Abandoned places intrigue us with their sad histories and hidden stories. Here’s where to find some fascinating abandoned places in West Virginia. Some are slowly returning to nature, so visit soon before they are lost forever.
Some of the locations on this list are on private property. As always, use caution around ruined buildings and be safe, and also get permission before entering any buildings on private property. It’s exciting to learn all about the abandoned places in West Virginia, but you want to make sure you take proper precautions to experience them at their peak.
Check out our interactive map.
Google Maps
- Hilltop House Hotel
Flickr/garyfgarcia This once magnificent hotel was left structurally unstable after a fire and has now been abandoned. Watch a video tour of the hotel here. It remains one of the creepiest places in West Virginia. Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, USA
- St. John’s Episcopal Church
WikiMedia Commons/Jan Kronsell This abandoned church suffered great damage during the Civil War and was eventually replaced by a new church. The ruins are now considered part of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and remain one of the creepiest places in West Virginia. Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, USA
- Virginius Island
WikiMedia Commons/NPS This island was once home to the Shenandoah Pulp Mill and a surrounding town. The entire town is now in ruins, but you can visit and tour via a bridge in Harpers Ferry, and you can claim to have visited one of the most fascinating abandoned places in West Virginia. Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, USA
- Old Sweet Springs Resort
WikiMedia Commons/Brian M. Powell Sweet Springs was once a popular vacation destination, with guests of the resort finding relaxation and healing in the spring waters. The resort closed in 1930, and the building has been abandoned since 1993. There has been some talk of restoring it to its former glory, but for now, it remains one of the most popular examples of abandoned West Virginia. 19540 Sweet Springs Valley Rd, Gap Mills, WV 24941, USA
- Lake Shawnee Amusement Park
Flickr/Dustin This park closed after a couple of tragic accidents resulting in the deaths of children. It’s now privately owned but sometimes opens for tours in October. See what it’s like to explore this abandoned amusement park: 470 Matoaka Rd, Rock, WV 24747, USA
- Thurmond
Flickr/Mike Tewkesbury This town is nearly a ghost town, with just 5 residents now, but is kept well-preserved by the National Park Service. It’s one of the most photographed abandoned places in West Virginia. Get an in-depth look at the history of Thurmond: Thurmond, WV 25901, USA
- Kaymoor
Flickr/Rana Xavier You’ll have to hike to get to this abandoned old mining town, but it’s worth it to see the old buildings and mining equipment. This is definitely one of the most haunted places in West Virginia! Kaymoor, WV 25840, USA
Have you seen any of these abandoned places in West Virginia? Tell us about your experience in the comments.
Google Maps
Flickr/garyfgarcia
This once magnificent hotel was left structurally unstable after a fire and has now been abandoned. Watch a video tour of the hotel here. It remains one of the creepiest places in West Virginia.
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, USA
WikiMedia Commons/Jan Kronsell
This abandoned church suffered great damage during the Civil War and was eventually replaced by a new church. The ruins are now considered part of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and remain one of the creepiest places in West Virginia.
WikiMedia Commons/NPS
This island was once home to the Shenandoah Pulp Mill and a surrounding town. The entire town is now in ruins, but you can visit and tour via a bridge in Harpers Ferry, and you can claim to have visited one of the most fascinating abandoned places in West Virginia.
WikiMedia Commons/Brian M. Powell
Sweet Springs was once a popular vacation destination, with guests of the resort finding relaxation and healing in the spring waters. The resort closed in 1930, and the building has been abandoned since 1993. There has been some talk of restoring it to its former glory, but for now, it remains one of the most popular examples of abandoned West Virginia.
19540 Sweet Springs Valley Rd, Gap Mills, WV 24941, USA
Flickr/Dustin
This park closed after a couple of tragic accidents resulting in the deaths of children. It’s now privately owned but sometimes opens for tours in October. See what it’s like to explore this abandoned amusement park:
470 Matoaka Rd, Rock, WV 24747, USA
Flickr/Mike Tewkesbury
This town is nearly a ghost town, with just 5 residents now, but is kept well-preserved by the National Park Service. It’s one of the most photographed abandoned places in West Virginia. Get an in-depth look at the history of Thurmond:
Thurmond, WV 25901, USA
Flickr/Rana Xavier
You’ll have to hike to get to this abandoned old mining town, but it’s worth it to see the old buildings and mining equipment. This is definitely one of the most haunted places in West Virginia!
