Ghost Adventures is a polarizing series, but some of the best Ghost Adventures episodes feature a balance of what audiences love and hate. Viewers tend to either laugh at the sometimes theatrical character of ghost hunter and show creator Zak Bagans and the questionable validity of some of the paranormal evidence, or they appreciate the show and suspend their disbelief. As the seasons progressed, Ghost Adventures shed its more embarrassing habits and focused primarily on collecting evidence, leading to better ratings.
It’s left to viewers to decide the legitimacy of said evidence. This is a niche genre in company with other great paranormal TV shows like Sightings and Paranormal Witness. But for believers and casual viewers alike, Ghost Adventures is well-received and worth the watch. The best Ghost Adventures episodes have stuck with fans for years and are likely to haunt them for years to come. Though the favorite episodes may change over time, the scariest parts of Ghost Adventures show just how engaging the series can get.
35 Ancient Ram Inn
Gloucestershire, England
The Ancient Ram Inn in England has a long history of paranormal activity, including a pagan burial ground, alleged ritual sacrifice of children, and a possible connection to Stonehenge. In the eighth episode of season 2, Zak Bagans and his crew head over to England to see this haunted location for themselves.
The Inn was built in 1145, so it has a very long history, even without considering the paranormal aspects of the building. There was an immediate sensation when the walk started as John, the owner of the Ram Inn, felt something go through him, causing intense pain, something he said had never happened before. Zak also began to suffer headaches around the same time as they did the walkthrough. Finally, Zak heard bells ringing, but there were no bells, and then he felt another sensation.
Zak was sure they had an encounter with something because he dreamed of a woman with red eyes.
This episode offered a lot more than others in the series because the team actually got some readings, and their EVPs recorded voices communicating with them, including threats, questions, and warnings. Aaron also captured a dark mist moving fast in front of the camera. By the time they left, Zak was sure they had an encounter with something because he dreamed of a woman with red eyes and woke up with visible scratches on his neck.
34 Mizpah Hotel
Tonapah, Nevada
The Mizpah Hotel is considered one of the most haunted locations in Nevada, located in Tonopah. The Ghost Adventures team visited the hotel three times, with the first in the episode named after the hotel, before it also appeared in “Horror Hotels and Deadliest Hospitals” and “Do Not Disturb.” Its first appearance came in the second episode of season 5 when they set out to explore the famed haunted hotel, a trip that saw a lot of weird things happen.
There were actually two locations they visited in this episode, with the first called Castle House, which they revisited after it was one of their very first lockdowns as a team. There were a lot of things that happened while they were gathering their evidence, including an EVP recording of a female voice talking, moaning, screaming, and even exclaiming that they were evil. Zak also saw an apparition, and Nick felt something going through his body during the EVP experiment.
Zak said at one point that they wanted to investigate it for years, but never received permission.
However, what really took them by surprise was an elevator by Aaron opening and closing despite it being out of service. On top of unexplained knocking and banging, Zak set up some wood and something kept knocking it over. This was a huge episode for the team, as Zak said at one point that they wanted to investigate it for years but never received permission until this season.
33 Tooele Hospital
Tooele, Utah
The Tooele Hospital is in Utah, and there have been stories of spirits in the halls there for years. Since it has such a torrid reputation, the owners turned it into a haunted house, but the guys showed up to see if there was any truth to the haunting. The team went in with big warnings, with the owners claiming that the spirits would often scratch visitors. However, things got really scary when one of the spirits they recorded during their investigation called Zak out by his name.
Things started shaking the team up during the very beginning walkthrough and interview with the owners when cold air hit the team in three blasts. This is important as anyone who watches the show knows that the number “3” is very important to Zak and his team concerning paranormal activities. During the investigation, the guys found even more.
The most frightening sounds from the EVP came when a child’s voice began calling out Zak’s name.
There was a lot of activity, including footsteps, doors slamming, growling, and scratching sounds. The most frightening sounds from the EVP came when a child’s voice began calling out Zak’s name. There were also a lot of physical attacks going on here, including something shoving Zak, everyone feeling their energy being drained before a blast of cold air hit, and Aaron feeling something was grabbing onto his arm. This saw a lot more physical interaction than many other Ghsot Adventure episodes.
32 Goldfield Hotel: Redemption
Goldfield, Nevada
The team went to Goldfield Hotel for one of their live events, which was not aired on TV. This happened from February 8-10, 2008, and they featured clips from the visit in later episodes. However, they returned there for its own episode in season 7, episode 16, with the title, “Goldfield Hotel: Redemption.” This was a re-investigation of the Goldfield Hotel in Goldfield, Nevada, where they experienced even more unexplained events happening at the location.
