When it comes to ghosts, hauntings and paranormal activity, I think there are three kinds of people. Those who believe, those who don't, those who aren't sure. Because psychic ability runs in our family and we've lived in a haunted house, you can definitely put me in the first category.

If you're a believer, or a fence-sitter looking for a ghostly encounter to confirm or convert you, Only in Your State has rounded up ten places where you just might have one.

  1. Hotel Alex Johnson, Rapid City - actually offers Ghost Adventure packages.
  2. Mount Marty College, Yankton - I spent a lot of time in buildings there (doing theater) and on the campus (my mom got her Bachelor of Nursing degree there) and the only thing which ever spooked me there were some scary nuns!
  3. Sica Hollow State Park, Sisseton - People have apparently heard some scary stuff in the park.
  4. Wounded Knee Massacre Site - Over 150 innocent Lakota men, women and children were killed and buried in a mass grave in December of 1890. If any place is populated with restless spirits, surely it is there.
  5. Bullock Hotel, Deadwood - Seth Bullock is said to still be wandering around in his hotel (hopefully not in his undies!).
  6. IOOF (Independent Order of Oddfellows) Cemetery, Gregory - This little cemetery reportedly has a ghost which even appears during daylight.
  7. Spook Road, Brandon - Supposedly ghosts walk along the road and appear in the trees. So far I haven't seen any.
  8. Fairmont Hotel, Deadwood - A trio of ghosts (not funny ones like Casper's uncles) supposedly make regular appearances in this historic hotel which claims a murky history loaded with lots of bad happenings.
  9. The Adams House, Deadwood - (Geez, what's with Deadwood!) You can tour this lavish 1892 mansion and perhaps interact with its deceased owner.
  10. Mount Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood - (I'm sensing a theme here...) Said to be haunted by many of its famous "residents", including Wild Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock and more.

Not to dispute the above listing, but,  I would add another location to this list - Gitchie Manitou State Nature Preserve. I know that geographically it is located in Iowa, but it is within spitting distance of South Dakota and is the site of the horrific murders of four Sioux Falls teens in 1973. It was also an Ancient Native American burial mound area, which was said to be haunted even before the 1973 incident.

Haunted Rooms has a list of their own which includes a couple of Sioux Falls "haunts":

  • The Old Courthouse Museum - Staff & visitors report hearing someone fall down the stairs, but when they go to look- -no one is there. Also, some people have seen a man sweeping one of the courtrooms & he disappears when he is approached.
  • The Orpheum Theater - Built in 1913, weird happenings are the norm in this building with "Larry the Ghost" the supposed perpetrator of many of the shenanigans. How he got the name & exactly who he is remains unknown.


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