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The Best Midwest Haunted Road Trips

Posted on September 26, 2023   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
Sidney Madden

Sidney Madden

A two-story red-brick mansion surrounded by trees and grass in Alton, Illinois.

McPike Mansion in Alton, Illinois. (Black.Doll / Flickr)

Itching for a weekend getaway and want to get into the Halloween spirit? Hop in the car and drive to nearby scary destinations.

⏰ 1 hour and 35 minutes

🚗 90 miles north of the Loop

Once a graveyard, the Capone brothers owned the building as a speakeasy and brothel. Later, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer frequented the spot. Today, patrons can tour the haunted bar and stay overnight above the bar. City Cast Chicago lead producer Simone Alicea is making a pit stop …

⏰ 2 hours and 30 minutes

🚗 167 miles southwest of the Loop

Believed to be built on cursed ground, the Central Illinois library’s first three directors died unusually. Ghosts are thought to haunt the library to this day.

A statue of an angel with wings and arms spread out in the Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City, Iowa.

The Black Angel statue in the Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City, Iowa. (Krista Kennedy / Flickr)

⏰ 3 hours and 30 minutes

🚗 221 miles west of the Loop

Legend has it that the Black Angel statue has been struck by lightning and that virgins will die if they touch the 9-foot sculpture.

⏰ 4 hours and 30 minutes

🚗 287 miles southwest of the Loop

McPike Mansion is supposedly home to ghosts of former residents and servants. Unitarian Church and Mineral Springs are also popular haunted sites in the town. Hop on a ghost tour if you don’t want to explore alone.

⏰ 5 hours and 15 minutes

🚗 345 miles east of the Loop

Stay on the fourth floor of the historic hotel, where guests have seen toilets mysteriously flush and employees have heard doors shut in empty rooms.

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