The background featured a fire and flood that devastated the town, as well as undocumented murders and crimes that took place over the years. It seemed the entire town was cursed, but Ghost Adventures focused on the hotel that seemed to be the center of all the paranormal activity. The original investigation saw a lot of unexplained phenomena, including rocks being thrown at people, a brick violently breaking for no reason, and voices threatening people in the hotel.
The Goldfield Hotel was the only place that the team investigated four different times.
The investigation here saw them hear more voices, thanks to the EVP, including one voice admitting to throwing the brick. Zak saw a shadowy figure on the second floor and then experienced the rocks being thrown at him from a direction where no one was. The Goldfield Hotel was the only place that the team investigated four different times because of all the evidence (2004, 2007, 2008, and 2011).
31 Island of Dolls
Xochimilco, Mexico
In the 10th season of Ghost Adventures, Zak Bagans and his team headed to Xochimilco, Mexico, to explore the reported haunting at the Island of Dolls. According to the local legends, the dark and scary canals is the home to one of the creepiest attractions, the Island of the Dolls. This area is named after all the baby dolls hanging from the trees, which is terrifying by itself. However, the team learns in this episode there are a lot more sinister things there than dolls.
Despite them being the only people on the island, a fire ends up igniting in the pit later in their visit.
While Zak is doing his pre-investigation into the area, something happens, and he ends up with three mysterious bruises on his arm. He was holding “Harold the Haunted Doll” earlier, which had a loose arm on it, and that was the same arm on which Zak’s injuries appeared. The team arrived on the island and heard sounds coming from a fire pit area. Despite them being the only people on the island, a fire ends up igniting in the pit later in their visit.
They see a lot of things, which include several apparitions, men’s voices coming from the Spirit Box, and more than one instance of cold energy sweeping by the team as they investigate. The idea of hanging dolls in the trees is creepy enough, but having the team out on the island with all the unexplained phenomena makes this one of the scariest Ghost Adventures episodes in the series’ long run.
30 Poveglia Island
Venice, Italy
Poveglia Island is a location where people exiled plague victims and asylum patients near Venice, Italy. In season 3, Zak and the team headed to Italy to check out this haunted location. The first people arrived on the island in 421 AD and by 1348, the Bubonic Plague arrived in Venice and Poveglia, and the island was used to quarantine the victims of the disease to protect the rest of the city.
It happened again in 1630 when the Black Death arrived.
This led to tens of thousands of Venice citizens dying on the island. It happened again in 1630 when the Black Death arrived. In the 1800s, the Poveglia Asylum opened there, and in the 20th century, it became a geriatric center and now, the island has since been abandoned.
This was a very scary episode and the team didn’t even make it through the night. There was a ton of evidence in this episode including the dark mist that moans, and it was clear that something was very wrong on this island. The entire history of the island made this a great episode to watch, even if it’s only to simply learn about its tragic history.
29 Rolling Hills Asylum
East Bethany, New York
The Rolling Hills Asylum is located in East Bethany, New York, and was established in 1827 as the Genesee County Poor House, which was originally a working farm. This was where some of the less fortunate ended up staying, including a mix of widows and orphans. Patients with mental illnesses were also brought here to live with these people.
On top of that, this was where the unclaimed dead were brought to be buried on the property. It all led to over 1,700 documented deaths and more not recorded, causing the supposed haunting. The Ghost Adventures team arrived in season 4 and investigated the rumored haunting. What they discovered was some truly terrifying images and sound recordings. They have a photo of a giant ghost, which remains unexplained. They also caught the recording of one of the scariest screams in the history of Ghost Adventures.
28 Linda Vista Hospital
Los Angeles, California
Located in Los Angeles, the Linda Vista Hospital is a haunted location that was once one of the city’s oldest hospitals, dealing with early residents such as railroad workers. It opened in 1904, and other than its status as a hospital, it was also a place where the staff raised livestock, which roamed the grounds.
By the 1940s, the hospital began to decline and by the 1970s and 1980s, it was mostly a hospital for the less fortunate and victims of gang violence. It finally shut its doors in 1991. The hauntings here focused on the idea of patient mismanagement and the deaths of people due to lack of proper care.
Ghosts are rumored to roam the halls, with moaning and groaning heard by visitors. Zak and his team visited the hospital in season three, and they came out with a lot of high-quality evidence of the paranormal. The team was still having fun at this time, and things weren’t as dark and serious as they became in later years. This is one haunted location that was since renovated, so the episode is also a time capsule.
