guide covers ghost tours and haunted experiences across the entire state, from Door County's maritime hauntings to Madison's campus ghosts, providing actionable information for planning your Wisconsin paranormal adventure.