Kaymoor, WV 25840, USA
Some of the creepy places in West Virginia aren’t quite abandoned but are available for tours and ghost hunting. Take a look at West Virginia State Penitentiary or the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Abandoned Places In West Virginia March 27, 2020 Meghan Kraft What are the most famous abandoned places in West Virginia? The most famous abandoned places in West Virginia include:
Coalwood Machine Shop Point Pleasant TNT Bunkers Nuttalburg Silver Run Tunnel Lake Shawnee Amusement Park
It’s hard to choose the most famous abandoned place in West Virginia since there are truly a number of surreal, abandoned places in the state that you simply have to visit to believe they exist. From the Coalwood machine shop that’s laced with ivy and abandoned to the TNT Bunkers in Point Pleasant where the legendary Mothman has been said to frequent. There’s even a guided tour of the area where it was first sighted! The old coal mining community of Nuttalburg has long since been lost to time, and you simply can’t miss out on experiencing the Silver Run Tunnel in Cairo, where the ghost of Silver Run has been spotted for centuries. Even the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in Princeton is haunted after a handful of accidental deaths shuttered the park for good in 1966. It’s since become an eerie ode to a time gone by, and you might even hear the distant laugh of children if you visit. Creepy! Learn about these and more of the most famous abandoned places in West Virginia. What is the most haunted place in West Virginia? The most haunted place in West Virginia is the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park. Although it is questionable whether it’s the most haunted place in a state that’s full of ghosts, the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park is considered an eerie place to visit. The land itself has a dark story, with two children murdered and one burned at the stake on the Clay property. Conley T. Snidow purchased the land and built the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park, but when six people died on the rides it ultimately had to close. It remains one of the eeriest abandoned places in West Virginia, and locals claim that the property is haunted by the children that once used to wander the rides in search of a bit of fun. Before they realized it was deadly, of course. It’s been featured as one of the Travel Channel’s Most Terrifying Places in America, and some even consider it one of the most haunted places in the world. Discover more about the most haunted place in West Virginia. Can I go ghost hunting in West Virginia? Yes, you can go ghost hunting in West Virginia at the West Virginia Penitentiary Ghost Hunt Overnight investigations are a must for ghost hunters in West Virginia, and the West Virginia Penitentiary Ghost Hunt with Ghosts N’at is perhaps one of the best opportunities to do so. This innovative travel company will lead you through the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville, a location featured by Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, and you’ll spend the night amidst the haunted. Eerie! Find out more about ghost hunting in West Virginia.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Abandoned Places In West Virginia
March 27, 2020
Meghan Kraft
What are the most famous abandoned places in West Virginia? The most famous abandoned places in West Virginia include:
Coalwood Machine Shop Point Pleasant TNT Bunkers Nuttalburg Silver Run Tunnel Lake Shawnee Amusement Park
It’s hard to choose the most famous abandoned place in West Virginia since there are truly a number of surreal, abandoned places in the state that you simply have to visit to believe they exist. From the Coalwood machine shop that’s laced with ivy and abandoned to the TNT Bunkers in Point Pleasant where the legendary Mothman has been said to frequent. There’s even a guided tour of the area where it was first sighted! The old coal mining community of Nuttalburg has long since been lost to time, and you simply can’t miss out on experiencing the Silver Run Tunnel in Cairo, where the ghost of Silver Run has been spotted for centuries. Even the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in Princeton is haunted after a handful of accidental deaths shuttered the park for good in 1966. It’s since become an eerie ode to a time gone by, and you might even hear the distant laugh of children if you visit. Creepy! Learn about these and more of the most famous abandoned places in West Virginia. What is the most haunted place in West Virginia? The most haunted place in West Virginia is the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park. Although it is questionable whether it’s the most haunted place in a state that’s full of ghosts, the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park is considered an eerie place to visit. The land itself has a dark story, with two children murdered and one burned at the stake on the Clay property. Conley T. Snidow purchased the land and built the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park, but when six people died on the rides it ultimately had to close. It remains one of the eeriest abandoned places in West Virginia, and locals claim that the property is haunted by the children that once used to wander the rides in search of a bit of fun. Before they realized it was deadly, of course. It’s been featured as one of the Travel Channel’s Most Terrifying Places in America, and some even consider it one of the most haunted places in the world. Discover more about the most haunted place in West Virginia. Can I go ghost hunting in West Virginia? Yes, you can go ghost hunting in West Virginia at the West Virginia Penitentiary Ghost Hunt Overnight investigations are a must for ghost hunters in West Virginia, and the West Virginia Penitentiary Ghost Hunt with Ghosts N’at is perhaps one of the best opportunities to do so. This innovative travel company will lead you through the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville, a location featured by Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, and you’ll spend the night amidst the haunted. Eerie! Find out more about ghost hunting in West Virginia.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
The most famous abandoned places in West Virginia include:
- Coalwood Machine Shop
- Point Pleasant TNT Bunkers
- Nuttalburg
- Silver Run Tunnel
- Lake Shawnee Amusement Park
It’s hard to choose the most famous abandoned place in West Virginia since there are truly a number of surreal, abandoned places in the state that you simply have to visit to believe they exist. From the Coalwood machine shop that’s laced with ivy and abandoned to the TNT Bunkers in Point Pleasant where the legendary Mothman has been said to frequent. There’s even a guided tour of the area where it was first sighted! The old coal mining community of Nuttalburg has long since been lost to time, and you simply can’t miss out on experiencing the Silver Run Tunnel in Cairo, where the ghost of Silver Run has been spotted for centuries. Even the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in Princeton is haunted after a handful of accidental deaths shuttered the park for good in 1966. It’s since become an eerie ode to a time gone by, and you might even hear the distant laugh of children if you visit. Creepy!
Learn about these and more of the most famous abandoned places in West Virginia.
What is the most haunted place in West Virginia?
The most haunted place in West Virginia is the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park.
Although it is questionable whether it’s the most haunted place in a state that’s full of ghosts, the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park is considered an eerie place to visit. The land itself has a dark story, with two children murdered and one burned at the stake on the Clay property. Conley T. Snidow purchased the land and built the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park, but when six people died on the rides it ultimately had to close. It remains one of the eeriest abandoned places in West Virginia, and locals claim that the property is haunted by the children that once used to wander the rides in search of a bit of fun. Before they realized it was deadly, of course. It’s been featured as one of the Travel Channel’s Most Terrifying Places in America, and some even consider it one of the most haunted places in the world.
Discover more about the most haunted place in West Virginia.
Can I go ghost hunting in West Virginia?
Yes, you can go ghost hunting in West Virginia at the West Virginia Penitentiary Ghost Hunt
Overnight investigations are a must for ghost hunters in West Virginia, and the West Virginia Penitentiary Ghost Hunt with Ghosts N’at is perhaps one of the best opportunities to do so. This innovative travel company will lead you through the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville, a location featured by Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, and you’ll spend the night amidst the haunted. Eerie!
Find out more about ghost hunting in West Virginia.