27 Halloween Special: Horror At Joe Exotic Zoo
Wynnewood, Oklahoma
One of the best Ghost Adventures episodes crossed over with a 2020 docuseries hit.Tiger King, the entertaining and horrifying Netflix documentary about Joe Exotic and exotic animal zoos in America, went completely viral early in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Netflix series showcased some of the worst things Joe Exotic ever did, including animal cruelty and allegedly setting up a hit on rival Carole Baskin. For the 2020 Halloween special, it was fitting that Bagans and his team traveled to the infamous Oklahoma location.
They were even able to interview Jeff and Lauren Lowe and employees who were also featured in the documentary. A large part of the investigation and interviews centered around Travis Maldonado, who tragically died on the property. A team of cadaver dogs picked up the scent of human remains in a body of water, and the overnight investigation featured a deep echo tube experiment headed by Bill Chappell. The results, however, were less than stellar.
26 Curse Of Ranch Island
Las Vegas, Nevada
Back in Bagans’ hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, the Ghost Adventures team sets up shop in a communal compound named “Ranch Island” in the excellent paranormal reality show. Following a tragedy on the property the year before, residents started experiencing paranormal activity.
During the beginning of the overnight investigation, Bagans begins to feel sick and dizzy and takes off in his car. In an interesting EVP session on the rooftop lounge area, the team tells the spirit that they’re there to listen to it, and it calls back, “Sure, got it.“
As the episode progresses, Bagans continues to be affected by negative energy, even having to lie down. Stark cold spots and more male voices being heard on devices develop throughout the night. While not one of the very top Ghost Adventures episodes, the EVP work proved fruitful, but it wasn’t quite as scary as other installments.
25 Cerro Gordo Ghost Town
Cerro Gordo, California
In one of the better Ghost Adventures episodes, which first debuted in November 2019, the gang investigates a mysterious and supposedly haunted old mining town. The name Cerro Gordo loosely translates to “Fat Hill,” and it’s a ghost town located in the Inyo Mountains of California.
While the area has a lurid history, the sprawling town proved to be difficult to explore fully. Fittingly, it is located close to Death Valley, and it’s not easy to get to since it is hidden away in the cliffs. Many murders occurred there as it was a classic “Old West” town complete with shootouts, mining accidents, and more.
The town had brothels, gambling houses, and saloons, but no sheriff or church to speak of. This is now privately owned and operated by the Cerro Gordo Historical Society. Permission to visit the location must be obtained.
24 Upper Fruitland Curse
Upper Fruitland, New Mexico
One of the best Ghost Adventures episodes takes the group to Upper Fruitland, New Mexico, where they help a family investigate an ominous haunting that includes the spectral appearance of a faceless young boy. One reason this episode is so popular is that it features horrifying video footage of a chair seemingly moving of its own accord.
This is actually one of the creepiest
Ghost Adventures
episodes, with several scary moments including the black mass video capture and the thermal scan with something moving.
There is further investigative evidence of something being amiss inside the house when the video captures strange figures on tape, and snarling sounds are picked up on the devices. Even Jay begins to feel sick while inside the home. However, the haunted house isn’t quite as famous as other houses the team has explored in the past.
23 Lewis Flats School
Deming, New Mexico
This investigation is set at a school that burned down and became a taxidermy-filled steakhouse. One of the scariest Ghost Adventures episodes almost immediately gets straight to the evidence, rather than the typical half-interview formula. It’s pretty intriguing, with EMF spikes, intelligent audio responses, and even the classic horror staple of fluctuating lights.
The most alarming moment is the extraordinarily distinct shadow behind a doorway, which is clear enough to suggest a living intruder who left some animal bones. That kind of threat is equally disconcerting as any alleged ghost.
Ghost Adventures has a rating of 7.2/10 based on user reviews. The show is also quite popular on the Travel Channel, ranking as the third most popular show on the network
Still, after a couple of thrown objects, Aaron Goodwin is left by himself. He’s scared out of his mind by some strange sounds, later jumping at his reflection which is both compelling and pretty amusing. However, Goodwin’s reactions are a bit too exaggerated.
22 The Washoe Club: Final Chapter
Virgin City, Nevada
This was featured in the original Ghost Adventures documentary from 2004 and is one of the creepiest locations the Ghost Adventures crew has visited. That history is inherently appealing for longtime fans. It’s especially moving that two people who helped with the previous Washoe investigation have since passed on. And according to some strangely coincidental and intelligent communication, the team believes those friends are reaching out.
It’s one of the more personal investigations, with intriguing visual and audio evidence, making it one of the better investigations. Audiences see a strange SLS figure, the full spectrum camera captures an odd mist, and there’s a long sequence of alleged footsteps. Also, a brief visit to a candy shop provides some surprisingly good humor, which rarely works on this show. Mist and footsteps are enough to make this one of the best installments ever.
