Arkansas is home to a collection of historic hotels steeped in eerie tales, where the past refuses to rest. These haunted hotels in Arkansas whisper of tragedies—devastating fires, brutal murders, and medical horrors—that have left spectral imprints.
Guests recount chilling encounters: ghostly figures gliding through corridors, disembodied voices pleading in the night, and inexplicable cold drafts that linger like a sorrowful presence.
Each haunted hotel in Arkansas carries a dark history, from Civil War casualties to Prohibition-era violence, drawing thrill-seekers eager to glimpse the paranormal.
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Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa, Hot Springs
Since its opening in 1875, the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa has stood as a beacon of grandeur in Hot Springs, yet its elegance masks a grim past.
Catastrophic fires in 1895 and 1923 razed earlier structures, likely claiming lives in their fury, with trapped guests and staff perishing in smoke-filled halls.
During Prohibition, the hotel became a haven for gangsters like Al Capone, whose illicit dealings in hidden gambling dens led to deadly shootouts and betrayals.
A bellhop, rumored to have crossed a mobster, met a mysterious end, his body never found.
Guests frequently encounter a woman in white, believed to be a bride who took her own life after a lover’s betrayal, her sorrowful gaze haunting the fourth floor. A spectral man in a suit, possibly a fire victim, appears near the bar, vanishing into the walls.
Wine glasses shatter without cause, laughter echoes from empty ballrooms, and cold spots grip the lobby. The hotel’s early days as a tuberculosis treatment center add to its darkness, with patients succumbing to failed cures, their moans still heard.
This confluence of fire, crime, and illness cements Arlington as a premier haunted hotel in Arkansas.
Baker House Bed and Breakfast, North Little Rock
Built in 1897 as a private home, the Baker House Bed and Breakfast ranks high among the most haunted hotels in Arkansas.
Its dark roots trace to the early 1900s, when illnesses like flu epidemics claimed lives in the area. Reports suggest a young woman fell to her death from the stairs, her screams still heard on quiet nights. Another spirit is a quiet worker from the building’s past, perhaps killed in a home accident.
In fact, this place saw multiple deaths over the years, including owners who passed from sudden strokes or hidden ailments.
Guests feel touches on their arms, hear doors slam shut, and see shadows dart across rooms. Footsteps climb the stairs when no one is there, tied to tales of a maid who died from overwork or poison.
The Victorian style also conceals creepy spots, such as the attic, where cold air drops and whispers the names of those who have called.
The Baker House has been featured in several paranormal shows over the years, showcasing some interesting evidence of potential ghost activity. One of the hotspots is the garden, where a child’s ghost is said to play, possibly from a family loss during wartime.
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Basin Park Hotel, Eureka Springs
The Basin Park Hotel, built in 1905, rose from the ruins of the Perry House, which burned in 1890, killing several in the flames. This haunted hotel in Arkansas hid illegal casinos during Prohibition, where gamblers met violent ends in knife fights or shootings over debts.
A notable apparition is that of a cowboy in room 307, believed to be a gambler killed in a brawl, who is seen as a misty figure near the window. Guests report hearing whispers in the ballroom and feeling pushes from unseen forces. A female spirit, possibly a fire victim, appears in Victorian attire on the staircase.
The hotel’s proximity to mineral springs, thought to amplify spiritual energy, enhances its hauntings. Tragic events, including a doctor’s fatal fall down stairs while treating patients, fuel reports of footsteps and cries echoing through the halls.
Capital Hotel, Little Rock
The Capital Hotel, opened in 1877 in Little Rock, blends opulence with a shadowed past. During construction, a worker named Jefferson fell from scaffolding, his fatal plunge marking the site with tragedy.
The hotel hosted volatile political gatherings, where ruined ambitions led to heart attacks and suicides, including a politician who shot himself after a scandal.
A female apparition in white, possibly a woman who leaped from a balcony after a jilted love affair, drifts through upper floors, her rose-scented presence unsettling guests. The smell of cigar smoke wafts from empty rooms, tied to a businessman who succumbed to a sudden illness. Elevators harbor cold spots, and doors lock inexplicably, trapping guests briefly.
The basement, used for Prohibition smuggling, hides a darker secret: a guard murdered during a botched deal, his shadow now lurking in corners. Civil War soldiers, treated in nearby makeshift hospitals, may contribute to the unrest, their faint groans heard at dawn.
These tales of falls, despair, and hidden crimes establish the Capital as a haunting cornerstone among Arkansas’s haunted hotels.
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Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs
Known as “America’s Most Haunted Hotel,” the Crescent Hotel, built in 1886 in Eureka Springs, bears a gruesome history.
