Lake George haunted road trip: ghost tours, jail cells and a chocolate factory

The Lake George area upstate leans into its ghost stories every October, and a handful of spots offer tours and events for visitors who want a scare along with the fall colors.

Fort William Henry ghost tours

Fort William Henry was a stronghold during the French and Indian War and saw heavy fighting, disease and death. New York State’s Haunted History Trail lists it as an official stop. Through late October, the fort runs ghost tours by candlelight, and guests who want to take part themselves can book a paranormal investigation. Fort William Henry also runs a separate haunted house, Fort Fright, on select Thursday to Sunday evenings from Sept. 24 through Oct. 24, 2026, I Love NY. Some say the next-door Battlefield Park has phantom regiments and sudden sounds of musket fire.

On Route 9, a historical marker stands at Bloody Pond. According to the legend, hundreds of soldiers’ bodies were dumped there during the war and turned the water red.

More haunted places near Lake George

The Old Warren County Courthouse was a courthouse from 1845 to 1963 and is now home to the Lake George Historical Association. Visitors can step into its barred jail cells, where many people say they have felt a presence or had trouble breathing.

Barkeater Chocolates is in a centuries-old building with a history of scandal, murder and disappearance. Since it opened in 2013, staff and visitors have described banging and heavy footsteps nobody can explain. Its Haunted Factory Chocolate Sessions combine ghost hunting with chocolate and run through November.

In the early 1900s, the Stony Creek Inn was where loggers and hunters went for a drink, and some of those regulars supposedly never left. Local lore holds that a chilly breeze at the far left stool means a ghost has pulled up beside you. In 1865 the DeLong family put up the building that now houses the Chapman Museum, which tells the story of Queensbury and Glens Falls. Staff say they have seen a housekeeper and a man in a wide-brimmed hat at a third-floor window.

The Carol Theatre has opened now and then since the 1930s, and visitors often describe a freezing spot near the stage. The Wells House, an 1845 stagecoach stop at Olmstedville Road and Route 9, is permanently closed. For a different upstate outing, see rail biking near Phoenicia.

What it means for you

At Fort Fright the Courtyard opens at about 5:30 p.m. and the haunted experiences start at 6 p.m., so visitors should plan to arrive before 6, I Love NY.