Haunted Travel Destinations in Michigan for Thrilling Paranormal Activities: Detroit, Lansing, and Mackinac Island

Desirae-Haunted Traverse
3 hours ago
5 min read

Michigan offers more than just beautiful lakes and charming midwest villages. For those drawn to the mysterious and unexplained, the state is home to some of the most intriguing haunted locations in the country. Whether you are a seasoned ghost hunter or a curious traveler, Michigan’s haunted destinations provide a unique blend of history, eerie atmospheres, and paranormal activity that will keep you on edge. Here are three travel destinations for a 3 day road trip through Michigan. Your trip starts in Detroit and ends on Mackinac Island or vice versa. Enjoy these haunted travel destinations in Michigan where you can experience thrilling paranormal history firsthand.

The Mackinac Grand Hotels has Ghostly Stories to Tell. — Mackinac Island Fort shrouded in mist, known for ghost sightings

Straights of Mackinac Haunted Paranormal Travel Destination

The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island

Another gem on Mackinac Island, the Grand Hotel is not only known for its stunning views and historic charm but also for its ghost stories. Guests have reported seeing ghostly figures in the hallways, hearing unexplained music, and feeling sudden chills in certain rooms.

The hotel’s long history as a summer retreat for wealthy families has created a rich tapestry of stories, including tales of former guests who never left. Paranormal investigators have documented unusual electromagnetic readings and unexplained sounds. Staying at the Grand Hotel offers a chance to enjoy luxury while keeping an eye out for the supernatural.

Mackinac Island and Fort Mackinac

Mackinac Island is famous for its natural beauty as it perches in the waterways of the straights of Mackinac. But it also has many quirks that keep this location intriguing. First, the island prohibits motor vehicles. Those that traverse here must and do slow down enough from their hectic lifestyles to become more observant and open to their surroundings. It's history-at times- can be a violent one from the indegenouse people that were known for their cannabilistic practices on occassion to the multiple battles between the French, English and colonials, as well as the brutal environment of Northern Michigan Winters the inhabitants would have to survive through. So, understandably this kind of turbulent and rich history fuels many tales, lore, and ghost stories.

Fort Mackinac, built in the late 18th century, is a hotspot for paranormal activity. Visitors and staff have reported hearing footsteps, seeing apparitions in period clothing, and experiencing sudden drops in temperature. A cave was stumbled upon with layers of human bones, evidence of the violence man invokes upon each other.

The fort’s long military history, including battles and harsh conditions, seems to have left restless spirits behind as well at Fort Mackinac. Ghost tours run regularly on the island, offering visitors a chance to explore the haunted sites after dark and hear firsthand accounts of strange encounters. The combination of historical significance and eerie experiences makes Mackinac Island a must-visit for paranormal enthusiasts.

No vehicles on the island so the mode of transportation consists of horses, carriages, and bicycles.

My family make our way to Mackinac Island from the Traverse City area at least bi-yearly to revisit this fascinating and haunted island that makes the straights of Mackinac its home...and yes Dear Reader, this author has had many experiences while exploring and staying on the island.

Here are some suggestions for your visit to Mackinac Island.

Activities on the Island [aff]
Ghost Tours: Haunts of Mackinac

A hearse sits in a museum visited during the island's carriage ride.

Detroit Area Haunted Paranormal Travel Destination

The Whitney Hotel in Detroit

Located in downtown Detroit, the Whitney Hotel is a beautifully restored mansion turned luxury hotel with a dark past. Built in 1894, the building has witnessed numerous tragedies, including deaths and mysterious disappearances. Guests and staff have reported unexplained noises, shadowy figures, and objects moving on their own.

The hotel embraces its haunted reputation by offering ghost tours and paranormal investigations. The grand architecture and vintage decor add to the chilling atmosphere, making it a perfect place for those who want to experience a haunted hotel with a touch of elegance. The Whitney’s blend of history and hauntings attracts visitors looking for a unique overnight stay.

Suggestions for Detroit

Paranormal Dinner Events at The Whitney
Detroit Ghost Tour

Lansing and Bath Township Haunted Travel Destinations in Michigan for Thrilling Paranormal Activities

Bath Township-Bath Consolidated School Massacre

The 18th of May, 1927 was a quiet school day at the Bath Consolidated School that soon would turn infamous. Andrew Kehoe, a disgruntled politician with a failed school board political campaign and on the brink of bankruptcy, decided to plant 500 pounds of explosives under the school's south wing to detonate with explosives also planted at the Bath Consolidated School. The latter was successful in its detonation taking the lives of 39 people. Officials would later find the undetonated 500 pounds. Kehoe continued his malicious assault when rescue workers arrived, detonating himself and four other rescue workes in a truck he drove to the scene with even more explosives. Earlier that day Kehoe murdered his wife by using explosives on his farmstead. And in these series of fiery explosions the Bath Consolidated School terrorism act remains the deadliest act of mass murder at a school in U.S. history.

The tragedy his infamous school explosion in Michigan that is now associated with haunting stories occurred at the former. The school is no longer able to be viewed-demolished in the 1970s now stands at the site the James Couzens Memorial Park. Visitors and paranormal investigators report disemebodied voices that take on the form of cries for help. Other phenomenon include being touched, cold spots, and EVPs.

The former site of the funeral home where the bombing victims were prepared for burial our now apartments. Former tenants have reported hauntings that manifest as children sobbing, distressed and pacing footsteps of the unseen, and the apparition of an eight-year-old bombing victim making himself known. His apparition is often seen with no legs.

Pleasant Hill Cemetery, the site of many of the bombing victims burials, have reports of strange occurrences including EVPs of the murdered children.

Bath School Disaster Memorial — The Memorial Plaque for the Bath School Disaster

Suggestions for Lansing and Bath Township

In Conclusion

So now it's time, Dear Reader, to move beyond this article on Haunted Travel Destinations in Michigan for Thrilling Paranormal Activities: Detroit, Lansing, and Mackinac Island Locations. Now is your time to explore these three haunted locations in Michigan in person. I hope this guide has been helpful and entertaining for you. If you do visit Mackinac Island, Lansing's Bath Township, or Detroit's Whitney Hotel and experience something supernatural, this author will be lurking on the otherside...of the internet... in hope you will reach out to her.

Thank you for reading! A few links are affiliate links where if my readers click and buy, I do receive some funding to keep fun and informative articles such as this being manifested into the known.