A stonemason’s fatal fall during construction haunts room 218, where guests hear tools clanging in the night.
The hotel’s darkest chapter unfolded in the 1930s under Norman Baker, a con artist who operated a fraudulent cancer hospital. His toxic treatments killed dozens, their suffering etched into the walls.
A spectral nurse pushes a creaking gurney through the former morgue, while patients’ moans echo in empty corridors. Baker’s ghost, clad in white, is seen laughing cruelly near the staircase.
Theodora, a Victorian-clad patient, appears begging for help before dissolving, likely a victim of Baker’s cruelty. The basement, where jars of preserved body parts were unearthed, reeks of medicinal odors.
A woman who poisoned herself in despair adds to the tragedy, her cries heard near the dining room. These horrors, amplified by fires and accidents, create a chilling legacy, making the Crescent a pinnacle of haunted hotels in Arkansas.
Empress of Little Rock Bed and Breakfast (Hornibrook House), Little Rock
The Empress of Little Rock, originally the Hornibrook House, built in 1888, is steeped in personal tragedy.
The tragedies here started with James Hornibrook, a saloon owner, who died of a stroke in 1891, likely worsened by alcoholism and business feuds. His wife followed in 1893, succumbing to grief or illness.
Hornibrook’s apparition, in a top hat, waves from the porch, while a maid, possibly killed in a fall or by foul play, lingers in guest rooms, opening doors without touching.
A guest’s fatal choking at a dinner party adds to the grim lore, with his coughs reportedly echoing in the dining room. Footsteps climb the staircase at midnight, and shadows mimic guests’ movements, tied to a curse from Hornibrook’s rivals.
The house’s proximity to Civil War battlefields, where soldiers perished in agony, fuels sightings of uniformed figures in the garden. A child’s death from fever in the attic contributes to the eerie atmosphere, with soft cries heard at dusk. This web of sudden deaths and lingering sorrow marks the Empress as one of the most haunted hotels in Arkansas.
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Magnolia Hill Bed and Breakfast, Helena-West Helena
Erected around 1900, the Magnolia Hill Bed and Breakfast in Helena-West Helena was home to Confederate Captain Charles Moore, who survived the devastation of the Civil War.
The house served as a makeshift hospital during the war, where soldiers died from bullet wounds and rampant diseases like cholera. Moore’s ghost, heavy with regret, paces the staircase, his boots echoing in the silence.
A female spirit, possibly his wife who died of illness, appears in mirrors, her face gaunt and mournful. The attic harbors cries linked to enslaved individuals or war refugees who perished in hiding.
A fire in the early 20th century claimed additional lives, with faint traces of smoke still lingering. Guests report objects falling inexplicably and shadows darting across walls, tied to the trauma of battle and disease. The garden, rumored to conceal unmarked graves, amplifies the unease, with whispers of soldiers’ last words.
This legacy of war, loss, and hidden suffering establishes Magnolia Hill as a somber haunted hotel in Arkansas.
Mayberry Hotel, Royal
The Mayberry Hotel, now a crumbling ruin in Royal, served miners in the 1800s and harbors a brutal past. Local legend claims owner David Mayberry murdered his wife and drowned their son, burning her body in the fireplace, though records are vague.
A separate tragedy saw robbers massacre guests in a single night, their blood staining the floors. Mayberry’s death in 1881, possibly by suicide or fever, adds to the darkness.
Apparitions include a woman weeping in broken windows and shadowy figures roaming the ruins, tied to miners killed in gunfights over claims. Yellow fever swept through, claiming isolated victims whose cries of “help” still echo. A curse, born of stolen gold, is blamed for cold touches and sudden chills.
Explorers describe feeling watched, with whispers chasing them from the site. A recent fire gutted the remains, yet the spirits persist, rooted in violence, disease, and betrayal, making Mayberry a ghostly relic among haunted hotels in Arkansas.
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Park Hotel, Hot Springs
Built in 1930, the Park Hotel in Hot Springs thrived during the gambling boom of the 1940s and 1950s, but its glamour hid violence. Illegal casinos sparked murders over unpaid debts, with bodies dumped in nearby woods.
A woman named Simone, killed in a lover’s quarrel, brushes past guests as a cold, fleeting presence. A chef perished in a kitchen fire, his screams still heard near the stoves. Poorly sanitized spa treatments led to infections, claiming lives in agony.
Guests encounter shadows gliding through hallways and whispers from empty vents, linked to bootleggers killed in Prohibition shootouts. A gambler’s curse, tied to a lost fortune, causes lights to flicker and objects to topple.
The basement, once a speakeasy, resonates with the footsteps of unseen figures, possibly a murdered guard.
