Want to check out one of Iowa's "haunted" locations this spooky season? Here are six of the places you can visit:

Malvern Manor

  • 103 E 3rd St, Malvern
  • Malvern Manor was built in the 1880s and it was originally called the Cottage Hotel. According to the Des Moines Register, the hotel changed hands many times over the years. In the mid-1900s, the manor was home to the Gibson Family. Paranormal Dares reports that 12-year-old Inez Gibson died by suicide in the home. Malvern Manor became both a nursing home and a group home in the 20th century. It has been featured on TLC's Paranormal Lockdown and Travel Channel's Destination Fear.
  • 1-hour guided tours are Thursday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. for $10 per person
  • Overnight investigations are available - book yours HERE

Mason House Inn

  • 21982 Hawk Dr, Bentonsport
  • The Mason House Inn was built in 1846 and was originally known as the Ashland  House. According to the official website, "it was built as a hotel to serve the steamboat travelers going from St. Louis to Fort Des Moines and Fort Dodge on the Des Moines River." The building has a storied past, serving as a "holding hospital" for wounded soldiers during the Civil War, as well as a stop on the Underground Railroad. There was even a short period in 1913 when it was used as a tuberculosis sanitarium. The owners say that the haunted parts of the inn are the second floor of the Main House, rooms two and three in the Annex Building, the Wash House Room, and the General Store Room.
  • Paranormal investigation groups can either book the entire main house or individual rooms - get more information HERE

Edinburgh Manor

  • 13241 E23 County Home Rd, Scotch Grove
  • The land that Edinburgh Manor is located on was originally supposed to be for a courthouse, but in 1850 it was used as the County Poor Farm. The official website reads: "Described as a 'comfortable retreat for the lazy, able-bodied and willingly dependent applicants,' the Poor Farm housed the poor, incurably insane and disabled." The poor farm was demolished in 1910, and Edinburgh Manor was built in its place and operated until 2010.
  • Reservations are REQUIRED to visit Edinburgh Manor. Day tours are one to two hours long and are available on Saturday and Sunday afternoons for $10 per person. Overnight visits are for one to five guests, but if more than five people want to attend, there is an additional cost. You can email emanor@email.com to book a tour or overnight stay - check out the available dates HERE

The Granger House Victorian Museum

  • 970 10th St, Marion
  • The Granger House was originally built in 1848 and was lived in by the same family for more than 100 years. According to the official website, "the house contains many of its original furnishings and is arranged to reflect the lifestyle of a successful, late 19th-century middle-class family." Paranormal Milwaukee reports that Earl and Dora Granger lost four of their seven children at young ages, and there was also a suicide in the basement in 1905 by a woman named Mary Elizabeth Albright. The home is currently under construction after significant derecho damage.
  • You can tour the Granger House on Saturdays & Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. It costs $10 for adults and $5 for ages 3 to 12. Weekday tours are available by appointment only. Private paranormal investigations can be booked for $175 for the first five people and $35 per person after that. Get more information HERE.

Villisca Axe Murder House

  • 508 E 2nd St, Villisca
  • On June 10th, 1912, two adults and six children were found brutally murdered inside the Villisca Axe Murder House. The victims were Josiah B. Moore and his wife Sarah, their children Herman, Katherine, Boyd, and Paul, and two friends of Katherine's, Lena Gertrude and Ina May Stillinger. To this day, the case has never been solved. In 1994, the home was restored to it's original state and began offering tours, and it's been featured on several big shows, including Ghost Adventures, Scariest Places on Earth, Most Terrifying Places in America, and Destination Fear.
  • Daytime tours are available Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday & Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's $20 per person or $15 for ages 12 and under. Overnight stays are also available. You can book both options HERE.
Villisca Ax Murder House (official), Facebook
Villisca Ax Murder House (official), Facebook
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Squirrel Cage Jail

  • 226 Pearl Street, Council Bluffs
  • The Pottawattamie County Squirrel Cage Jail is a one-of-a-kind building. It was constructed in 1885 and was one of only 18 revolving jails ever built, and now one of only three that remain. It's the only one of the 18 that is three-stories high. The Historical Society website says that "the cell section remains much as it did in 1969 when it was closed by the county.  The signatures and dates of many of its' infamous prisoners remain scratched in the cell walls." There were four known deaths inside the jail when it was in operation. The building has been featured on Most Terrifying Places and Ghost Adventures Serial Killer Spirits.
  • Daytime tours are available Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. It's $10 for adults, $5 for ages 6 to 18, and $8 for students and ages 60 and older. Overnight stays are also available for different rates, depending on the days and times. You can get more information HERE.

Fall 2024 - Eastern Iowa Apple Orchards, Pumpkin Patches, & Farms

Who doesn't love heading to a local farm or u-pick apple orchard during the fall season?! Here are some of the places you can visit for fun, fall activities with the family in 2024 in Eastern Iowa!

Gallery Credit: Courtlin

 

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