Did you know that in the southeast of the Appalachians, there is a picturesque chain of mountain ranges and Blue Ridge massifs?
Here, at an altitude of 2133 feet above sea level, is located the city of Asheville, which annually attracts up to 2 million tourists.
I was attracted to the city by the beauty of its surrounding mountain landscapes, lakes, and forests.
I noticed that a striking feature of the center of Asheville is the street art: the walls of houses are painted with paintings—a painted street, a room, a wall in the form of an American flag—and the imagination of street artists has no limits.
Even so, I left my inscription drawing on a special slate wall there.
I saw many street musicians; on weekends, craftsmen’s markets are organized right on the streets, where you can buy unique crafts.
Opportunities for outdoor activities in Asheville are created by nature itself. The mountains offer summer routes for mountain bikes, motorcycles, and walkers and ski slopes in the winter.
Mountain rivers are ideal for rafting, and lakes are ideal for fishing. For lovers of such entertainment, there are a large number of campsites and boarding houses, parks, and protected areas.
Asheville is one of the most attractive cities to live in the US. And for tourists, the city and its environs represent many unique objects, natural and man-made (according to some estimates, there are more than 300 of them), but Asheville has a dark city side too.
A third of Americans from Asheville reported having come into contact with the dead souls, and nearly 20% admitted to having seen a ghost at least once in their lives…
This is evidenced by a survey conducted by the association Pew Forum, according to the Associated Press.
Have you ever wondered if there are some haunted places in Asheville?
Let me take you to a darker side of Asheville…
The Most Haunted Places: Asheville, North Carolina
The Biltmore Estate
The Biltmore is a huge private estate and tourism center in North Carolina.
Not many tourists know that it is a haunted house.
The main attraction of the estate is the mansion built by George Washington Vanderbilt II (an art collector who made a huge fortune in the transportation business and other enterprises) between 1889 and 1895, which is the largest private house in the United States.
The ghost of Edith Vanderbilt is known to visit his place, and some of the visitors have reported hearing him whispering “IIt is me, George” to get tourists’ attention. Some people heard clinking of glasses, guests’ laughter, and echoing music at the estate.
In winter, the estate is very popular, including due to the promoted Christmas brand; the entire interior space of the house is decorated with numerous Christmas trees, lights, and other paraphernalia.
There is a tour around the house every hour and a half, and each time the group is 100% full.
The most interesting thing is to go through the utility rooms, kitchens, food warehouses, and an old gym to see how life was provided in this huge house.
The library is also very interesting. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed there, so I limited myself to taking photographs of the house itself and its surroundings.
The Grove Park Inn
This hotel is famous for being haunted by a young woman who comes to room 545.
Often the guests in Room 545 feel the presence of this lady, get the chills, and feel a tugging on their ears; some guests feel like somebody touches them from behind.
Some of them run out of the room and leave the hotel.
Dead zone I-4
This stretch of highway is haunted by the ghosts of people whose graves were paved.
For the construction of a new highway, the state of Carolina bought the field.
Although it was originally planned to move the burials, this was either forgotten or considered optional.
So the graves were under a layer of asphalt.
Nowadays, drivers can feel when someone touches them from behind when they pass by.
Thousands of drivers pass through this seemingly unremarkable stretch of highway every day, often unaware of the grim history that has taken place here.
Wedge Brewery Downtown
It is one of the most haunted places. This place has an unnerving energy.
Guests claim that when they have a drink, they see a lady standing close to them and laughing. It is the ghost of Zelda Fitzgerald, who tragically died in the Asheville fire in 1948.
People who have seen a lady ghost describe two kinds of inexplicable phenomena:
The feeling of someone else’s presence, unknown voices
The second is when objects appear and disappear by themselves, smartphones turn on spontaneously, and mysterious knocks and creaks sound.
The Red Bus
The red bus with the Imperial has been turned into a themed coffee shop now.
After getting your coffee, you can go up to the second floor and watch the busy life of the streets. In several minutes, you will start feeling the unexpected feelings.
Many people said that they felt someone else’s presence; it seemed to them that someone was looking at them. Some have assured me that they see the dead, the spontaneous movement of objects, and the light turning on and off.
Others described the sounds: doors and window shutters banging, footsteps, a voice calling their name.
Conclusion
While modern science cannot prove that spirits walk through walls or scream under floorboards, these eerie visions certainly feel real.
Oddly enough, our natural tendency toward irrational thinking, along with mental and physical factors, can explain almost any terrible phenomenon, including well-known and long-debunked myths.
Scientists note that we are naturally inclined to believe in something otherworldly, and the human mind is very inspiring.
Our ancestors developed the ability to sense their surroundings in order to protect themselves from potential dangers.
From the looming threat of predators on the savannah to the subtle rustle of leaves in the brush, this skill allowed them to stay safe and thrive in their environment.
Agreed, it is better to be frightened by the rustle of leaves and survive than to be eaten by a flock of hungry lions.
So from an evolutionary point of view, it is not at all surprising that sometimes the brain makes us see something that is not there.
Anyway come to the most haunted places in Asheville, North Carolina to experience this unique feeling by yourself =)