How many cities can lay claim to the combined spectacle of glitzy drama and seedy underbelly
as Las Vegas, Nevada? But superstitious types had best prepare themselves before hitting Sin City.
The genesis of Sin City is inextricably tied to organized crime. Without the mafia,
chances are good that Las Vegas would still be a dusty backwater in the Nevada desert.
One of the most infamous mobsters of the era was so central to the
city's rise that he may still be there, more than 70 years after his murder.
"Every city has a soul and a past and skeletons in their closet."
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was one of the most charismatic and dangerous mobsters of his
time. After making his mark as a bootlegger during Prohibition, Siegel turned to gambling
and traveled to Las Vegas to finance some of the city's first casinos. He took over a hotel from a
struggling developer and, in 1946, he reopened it as the Flamingo. Siegel financed the project with
proceeds from his various criminal enterprises. Six months after the opening of the Flamingo,
Siegel was in the Beverly Hills home of his girlfriend when he was shot to death
through a window. The killer has never been identified. From who did it, to why,
there are still plenty of questions about Siegel's untimely end.
"I think people came to Las Vegas
to see what this guy created. What had gotten him in so much trouble."
But did Bugsy really leave Las Vegas? Some visitors to the Flamingo report seeing a man
dressed in 1940s clothing. One group even claimed that, on a tour through the city, Siegel himself
appeared and rode along with them for a while, only to correct the guide and then vanish.
Liberace, the famous and flamboyant pianist, was so dazzling, even among the neon lights
of Las Vegas, that he couldn't be forgotten. In addition to his formidable keyboard skills,
fans loved Liberace for his striking appearance. He loved to take the stage in bejeweled capes,
hands weighed down with rings, with a candelabra placed on his grand piano.
But Liberace felt he had a lot to hide,
including his sexuality. What might that sort of lifelong suppression do to one's spirit?
"They don't know what makes me tick when I'm not on stage. And I love being a human being."
Whatever the reason, many believe that Liberace is still lurking around the place. At his mansion,
flickering lights and a difficult-to-describe presence are attributed to the showman's ghost.
And, according to Las Vegas Ghosts, he occasionally visits the Tivoli Gardens
restaurant he once owned and operated. One employee reported seeing the flash of
a sequined cape near the piano, while others swear that the silverware moves on its own.
What could possibly go wrong when you publicly display objects from
one of the biggest ocean tragedies in history? When pieces from the
1912 sinking of the Titanic were put on display at the Luxor Hotel and Casino,
it wasn't long before visitors saw Edwardian-era ghosts haunting the space. One employee says he's
been grabbed and heard ghostly music playing long after exhibit equipment has been shut off.
The exhibition features pieces of the ship and objects taken from the wreck
at the bottom of the ocean. The 25,000 square foot space includes a replica
of the Titanic's grand staircase, where people have reported seeing a mysterious
woman dressed in black. But she always disappears before anyone can corner her.
In places where the exhibit recreates the ship's interior,
you might hear disembodied footsteps. In 2020, the exhibit added 108 new artifacts.
One can't help wondering if the stories of lingering spirits will increase as well.
The Luxor hotel and casino has such a long history of tragedy that some believe it's
one of the most haunted places on the strip. It's also one of the most recognizable buildings in Las
Vegas. The Luxor is a 30-story, glass-clad pyramid with one of the world's brightest
spotlights known as the Skybeam. The hotel and casino opened in 1993, during a brief period
in which Vegas wanted to create family friendly resorts featuring theme park-style experiences.
"You can voyage back 3,000 years on the river Nile past elaborate
murals illustrating the rich history of the ancient Egyptian empire."
Plus, of course, gambling.
There are rumors about the deaths of construction workers, some of whom
might be glimpsed by guests on the Nile Riverboat ride. Other incidents, like a
fatal 2012 outbreak of Legionnaires Disease, have some wondering if the place is cursed.
Sure, it might be a critical mass of people generating its own trouble,
but what if the showy version of Ancient Egypt has disturbed some ancient spirits?
Or is it dark energy gathered up by the pyramid itself? Could there be mob victims
buried in the foundation? Wild as these rumors may be, we may never know for sure.
It may very well be one of the creepiest places in all of Las Vegas, if anyone can find it. The
Little Choo Choo Daycare is one part ghost story, another part urban legend. It's also tough to pin
down what happened there. Most versions of the story center on two unfortunate deaths
at the daycare. There was a despondent teacher who took her own life, as well as
a young boy rumored to have been run over by the daycare center's namesake ride-on train.
Supposedly, visitors to the vacant lot where the daycare is said to have stood
can still see the spirits of the boy and the teacher.
"I see dead people."
It sounds convincing, except no one's been able to find any records of deaths at the site.
That is, if there ever was a daycare at the location at all. The address is in an
industrial area. A very odd location for a daycare. Do ghost hunters have
the address wrong? For some, that's not the point. A few whispered stories and
rumored sightings are enough to build a supremely creepy legend.
Unlike ghost stories based on little more than urban legends, the tragedy of the
MGM Grand Hotel is indisputable. A large fire broke out there on November 21, 1980,
due to a faulty electrical system in one of the hotel's restaurants.
A total of 87 people died, while more than 700 more were injured.
The MGM Grand fire inspired extensive reform in Nevada fire codes. The hotel
was repaired and eventually sold to Bally Entertainment.
After decades as Bally's the hotel is now known as the Horseshoe Las Vegas.
But, for all the changes made in the aftermath of the fire,
some contend that spirits still linger at the site. Despite the name change, much of the
structure that was in place at the time of the fire is in use today. Some guests swear they can
still hear the cries and coughing of those who died in the inferno. And on the casino floor,
they say you may even spot a spectral gambler who just can't move on from the betting tables.
