What is it about the South that encourages visitors from the other side to linger? To share their curses, tragedies, and stories with the living? We can't answer with any certainty. But, in a region where history, tradition, and family roots run deep, many of our oldest towns are rife with unsolved and unexplained horror stories that have been passed down for generations, even as new tales of the supernatural continue to unfold. South Carolina is no stranger to hauntings and the type of shiver-inducing tales that are so deeply rooted that there's an unmistakable supernatural energy shrouding certain locations. For many, Charleston holds the title of the most haunted city in South Carolina. But the bustling town of Greenville is bursting with enough ghost stories, eerie legends, and otherworldly influences that it might just give Charleston a run for its money.

Decide for yourself! Here are just a few of the most chilling ghost stories haunting the Greenville, SC area:

1. Poinsett Bridge

Perhaps Greenville County's most well-known haunt, a bevy of local legends and supernatural occurrences surround this Gothic-inspired stone footpath. Poinsett Bridge is considered to be South Carolina's oldest surviving bridge, dating all the way back to 1820. Mysterious floating orbs, spiritual forcefields holding visitors in place, eerie whispers, and even apparitions have all been experienced here, although an intense feeling of dread is all it takes to feel unsettled on a stroll.

While the sprectres' identities are unknown, most root the happenings in a possible ancient burial ground on the historic preserve, and more specifically, a set of bones sealed into the bridge itself. What we do know for sure, however, is that the spooky reports surrounding the bridge are too numerous to count and often substantiate one another.

2. Greenville County Tuberculosis Hospital

Also known as the Hopewell Sanatorium, this site dates all the way back to 1930. For nearly two decades, hundreds of sick patients were treated here for TB, with countless succumbing to its devastating grip. The hospital also served as an asylum and prison release site before a fire destroyed the majority of the structure. Today, only the root cellar remains, which stands as a historical marker inside Herdklotz Park.

By the very nature of the illness and happenings that took place within Hopewell's former walls, the site is understandably saturated with eerie events and ghost stories. Many locals and park visitors claim to have heard footsteps, screams, distant banging, and even shadowy figures haunting the old ruins. And when it rains, legend has it that the puddles on the concrete run red, as though with the blood of the hospital's former patients.

3. Westin Poinsett Hotel

This stunning historic hotel in Greenville had its start as a luxury hotel in 1925, and was built atop its predecessor, the Mansion House. Multiple rounds of renovations have restored the Westin to its former glory, but not every guest is from this century. Reports of a mysterious figure watching from a third-story window (unoccupied, according to management) have spooked a number of guests over the years. Another apparition has been seen hanging around some of the rooms and reported vanishing around hallway corners, although knocks on the walls continue after he has disappeared. Whichever figure you encounter on your stay, no reports of direct contact or restlessness has been noted. Just pay these gentlemanly guests the same courtesy that they show you.

4. Springwood Cemetery

Thousands of unmarked graves in Springwood now host thousands of restless souls, fated to spend their days stuck between this world and the next. The air here is thick with tension and agony. As the oldest municipal cemetery in the state, many of the departed have been wandering between headstones for literal centuries, and there's no shortage of reports of phantom knocking and even full apparitions. Photographs taken here show a range of spooky phenomenon, but most often it's actually children who see and experience the horrors most clearly. But the plethora of aboveground mausoleums make Springwood particularly eerie even without otherworldly faces peering from behind stone markers.

Springwood Cemetery is unusual, due to its surprisingly urban location. But the spirits that linger here don't seem phased by the hustle nearby, including the restless soul of Fannie Heldman. A number of paranormal groups have set up camp to see whether the many reports are true, and all signs, communications, and electro indicators point to yes.

5. Boggs Street

Many of Greenville's most haunted places are well-documented. Other stories have slid into obscurity, lacking the popular photo ops that make ghost hunting such a thrill. Tucked behind Main Street, a former warehouse on Boggs was once home to a tombstone engraver. As the story goes, one particular marker never made it to its final destination - whether due to a typo or other circumstance, we'll never know. However, the stone monument sat outside in the alley for years. Passerby found the tombstone more than a little eerie, and gradually reports of a man wandering around the marker become more and more prevalent. He would always vanish before anyone could approach him.

When the stone was eventually removed, the shadowy apparition sightings stopped. But the story doesn’t end there. Today, mysterious orbs, lights, and formless auras continue to be reported.

6. Gassaway Mansion

Beautifully eerie in its castle-like formidability, the 22,000-square foot Gassaway Mansion is Upstate's largest residence, dating all the way back to 1919. The original owner, Walter Gassaway, was a stockbroker who lost everything in the stock market crash of the Great Depression and his tragic suicide shook the town. His ghost is said to haunt the structure today, and has been seen wandering the grounds, passing in front of upper-level windows, and causing lights to flicker.

His wife, Minnie, once managed a boutique hotel downtown where a modern chain hotel now stands. It should be noted that that particular hotel has been reported haunted as well. Related incidents? Perhaps.

7. Highway 11

Beautiful and peaceful, Highway 11 (SC-11) is South Carolina's nationally-designated scenic route, more officially known as the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway, The route winds through some of the state's most idyllic landscapes, boasting charming farms and quiet, colorful scenery that gives way to mountains in the distance. But not all is as it seems on this quiet stretch of countryside.

The current highway was once part of the "Keowee Path," and was used by the Cherokee Indians and traveling fur traders. One particular stretch runs through Greenville County, but over time has earned a spooky reputation out of character with the beautiful countryside. Just a short ways from the Pickens County line, an old, gnarled tree stands apart from the other foliage. Legend has it that the tree does not blossom, and nor do any leaves fall beneath its branches. No animals have been seen occupying its heights or venturing near. While the reason for the eerie anomaly isn't clear, folklore hints that an untimely, unearthly event occurred here that the tree played witness to. Since then, it has been cursed. While the lone tree is relatively easy to spot with a keen eye, reaching it actually has its own legend - only those the tree permits will get close. Rather, it seems, the tree finds you.

If you're easily spooked, these might not be the best places to visit in South Carolina. But if haunted places and ghost stories are your thing, you might just find yourself in luck. But please, be mindful of all rules, hours, and posted signs. Ghost hunt with caution and respect! Even better, we highly recommend a Greenville ghost tour. The city has several to choose from, and believe us - there are plenty more supernatural sites to explore!

Looking for more ghost stories in South Carolina? Ghosts aren't just for spooky season! Check out this road trip to some of South Carolina's most haunted locations.