Yes, Virginia Beach is known for its golden sunshine, sparkling shorelines and laid-back coastal culture. But if you’re among the millions who don’t truly come alive until pumpkin spice begins its annual reign, there’s much in these parts to warm your dark little heart — if you dare.
With a history that dates back to before our country was founded, Virginia Beach remains a lively portal to the spirit world — and for paranormal enthusiasts, haunted historians and lovers of spooky season, it’s full of delights that defy explanation. If fortune rewards you with a visit during October, here are just a few places to make memorable contact with the Other Side.
The Ferry Plantation House
While the stately brick manor was built in 1830, the known history of the Ferry Plantation House site began in the 1500s, when Native Chesapian tribes inhabited this land. By the late 1600s, this was a key stop for the Lynnaven Ferry Boat Service and home to the courthouse where Grace Sherwood — the famed Witch of Pungo — was tried and convicted. (We’ll get to her later.)
From its earliest days, and spanning the many structures that have graced this Registered Virginia Landmark over the centuries, a variety of spirited tales have swirled around the site. Reported ghost sightings — witnessed by former residents, casual visitors and professional paranormal investigators — include a former enslaved person named Henry; Sally Rebecca Walke, a Civil War-era resident whose fiancé was killed in battle; and little Eric, a young boy who perished in a fall. All have been “friendly,” although Eric is known for his mischievous pranks.
Still not sure it’s haunted? Friday Night Frights, which allow visitors to rent out the entire home for private paranormal experiences and investigations, sell out in just minutes every year.
First Landing State Park
It’s said that “dead men tell no tales.” But at First Landing State Park, the most-visited natural wonder in all of Virginia Beach, there are plenty of salacious high-seas stories to be told — and some serious pirate’s booty to be found — for those willing to listen and look.
In the early 1700s, this stretch of the Chesapeake Bay was ruled by Captain Edward J. Teach: the fearsome pirate who came to be known as Blackbeard. Legend has it that Teach and his men had just loaded up their ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, with the stolen bounty of an unfortunate merchant vessel when they spotted two naval vessels in hot pursuit.
As the story goes, the pirates hastily buried their plunder in the nearby dunes, losing their pursuers in the complex network of inland waterways. Unfortunately, Blackbeard lost his head before he could return for the loot; the infamous pirate was captured and beheaded after a bloody battle with the Navy in the Outer Banks. And the treasure? Never found — though many have reported seeing a headless specter keeping watch over the First Landing dunes.
The Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club
Looking for an otherworldly overnight? The Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club — aptly nicknamed the “Grand Dame of the Shore” and listed on the National Register of Historic Places — is popular with both guests and ghosts. And, while it’s hosted 10 U.S. presidents and scores of other famous faces, its most celebrated patrons have long passed on.
Topping the list is Adolph Coors, founder of the eponymous beer dynasty, whose mysterious fall from the sixth floor has never been adequately explained. Since that fateful day in 1929, sixth-floor guests have reported a variety of phenomena, from cold spots and creepy whispers to windows opening of their own accord. Coors’ spirit is often spotted haunting the halls in the wee hours — and his image was once reportedly captured in a guest’s wedding photographs.
There’s also a friendly spirit bellman, a wandering World War II soldier, a paranormal pianist and even a ghost cat — all generating regular reports from the visitors and hotel staff who cross their paths. It’s all fodder for a fabulous October getaway at the most haunted hotel in town.
Virginia Beach Surf & Rescue Museum
Established in 1871 to rescue the victims of shipwrecks and other maritime disasters, the U.S. Life-Saving Service operated from a charming (and charmed) building on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Over the years, this humble white shiplap building has lived many lives — as SeaTack Station #1, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters and today, the Virginia Beach Surf & Rescue Museum, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. So it’s no surprise that a handful of spirits have decided to linger for just a little bit longer.
The building’s dark, drafty attic served as a makeshift morgue for shipwreck victims, who were laid out for their families to claim. It’s not uncommon for visitors and museum staffers to experience feelings of unease or unexplained chills; some even hear disembodied voices. The museum also has a friendly resident ghost — John Woodhouse Sparrow, who worked as a surfman at the station from 1883–1916 and is believed to maintain his silent vigil in the Lookout Tower to this day.
Lynnhaven River in Pungo
In the mid-1600s, Grace Sherwood and her husband lived peacefully on their farm in Pungo, where local women relied on her herbal remedies and midwifery skills. It may have been these “feminine mysteries” that led neighbors to accuse Sherwood of witchcraft multiple times, starting in 1697 — blaming her for failed crops, dead livestock and other everyday tragedies.
In 1706, to determine her guilt or innocence, Sherwood was “ducked” — thrown, bound, into the Lynnhaven River. Her survival, of course, sealed her fate as the last convicted witch in Virginia. After serving her sentence, Sherwood lived quietly to the age of 80 and was eventually buried in the area now known as Witchduck. While the exact location of her grave is unknown, area residents have reported seeing a woman with long, wet hair skulking along the riverbank in the dead of night.
In 2006, then-Governor Tim Kaine issued an informal pardon and commissioned a statue of Sherwood to “restore her good name” and honor her lifelong legacy of healing. While this may have calmed her spirit and reduced ghost sightings, you can still get an earful with an episode of the informative The Thing About Witch Hunts podcast featuring historian Scott Moore.
Thoroughgood House
Don’t let the humble exterior of this 1719 property, one of the oldest surviving colonial homes in Virginia Beach, fool you. Also a National Historic Landmark, the 1719-built Thoroughgood House provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives — and evidently, afterlives — of the city’s founding folk of that era.
Staff and visitors alike have reported sightings of spirits in Colonial-era dress, from the red-haired beauty floating around the formal gardens to the dapper gent seen strutting about in a brown suit to the unseen spirits known for mischievously moving the house’s many historic objects about. Catch them in action with Ghosts of Thoroughgood Past, a 30-minute tour led by costumed storytellers.
Virginia Beach Ghost Tours and Tales
Still feeling skeptical? Experience a firsthand haunting with one of our popular ghost walks. Under cover of darkness, you’ll enjoy a fun, family-friendly group tour illuminating our fair city’s favorite phantoms. The original ghost walk, Ghosts of Virginia Beach, has been entertaining visitors for 20-plus years; Neptune Ghosts sticks to the Virginia Beach Boardwalk, but covers much of the same material. And finally, bone up for your spooky season visit with “Haunted Virginia Beach”: a bounty of spooky stories and first-person encounters penned by resident and ghost guide Al Chewning.
About Our Writer
As a Californian living in Colorado, Staci Amend takes a “why not both” approach to the whole mountains vs. oceans debate. She covers travel, nature, beauty and fashion for a variety of publications and brands — and is happiest when surrounded by hand-painted tile, struggling to pronounce her next meal. A Huntington Beach native and enthusiastic longboarder, she tries to time her Virginia Beach visits with the East Coast Surfing Championships.
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Written by Staci Amend
As a Californian living in Colorado, writer Staci Amend takes a “why not both” approach to the whole mountains vs. oceans debate. She covers travel, nature, beauty and fashion for a variety of publications and brands — and is happiest when surrounded by hand-painted tile, struggling to pronounce her next meal. A Huntington Beach native and longboarder, she tries to time her Virginia Beach visits with the East Coast Surfing Championships.