Located a quick drive out of the city, the Hoover Dam supplies hydroelectric power to millions of
people in Las Vegas and beyond, not to mention being one of the biggest tourist attractions
in the region. It's also said to be home to many ghosts who met their ends there.
"The very first man who died, he was a surveyor in 1922 who fell off of a barge and drowned."
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation says that the "official" number of fatalities during
construction was 96, while admitting that the records are unclear. For example,
deaths attributed to heat stress or heart attacks aren't included in that number.
"Five thousand workers a day toiled around the clock,
battling heat and falling debris with no real safety equipment."
We do know that some workers met their fate in harrowing
industrial accidents like rockslides and falls from the steep canyon wall.
With that kind of history, it's no wonder that people have started thinking about all
the ways a spirit could linger at the Hoover Dam. A few have claimed to see apparitions of
men in 1930s-era work clothes. Others hear the howling of a little black dog who befriended and
protected the workers. The story goes that, even after the dog was accidentally killed by a truck,
the ghost hound stuck around and still makes his presence known to visitors.
Clowns are creepy. That's obvious. And the vibe of the Circus Circus
Hotel and Casino is deeply unsettling, thanks in part to its clowns. Circus
Circus opened in 1968 as one of the first "family-friendly" casinos on the strip.
There was a gambling area on the first floor and a second floor dedicated to children's games.
The building's developers leaned hard into the theme. Even today, the famous "Lucky the Clown"
marquee leers over the entrance, endlessly brandishing his lollipop at passers-by.
If this weren't enough, there are legends of hauntings in the place. Room 123 is
said to be inhabited by the spirits of a departed mother and son. Living folks have
heard furniture moving in the room and even interacted with the ghostly pair,
who sometimes ask for "Robert," then vanish into thin air.
After almost 90 years, it would be surprising if the Hotel Apache didn't have a ghost or two
in residence. Hotel employees and ghost hunters alike have reported being touched by spirits,
seeing shadowy figures, and even hearing messages from beyond.
"Come play with us."
The Reno Gazette Journal reports that the hotel is haunted by the specters of
mobster Benny Binion and his wife, Teddy Jane. The pair lived above the casino,
then called Binion's Horseshoe, after they bought the property formerly known as the Eldorado Club
in 1951. The building has undergone plenty of renovations throughout its history. Most recently,
a section reopened as the boutique Hotel Apache, with rooms that harken back to
the original 1930s hotel. Maybe the retro decor has stirred up the spirits. Staff at the hotel
say they've seen mysterious footprints and even had their hair pulled by unseen hands.
"Down on Level 2, on the long back hallway,
you'll hear a baby crying, and there's nobody on the floor."
While the Reno Gazette Journal's reporters were skeptical about the hotel's reputation,
a crew from KTNV Las Vegas experienced an eerie,
unsettling sensation in Room 389. According to psychics who accompanied the crew,
it may have been the spirit of a mother who just couldn't move on.
Located in Henderson, a nearby suburb of Las Vegas, Fox Ridge Park is reportedly home to an
eerie presence and unexplained happenings. People have reported seeing a little boy swinging alone
in the park, late at night. Bad enough, but those who approach the child might encounter
something far scarier. Sometimes, the swing will keep moving, though it's apparently unoccupied.
Where did the boy come from? Legend has it that he's the victim of a drunk driving
accident. Other visitors to the park have seen amorphous shadow creatures,
or felt like they were being watched by an unseen presence while there at night.
"All together, I've experienced, I would say,
a good five to ten different spirits at this park alone."
These stories are tough to prove. For instance, no one's unearthed any record of a young child
killed nearby by a drunk driver. Neither will most people hang their hat on a mere creepy feeling,
which could be attributed to wandering around an abandoned playground in the middle of the night.
TV host Zak Bagans' Haunted Museum is loaded with objects that are chock full of bad vibes.
These include the dybbuk box, a container that may contain an evil spirit from Jewish
folklore. According to the BBC, said spirit apparently has it in for Post Malone. They
suspect the singer-songwriter's spate of bad luck around 2018 might be thanks to the box.
"I had got in a car accident. I got in like – almost had a plane wreck.
My house got broken into. All that type of stuff."
Visitors to the museum are required to sign a waiver. The idea is that the building is so
packed to the brim with evil spirits and such that visitors need to release the museum from
liability in case something follows them home. This is reminiscent of the old William Castle
publicity stunts in the 1950s. Castle, a film producer and director, upped the visibility
of his cheesy horror flicks by hiring nurses to stand by during showings, among other gimmicks.
"Do you feel it is all right for your daughter to see this type of motion picture?"
Bagans is hoping the museum will follow you, at least for a little while.
Let's face it: the Sandhill Road Tunnels are plenty creepy. These flood control
tunnels are frightening enough on their own, thanks to pitch-black, cavernous underground
spaces and graffiti-covered walls straight out of a horror movie. Photos from the site
look like they were taken by intrepid urban explorers who went inside and never returned.
It's not just the spooky ambience that has people riled up. Nearby residents claim they've heard
eerie voices coming from the tunnels late at night. Sure, maybe it's thrill-seekers
or people looking for shelter, but some swear that there's a supernatural tinge to the place.
The Haunting of Las Vegas by Janice Oberding attributes some of the
legends to a couple who died nearby in a motorcycle crash, though Oberding remains
skeptical. But what about the apparition of an elderly woman on nearby Sandhill Road,
who accosts motorists and then disappears in front of them? Maybe the stories are true.