Haunted Hotels Where You Can Spend the Night
Southwest Montana has always had a penchant for the peculiar. The region was born of boom-and-bust cycles that brought Copper Kings, trying hardships, and rowdy residents. Word of a new strike raced down a gulch, and within months a quiet creek became a town of canvas tents and false-front saloons. Towns grew faster than the law could keep up, and justice often came from vigilantes. Those rough-and-tumble years left behind more than a few people’s untimely deaths and unsettled souls.
Not every story is a frightening one, though. Some are tragic, some are strangely sweet, and nearly all trace back to real people who lived and died here. Many of the buildings where those stories unfolded still welcome overnight guests, offering a night with history and maybe a chance to meet one of those lingering souls. Whether you’re a thrill seeker, ghost hunter, skeptic, or history buff, these are a few of our favorite places to spend the night:
Fairweather Inn | Virginia City, MT
The inn’s lot was first deeded in 1863. Since then, it’s been an eating house, butcher shop, saloon, hotel, and dormitory. When it was the Anaconda Hotel and Saloon, its proprietor was so prepared for trouble that he kept his own casket in the basement, just in case.
Some of its earlier guests may never have checked out. The first floor is said to be haunted by a few ghostly children who seem drawn to families, moving toys overnight and giggling from empty corners. Upstairs, people describe the rustle of a long skirt passing their door in the early morning hours, followed by footsteps that stop just outside. Perhaps she’s the spirit of Sue Bovey, whose favorite room was number 10. Others have heard what sounds like a bowling ball dropping or rolling across the floor, and the building used to have a bowling alley in its basement.
The Fairweather Inn is open seasonally, typically from mid-May through mid-September. Check availability and book a room at the Fairweather Inn.
Bonanza Inn | Virginia City, MT
Of all the spirits said to linger in Virginia City, the Bonanza Inn’s may be the kindest. Built in the 1860s, the Bonanza Inn originally served as the Madison County Courthouse. In 1876, three Sisters of Charity converted the building into a hospital, and for three years they treated miners for everything from gunshot wounds and mining accidents to tuberculosis and pneumonia.
Since the 1950s, guests at the Bonanza Inn have reported unusual and potentially paranormal encounters. One presence seems especially gentle, described as a woman who soothes the sick. Late Montana historian Ellen Baumler had a good idea who she is, and she shared her own encounter from a quiet afternoon at the inn. Read the full story behind the Bonanza Inn’s gentlest ghost before you check in.
Just a block off Wallace Street, the Bonanza Inn has seven guest rooms and is open seasonally, typically from mid-May through mid-October. You can browse the Bonanza Inn rooms on the Heritage Accommodations website, where each one links to its own Airbnb listing for booking.
Hotel Metlen | Dillon, MT
On weekend nights, the bar at the Hotel Metlen in Dillon still hums with music and conversation, just as it always has. After it was built, the hotel was a favorite of traveling businessmen and, as local lore has it, the occasional outlaw. Joseph Metlen built the 60-room hotel next to Dillon’s railroad stop for $30,000 and spared no expense in its construction. More than 200 guests attended the opening ball in 1898, and the ground floor has hosted dinners, dances, and late nights ever since.
Upstairs is quieter, and according to the stories, not entirely empty. Visitors have reported unseen hands grabbing at them. Today, the bar and rooms are open to guests who’d like to relive the grandeur of the turn of the 20th century, and perhaps cross paths with one of the spirits said to linger upstairs.
Rooms are available by reservation at (406) 683-2335, and you can view rooms and details on the Hotel Metlen’s website before you call.
Miner’s Hotel | Butte, MT
In Butte’s heyday, bankers worked on the ground floor of the building, furs were kept in a vault below, and miners, salesmen, teachers, and even an actress rented furnished rooms upstairs. Today it’s the Miner’s Hotel, where guests can sleep in the old bank vault and order a drink at 51 Below Speakeasy, tucked inside the former fur vault.
Those walls have seen their share of drama, from a foiled 1935 bank robbery to decades of miners coming and going. Many people believe the area’s often tragic mining history is why the hotel may not be entirely quiet after dark. Guests have reported a child’s laughter echoing through empty hallways and the feeling of being scratched by something unseen, and the third floor is said to be especially active. The Miner’s Hotel often hosts ghost-hunt events, but you can also stop in for a drink or book a stay at a different time if you can’t make it for the special events.
Browse rooms and book your stay at the Miner’s Hotel, or call (406) 723-8928.
Gunslinger Gulch | Anaconda, MT
Few places let you spend the night inside a ghost town. Gunslinger Gulch, an 1800s-era ghost town turned guest ranch, just outside Anaconda, is one of them. A previous owner collected 19 buildings and moved them to the property to create a frontier town, complete with a church, a saloon and brothel, a boarding house, a round-cord cabin, a jailhouse, and more, each building with its own past.
Soon after Karen Broussard and her family purchased the property, they reportedly began hearing voices, footsteps, and even meowing, along with seeing full apparitions. When Broussard reached out to a paranormal investigator for answers, the ranch became the focus of Travel Channel’s The Ghost Town Terror show. The paranormal investigators’ first order of business was to determine whether the family or the buildings were haunted, and they uncovered an eerie link to another nearby paranormal site. Gunslinger Gulch offers on-site activities you’d expect to find at most guest ranches, like horseback riding and archery, but they also host murder mystery events, paranormal investigations, and haunted walking tours. Guests can stay overnight in one of the historic buildings, and they also welcome horse campers.
Plan your stay at Gunslinger Gulch, or call (406) 559-6715 to ask about lodging and upcoming events.
Boulder Hot Springs | Boulder, MT
Few places in Montana are as peaceful as Boulder Hot Springs, which might be why one guest never wanted to leave. Boulder Hot Springs dates back to the 1860s, when it was originally just a saloon and a bathhouse. Over the years, ownership changed, wings were added, a fresco was commissioned, and the result was an opulent, high-class hotel that once catered to presidents, celebrities, and wealthy ranchers.
Legend says a prostitute named Simone worked at the hotel in its early days and was murdered there by a jealous mining executive from Butte. Guests soaking in the outdoor pool have reported seeing her watch from a window in an unused wing of the hotel. Other incidents have been reported as well, including the stove inexplicably turning on and off, a mysterious, strong perfume smell filling the air, and footsteps in the hallway when no one else was there. Most people who’ve reportedly encountered Simone insist she is a friendly ghost. Today, guests can even stay in the Simone Suite, named after the friendly spirit.
Book a room, stop by for a soak at Boulder Hot Springs, or call (406) 225-4339.
