Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide.
It’s officially Spooky Season!
Yes, it’s still September, but after 2020, time has no concept anymore.
Halloween is right around the corner but don’t worry, there’s still time to plan out a spooky adventure for you and your friends. Austin has a rich history and with that comes some darker corners to explore. You might have even been to a few of these locations without realizing that spooky specters were probably watching you!
Littlefield House
Courtesy of Randy von Liski
The Littlefield House is the oldest building on the University of Texas's central campus. Littlefield has a portrait hanging in the hallway, and what would a haunted house be without a portrait who’s eyes follow you around? Rmor has it that Littlefield imprisoned his wife Alice in the attic, though his family disputes those claims saying he loved her dearly.
According to Austin Ghosts, “In 1912, for no apparent reason, Alice Littlefield developed an unexplained “nervous condition”. Overnight, Alice began to have visions and delusions of doom. She was paranoid and convinced that her whole family would be murdered and that she would be kidnapped. These illusions and bouts of panic made her prone to fits of hysteria.”
It is said that Alice haunts the house as well as the dormitory named after her at UT. Residents and visitors alike claim to hear unexplained noises and rattlings, as well as singing and moaning from the walls.
The Driskill Hotel
Courtesy of Ian Aberle
Probably the most famously haunted location in Austin is the The Drikill Hotel. A number of specters have been reportedly seen on the premises and the hotel has been the setting of multiple horror novels in the past.
Famous ghosts include the Senator’s Daughter, who can be seen along the Grand Staircase of the Mezzanine, hotel's namesake, Colonel Jesse Driskill, and the ghost of of Peter Lawless. One of the more popular stories is that of a Houston socialite who was left by her fiance and decided to go on a wild shopping spree before ending it all in her room at the Driskill.
According to Ghost City Tours, “Did this happen? Perhaps not. Police reports indicate that Tara, the Houston "socialite," was not so much of a socialite. Instead of the thousands that she charged to her fiance's card, Tara instead purchased beer, hard liquor, a carton of smokes, and a People magazine. She set herself up in her hotel room at The Driskill, drank herself almost to death, and then grabbed her newly purchased revolver. The report claims that she would have certainly died from alcohol poisoning if she had not died from a self-inflicted gunshot.”
A tragic situation nonetheless.
Oakwood Cemetery
Courtesy of Bradleybclark
What would a ghost story be without a spooky cemetery? The Oakwood Cemetery is Austin’s oldest burial ground with 25,000 bodies buried within it’s gates.
Rumor has it that it was a graverobbers paradise, and that medical professors stole unmarked bodies for students to practice on, giving spirits a perfectly reasonable excuse for being angry and agitated. According to Ghost City Tours, “Paranormal investigators claim the northwestern fence line has the most supernatural activity. EMF and EVP readings are commonly caught between Navasota Street and the pauper's unmarked graves.”
Buffalo Billiards
Courtesy of Jim Nix
Buffalo Billiards first opened back in the early 1860s as the Missouri Hotel. It even became a popular hangout for cowboys. One haunted guest, known as Fred, likes to rattle barstools and leave drinks out overnight after the staff has clenaed and locked up. The ghost of a woman in a white dress has also been spotted and other patrons have seen strange hand prints from a child magically appearing on the pool tables.
The HandleBar
Courtesy of The HandeBar
According to Austin Monthly, this popular adult hangout began as a funeral parlor and was the spot of Austin’s first cremation. Enough said, ammirght?
There are so many locations in Austin that boast of creepy and inexplicable happenings, you’re sure to not be disappointed by putting together your own tour. If you’d rather ride along instead of plan the tour, our sister store, Austin Bike Tours and Rentals, hosts a Spooky City Bike Tour that is to DIE for!