3 haunted places to check out in Charlotte this Halloween

Jason Tapp and his wife Melanie created the account @spookyclt in 2018 with one goal in mind: To tell the history of Charlotte through ghost stories. 

What they’re saying:  “A lot of what you hear is that Charlotte has no history; that there’s not a lot of culture,” Jason said. The couple aim to dispel those rumors and set the record straight, but with a spooky twist. 

What’s happening: The couple created a self-guided tour, which Jason says can be thought of as a haunted bar crawl. 

• The tour consists of three spots situated closely together in Uptown — The Dunhill Hotel, Ri Ra’s and Connolly’s.

Pro tip: Grab a drink at each spot and be sure to ask the employees about their own ghostly encounters. 

Ready to crack open a cold one and step into the dark side? Here’s what to know before you go:

1) First stop: The Dunhill Hotel 

Built during the great depression, the Dunhill hotel sits on the corner of Tryon and Sixth St in Uptown. This nearly 100-year-old building holds quite a few ghostly tales.

Spooky sightings: Staff and guests claim to hear a woman’s laugh coming from the lobby. Another common sighting is a woman with knee-length black hair who disappears when approached. 

But some of the ghosts may not be all that old. During building renovations in the 1980s, workers found a skeleton in the elevator shaft. While the body has never been identified, it’s speculated the skeleton had been in there for five years before being found, Tapp said.

Address: 237 N Tryon St.

2) Ri Ra’s

To many, Ri Ra’s is a popular Uptown Irish pub. But to the employees, this bar holds a far eerier side. The bar sits in an old textile mill, and it seems local patrons may not be the only occupants at Ri Ra’s.

Spooky sightings: We stopped in Ri Ra’s with Tapp and spoke to a few employees — one who said they now refuse to work upstairs or close alone due to one too many paranormal encounters.

The haunted happenings of Ri Ra’s come in the form of a man with a handlebar mustache, a Victorian child in a school uniform and writing on the walls that seem to reappear when removed.

Address: 208 N Tryon St.

3) Connolly’s

Around the corner from Ri Ra’s on East 5th Street, you’ll find Connolly’s — another popular Uptown Irish Pub. Tapp says the pub personally reached out, after some paranormal encounters.

Spooky sightings: Connolly’s staff grew used to the ghostly occurrences, and appropriately named the ghost Nelly. “Ever since they named it, things haven’t been as crazy,” Tapp said. “It’s just a friendly, mischievous ghost.”

Address: 115 E 5th St.

Keep up: Follow @spookyclt on Instagram to keep up with the latest spooky happenings across the city.

What’s next: Tapp encourages people to share local paranormal stories so we don’t forget about on all the “spicy history”. 

“If no one is writing this stuff down then you just lose it,” Tapp said.