Weirdest, Most Mysterious Towns in the US

Image: Keep Austin Weird Street Art (Photo via Noreen Kompanik)

by Noreen Kompanik
Last updated: 7:00 PM ET, Fri May 23, 2025

An unknown author once said, “The world can be amazing when you’re slightly strange.”

What is it that travelers love about bizarre, weird and odd destinations? One thing is certain; it’s those wacky experiences we never forget and ones we happily share with a group of friends around the dinner table or firepit.

Weird flying objects, unexplained glowing orbs, ghostly residences, spooky abandoned mining towns. These places all wear bizarre like a badge of honor and travelers who are into “weird” will love exploring these destinations. Some you may recognize, others may surprise.

Austin, Texas ?

When a town’s motto is “Keep Austin Weird,” it’s a sign that you can expect – weird.

Austin is a fascinating blend of eclectic cultures, grassroots politics, infectiously funky vibes and home to the Texas Longhorns.

It has the most tattoo shops per capita than anywhere else in the world. The Cathedral of Junk is a massive statue created and assembled by an Austinite in his backyard, and the city even touts a Museum of the Weird with shrunken heads, Fiji mermaids and medical oddities.

And Austin has bats. Lots of bats. From March to October, swarms of Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from narrow crevices under the Ann W. Richards Congress Bridge and take wing at sunset. Why? Who knows?

Jerome, Arizona

For over 130 years, thousands of folks have come to Jerome. Many left their mark but some never left. In its mining heyday in the 1800s, lucrative copper mines lured investors and workers. Diversions for the miners’ long work hours were many, and in the boisterous spirit of the West, lawlessness reigned in its taverns and brothels.

What makes “The Wickedest Town in the West” so fascinating is that its ghostly legends have earned Jerome a reputation as a hotspot for paranormal activity. Originally the United Verde Hospital built in 1927, the five-story building perched on Cleopatra Hill sat vacant for 44 years after mining operations shut down.

Reopened as the Jerome Grand Hotel in 1996, the hotel maintained as much of its historical charm as possible. However, guests and staff have reported phantom footsteps and signs of apparitions in patient gowns and old-fashioned nursing uniforms. To boot, the hotel’s restaurant is named Asylum. And the restaurant Haunted Hamburger was so named for a reason.

Roswell, New Mexico??

During a severe thunderstorm in 1947 near Roswell, a reported Air Force experiment using high altitude balloons allegedly exploded and fell to the earth in pieces. This launched conspiracy theories about government cover-ups, aliens, flying saucers and the infamous “area 51,” a remote, heavily guarded top-secret facility.

No matter what you believe, Roswell is one giant UFO roadside attraction oozing with extra-terrestrial charm and mystery. Most visitors come looking for the weird, and they find it. The International UFO Museum and Research Center features exhibits covering "The Roswell Incident" and other witnessed unexplained events.

Marfa, Texas

Deep in far West Texas, the tiny town of Marfa represents a strange cocktail of cowboy quietude, eclectic beauty and urban sophistication. However, it’s best known for its “Ghost Lights of Texas.”

Mysterious, unexplained lights appear on the horizon near U.S. Route 67. People have reported them since the late 1800s, but no one has verified their cause. Science suggests car headlights or atmospheric phenomena, but they still feel spooky and otherworldly.

Edgar Allen Poe Museum Courtyard, Richmond, VA

Richmond, Virginia??

With a long and complex history since its founding in 1737, Richmond has a lot of stories to tell.

Edgar Allen Poe spent much of his youth here and the Poe Museum has the largest collection of Poe memorabilia in the world. Hollywood Cemetery is the final resting place of the “Richmond Vampire,” aka William Wortham Pool and near the cemetery, Rest In Pieces oddities shop carries taxidermy, animal skulls and other weird wonders. Hanover Tavern has a long and rich but haunted history and of all things, The University of Richmond’s mascot is a spider.

Salem, Massachusetts

This New England coastal town is renowned for the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 resulting in the hanging death of 20 residents accused of practicing witchcraft.

Salem is packed with spooky, haunted and mysterious places. The Salem Witch House, open for tours, is the only structure still standing with direct ties to the witch trials and was once home to Judge Jonathan Corwin, one of the trial judges. Live spine-tingling re-enactments of the witch trial proceedings are conducted at the Witch Dungeon Museum and a historic colonial mansion built in 1668 and open to visitors, gained fame as Nathaniel Hawthorne’s setting for his 1851 novel, The House of Seven Gables.

Slab City, California

Named by some as “The Last Free Place in America,” this unique, off-the-grid community is located in the Sonoran Desert of southeastern California. Slab City boasts an alternative lifestyle, artistic culture and lack of formal infrastructure, an experiment in self-governance and autonomy even though the state of California still owns the land.

The town was named after the concrete slabs left behind after the WWII Marine barracks of Camp Dunlap were abandoned. Slab City has no electricity, running water or sewage systems. Residents live in tents, RVs, makeshift shacks or school buses and rely on solar power, generators and trucked-in water.

One of the main attractions is Salvation Mountain, a colorful folk-art institution covered in Bible verses and positive messages. Nearby East Jesus is an art community full of strange and unique sculptures created from unused and discarded objects. Anyone who’s ever visited will tell you it’s radical, unique, unusual and definitely strange.

Fitch's Covered Bridge, Great Western Catskills

Great Western Catskills, New York

Delaware County, also known as the Great Western Catskills, is an ideal weekend getaway from New York City, but it also draws thrill seekers and ghosthunters.

The 1850s Octagon Farms is rumored to be the scene of a young bride’s sudden death after she was flung off a white horse on her wedding day. The ghost of the bride reportedly still haunts the farm. Octagon Motor Lodge across the street welcomes guests to spend a night at their own risk.

Fitch’s Bridge was the sight of 19-year-old Mabel J. Tuttle’s apparent suicide by ingesting poison after having doubts that her fiancé would marry her. An autopsy discovered that she was very pregnant. Visitors can still drive over the wooden bridge or visit Tuttle’s gravesite at Fitch’s Bridge Christian Church.

Be sure to stop in for a pint at Awestruck Ciders. Its barrel-aged pumpkin cider called “Hometown Homicider” was inspired by the mysterious deaths of a local woman and her boyfriend, and the remains of the woman's husband stuffed in a barrel.

Granger, Washington

Granger is situated in Washington’s fertile Yakima Valley, known for its agriculture, vineyards and hop fields. But it’s also gained notoriety for its unique and whimsical identity as “Where the Dinosaurs Roam,” inspired by the discovery of wooly mammoth bones in the area.

The theme began in 1994 as part of a revitalization effort and today, the town is known for its colorful dinosaur statues built by community volunteers scattered all throughout Granger and heavily concentrated in Hisey Dinosaur Park with two dozen life-sized sculptures made from wire mesh and concrete. Visitors can embark on the Dino Drive, a self-guided tour to see the Tyrannosaurus rex, stegosaurus and velociraptor figures.?

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