Centralia, Pennsylvania
Arguably the creepiest place on this list, the famed city of Centralia was all but abandoned when a coal mine underneath the city caught fire, releasing toxic fumes that made for a dangerous city and one creepy setting. Interestingly, the town actually served as the inspiration for Silent Hill. Fifty years later? The fires still burn.

Cahawba, Alabama
This now-abandoned town briefly served as the Alabama state capital in the early 1800s, until everyone figure out the city’s fatal flaw: It flooded. A lot. Most folks left, though some classic, Southern gothic homes and buildings remain in what has become a state historical site.

Rhyolite, Nevada
One of many boomtowns during the prospecting rush, Rhyolite grew quickly in the early 1900s, and crashed to nothing just a few years later once the mines were emptied. The town’s remnants were used as a backdrop for some films in the late-to-mid 1900s, and what’s left of the town is a quiet window into a long-gone era.

North Brother Island, New York
A small island just near Manhattan, it’s creepy to think that North Brother Island is so close to the modern world. The island, located in the East River, housed a quarantine hospital and base—and is famously where Typhoid Mary was kept at the time. It later housed WWII vets studying under the GI Bill, and even later, drug addicts. The place shut down in the 1960s, and what’s left behind looks like the perfect setting for season two of American Horror Story.

Bodie, California
Yet another great Western ghost town left behind by the gold rush, and reportedly housed 65 saloons at its peak in the late 1800s. The town is now a protected historical site, and what remains is a popular tourist trap for those looking to go back in time on a budget.

Terlingua, Texas
This abandoned mining town has actually found new life in recent years, with people coming from all over the area once a year to host a chili cook-off in the abandoned town.

Kennecott, Alaska
This is definitely the hardest-to-find ghost town on the list, located at the end of a long, dead end road in Alaska. Once a bustling mining town, most residents caught the last train out once the minds dried up. A fair amount of the town remains, and for those who can get there, it’s an interesting look back at a mid-size Alaskan city frozen in the early-to-mid 1900s.

Thurmond, West Virginia
With an old railroad station and a very creepy, abandoned downtown, Thurmond is definitely a must-see. Though its mostly a tourist stop, the town is technically still a town, with 6 of the city’s 7 residents seeking office in a recent municipal election.

Glenrio, Texas/New Mexico
Located on the famed Route 66, this now-abandoned border town was once a popular fuel stop. That is, until the interstate bypassed the town in the early 1970s. After that, the town faded away, though the remnants of classic gas stations are creepy cool.

Seattle Underground, Washington
What remains of old Seattle has become a popular stop for history buffs and adventure seekers, with the old network of now-underground passageways that were once ground level in the mid-19th century. The city, literally, rebuilt on top of itself.