21 Mayhem In Millville
Millville, Utah
The Ghost Adventures crew visited the home of a descendant of the infamous Jessop polygamist cult in Utah that had over 200 family members — leader Joe Jessop had five wives and 239 grandchildren. Bagans and his team investigated one of the oldest homes in Millville, Utah, owned by Cindy Lou Hensen.
To start, there’s a voice that can be heard telling them to “get out” during their tour of the house. Later on, they capture a shot of light coming out of a closet that had been nailed closed for 40 years.
Suffering from an upper respiratory infection, Bagans headed the investigation via walkie-talkie from a van outside. When he asked the malevolent force about Jesus, it answered back, “Let God thank.” One of the greatest pieces of evidence in Ghost Adventures is when he asked what the spirit wanted, it said “James,” which is the name of the tenant who had been greatly affected by the house and even burst into tears upon entering it. That said, vocal evidence was about the only evidence found.
20 Twin Bridges Orphanage
Twin Bridges, Montana
The GAC visits the town of Twin Bridges, Montana in one of the better investigations . They were reportedly the first paranormal team to investigate the old Twin Bridges Orphanage, which was supposedly haunted by hundreds of spirits. However, the evidence was somewhat scant in this episode, which is why it’s not considered the best. Despite that, this was an orphanage where over 300 kids lived at one point, and that makes it an uneasy location to scout with the scares coming from these alleged ghosts.
Since the orphanage first opened its doors in 1894 it supposedly had several strange deaths of children and while locked inside, the crew tried to make contact with them and the old matrons. In any paranormal TV show, child spirits are easily some of the eeriest spectators the crew could come up against, and it doesn’t get much scarier than a spooky old orphanage.
19 Old Lincoln County Hospital
Fayetteville, Tennessee
The Ghost Adventures crew travels to Tennessee to investigate an abandoned hospital. That’s simply an innately creepy setting, anywhere. But this episode has a fascinating turn of events — the police get involved. Briefly, while attempting an interview, the police arrive at the scene of filming.
A local commander in the police department describes the potential paranormal activity, which is welcome testimony. Still, a single piece of evidence can make all the difference in fan appreciation. The presence of a potential shadow figure is a compelling piece of footage.
There’s a reason some of the best horror movies are set in hospitals. The episode is paced well, and the crew also uses some interesting new gear. Despite this, a shadow figure alone isn’t enough to make it the very best Ghost Adventures episode.
18 McPike Mansion
Alton, Illinois
The McPike Mansion is a rather legendary old residence tucked away in Alton, Illinois. It is considered to be one of the scariest places in America and has been featured on multiple television shows in addition to being one of the better investigations. However, the evidence simply wasn’t compelling enough to make it the best, but it remains a great installment.
The old Victorian mansion has a very long history of strange activity and reported paranormal phenomena. Balls of light remain unexplained by professional photographers. There have been rumored human-shaped outlines in the windows.
These included shadowy or glowing figures that photographers didn’t see until they developed the photos. A few members of the crew thought that satanic worship might have taken place on the property at some point, but that was never proven. It is supposedly haunted by its former owner and domestic servant.
17 Benson Grist Mill
Stansbury Park, Utah
Whether the ghost-hunting paranormal show is real or fake, another stop in Utah for the team was the 150-year-old Benson Grist Mill in Stansbury Park. Built under the direction of Brigham Young, the famous Mormon for whom the university is named, the mill was the site of the drowning of a young girl. Other than EVP activity, however, there wasn’t much evidence.
Upon entering the Booth barn on the property, some members of the crew had a negative and nauseous feeling. Eyewitnesses reported a man dressed in black in the upstairs part of the mill. During the night of the investigation, Bagans collects a Class A EVP of a man’s voice in the mill saying “bicycle.” When he asks the spirit why he said that word, the spirit actually answers him, saying, “I was thinkin’ about it.”
16 Stone Lion Inn
Guthrie, Oklahoma
The adventurers travel to Oklahoma in one of the best episodes to investigate a small bed and breakfast that was once used as a mortuary. Now, the owner runs a murder mystery show there and is purportedly enacting genuine satanic rituals. Besides this silliness, there’s some really interesting history.
The episode recounts the true story of a train robber’s corpse ending up as a mummified tourist attraction for decades. It’s fairly disturbing, with real photos of the remains on display. However, this episode also compiles some pretty incredible evidence, including alleged poltergeist activity.
Doors move on their own, and a camera’s tripod is completely knocked over. Poltergeist footage is the crown jewel of such investigations and prompts entertaining discussion among viewers. Though the history itself is interesting, some of the episode’s sillier moments detracted from the overall story.
