Lori Ballen, the owner of this website, benefits from purchases made through her affiliate links.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this site are affiliate links. Portions of this content are generated by AI.
Haunted Vegas: The Most Haunted Hotels and Ghost Stories on the Strip
There’s a second Las Vegas underneath the neon one, and it only shows itself after the lights go down. Here are the haunted places worth knowing, from a local who knows the real history behind the stories.
Book a Ghost Tour →Everyone knows the Las Vegas of fountains and buffets that never end. But I’ve lived here long enough to know that the same properties people flock to for jackpots and headliner shows carry decades of tragedy, and a lot of guests swear those stories didn’t stay in the past. If you love a good ghost story, or you’re the type who books the room where something happened on purpose, this is your kind of Vegas tour. Here’s where to go, what people claim to experience, and how to see it all for yourself.
Get the best things to do in Las Vegas in your inbox — free.
The Haunted Hotels of the Strip
Excalibur: The 10th Floor
All turrets and medieval kitsch by day. By night, the stories cluster on a single floor: the 10th. Guests describe cold spots that don’t match the thermostat, the feeling of being followed down an empty hallway, breath on the back of the neck, TVs throwing static while switched off, and alarm clocks going off that were never set. Tip: Hotels can’t guarantee a specific room, but you can absolutely ask for the 10th floor at check-in. Just know you might not sleep much.
Horseshoe Las Vegas: The MGM Grand Fire
This one comes with real, heartbreaking history. The property opened as the MGM Grand in 1973, and on November 21, 1980, an electrical fire tore through the casino and pushed toxic smoke up the tower while guests slept. Between 85 and 87 people died and nearly 700 were injured, still the deadliest disaster in Nevada history, and it rewrote high-rise fire codes nationwide. Rebuilt in 1981, rebranded Bally’s, then renamed Horseshoe in December 2022, so older haunted lists are describing this same building. Staff and guests report shadowy figures in hallways, apparitions in stairwells, phantom smoke smells, and freshly made beds found pulled apart, with reports getting stronger the higher you go. Tip: Real people died here. I find the context makes this stop more sobering than spooky, and it’s worth carrying that respect with you.
Luxor: The Pyramid’s Dark Chapters
The pyramid collected a haunted reputation almost immediately. Worker-death numbers from construction vary wildly in the retelling, but the building has seen real tragedy, including falls into the atrium and the 2007 parking-garage pipe bomb that killed a young employee (investigators proved it a targeted murder, and two men got life without parole). Guests describe a woman wandering the upper floors, and old-timers still tell tales tied to the long-gone Nile River boat ride. The “cursed pyramid” mythology is pure folklore, but it’s kept the Luxor on every haunted-Vegas list for thirty years. Tip: Stand at the bottom of the atrium and look up. You’ll understand the stories immediately.
The Flamingo: Bugsy Siegel Never Checked Out
The most classic Vegas ghost story of them all. Mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel opened the Flamingo in 1946 and was shot to death in Beverly Hills less than a year later. His original quarters are long gone, but employees and guests have reported his apparition for decades, a figure in a smoking jacket near the Presidential Suite and around his memorial garden tucked by the pool and wildlife habitat. Tip: This is the rare ghost stop you can do in daylight. Go read the memorial plaque by the flamingo habitat and decide for yourself whether the air feels different there. Ghost or no ghost, it’s one of the most interesting historical spots in the city.
Circus Circus: Room 123
The big top and midway games sit on top of a darker reputation. The best-known legend centers on Room 123, where, as the story goes, a murder-suicide took place. Guests have reported “Help Me” appearing on bathroom mirrors, screams from empty rooms, and a young boy’s figure in the halls, with separate accounts tied to the casino and kitchen areas. Tip: Take the specifics with a grain of salt. These tales have grown in the retelling for decades, but the sheer number of people reporting the same experiences is what earns Circus Circus its spot on this list.
Westgate: The King Still Plays Here
The Westgate has the most famous resident in Vegas ghost lore: Elvis Presley, who launched his legendary residency here in 1969 and performed regularly for seven years. Guests, employees, and even fellow performers have claimed to see the King near the theater, the upper-floor hallways, and the areas tied to his old suite and green room. Some say they’ve heard his music playing when nothing was on. Tip: It’s a gentler, almost affectionate haunting compared to the rest of this list, which feels exactly right for Elvis.
Hunt Ghosts on Purpose
Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum
If you’d rather seek out the paranormal on purpose than stumble into it at 3am, the Ghost Adventures host’s museum fills the historic 1938 Wengert Mansion downtown with 30+ rooms of cursed objects, including the staircase from Indiana’s “Demon House.” Tours are guided, everyone signs a waiver, there’s an age minimum, and the brave can book the after-hours flashlight tour. It’s at 600 East Charleston Boulevard, closed Tuesdays, and tickets sell out often enough that I’d book ahead, especially near Halloween. I’ve got a full guide here: Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum.
Take a Guided Ghost Tour
You can build your own haunted crawl by booking rooms and wandering memorial gardens, but the easiest way to hit the best stories in one night is a guided ghost tour. Las Vegas has several, from walking tours that welcome kids to adults-only versions that lean into the grittier mob-and-murder history. A good guide fills in the real history behind each site, which makes the ghost stories land harder. Visiting in October? Book early. These fill fast around Halloween.
Book a Ghost Tour →Planning Your Haunted Vegas Night
+ Book the room, not just the property
For the Excalibur’s 10th floor or Circus Circus, the specific floor or room is the whole point. Call ahead and ask, but know hotels can’t always guarantee a specific room.
+ Go in the off-season if you can
The paranormal reputation doesn’t change with the calendar, but crowds and rates do. A quiet weeknight makes it much easier to actually feel the atmosphere of a place.
+ Respect the real history
Some of these stories, especially the MGM Grand fire, involve genuine loss of life. It’s fine to be curious. It’s also worth being respectful about it.
+ Bring a skeptic and a believer
The best haunted trips always involve one person who’s certain it’s nonsense and one who’s certain it isn’t. By the end of the night, they’ve usually swapped positions at least once.
Las Vegas has plenty for the ghost hunters, the history buffs, and the merely curious. Whether you’re standing in Bugsy Siegel’s memorial garden or signing a waiver in front of a room full of cursed objects, the haunted side of this city is worth a night of your trip. Just don’t blame me if you leave the lights on. For more after-dark ideas, try my guides to the best Las Vegas escape rooms (including the SAW horror experience) and fall in Las Vegas, when the haunted houses come out.
Get the Best of Las Vegas in Your Inbox
Things to do, new restaurants, shows, events, and hidden gems around the valley — a few good ideas in your inbox. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Join the Ballen Vegas newsletter — local tips from a lifelong Las Vegan. We’ll never share your email.
Ghost Tour Picks
Three ways to spend a haunted night, depending on who you’re bringing.
Haunted Vegas Tour and Ghost Hunt
A guided walk through the city’s most haunted spots with real history mixed in, the best all-around pick if you only book one.
Ghosts of Las Vegas Walking Tour
A lighter, kid-welcome walking version of the ghost stories, good for a family night out on the Strip.
The Vegas Mob Tour
Leans into the grittier mob-and-murder history behind some of the same haunted sites on this list.
Tour links are affiliate links; we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Book a Las Vegas Ghost Tour
Ghost tours, haunted experiences, and tickets for your Las Vegas trip.
Some links are affiliate links; we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Thinking about moving to Las Vegas?
There’s a reason so many people fall for this city. If you’re considering a move — or wondering what your current home is worth — my team would love to help.
Lori Ballen
REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty Las Vegas, leading The Ballen Group. A lifelong Las Vegan sharing the best of the valley.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this site are affiliate links. Portions of this content are generated by AI.
