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The Ellis Hotel (formerly the Hotel Winecoff) in downtown Atlanta at night.
The Ellis Hotel (formerly the Hotel Winecoff) in downtown Atlanta.
Ellis Hotel by Marriott

14 Restaurants and Hotels Around Atlanta That Just Might Be Haunted

Things that go bump in the night, shadowy figures, and unexplained voices in the dining room

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The Ellis Hotel (formerly the Hotel Winecoff) in downtown Atlanta.
| Ellis Hotel by Marriott

Atlanta might not be the first Georgia city in which ghostly sightings and haunted houses come to mind. That spot emphatically goes to the city of Savannah. However, Atlanta and its surrounding metropolitan area feature a few restaurants, event venues, and hotels with regular ghostly sightings, unexplained occurrences, and haunted happenings. Here are the spirited restaurants and hotels to know around Atlanta.

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The Historic Green Manor Restaurant

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Once a grand home part of a late 19th century farm, Green Manor is now a Southern restaurant and event space known for its crispy fried chicken and Sunday buffet lunches. However, some staff over the years have claimed seeing objects moving about the restaurant, hearing water running in the basement only to find the faucets turned off, and even witnessing a shadowy figure of a woman on the porch.

Rootstock & Vine

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Before this Woodstock restaurant changed hands, it was Hot Dog Heaven. That’s when the majority of the mysterious happenings occurred. A devilish spirit with a penchant for pranking often turned the hot dog cooker off or tossed a few buns around from the cupboard. Some believe it’s the spirit of the postmaster, as the building now sits on the site of a former post office. No word as to whether he still roams the premises now that the current restaurant, Rootstock and Vine, no longer serves hot dogs.

Rhodes Hall

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While not officially a restaurant, the Romanesque Revival mansion built by furniture magnate Amos Rhodes on Peachtree Street frequently hosts weddings and events throughout the year. It’s also apparently haunted. Many say Mrs. Rhodes died in the house, and some believe her spirit as well as those of children have been heard throughout the years. Others believe an evil spirit resides in the basement of the mansion. Lights turning off, footsteps, and even a ghost sighting or two have all been reported. During the 1980s, Rhodes Hall was a popular spot for impromptu haunted house tours around Halloween before it was renovated. Take a tour.

Ellis Hotel

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The Ellis Hotel (formerly the Hotel Winecoff) in downtown Atlanta includes a tragic chapter in its history. It’s the site of the deadliest hotel fire in the United States. On December 7, 1946, 119 people perished after a fire ripped through the hotel on Peachtree Street. The fire began at 2:48 a.m. and lasted for nearly six hours. Ever since, staff and guests claim to have seen ghostly figures, heard screams in the hallways, and even smelled smoke. Occasionally, the fire alarm sounds at 2:48 a.m.

Fox Theatre and Marquee Club

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It’s a well-established fact in Atlanta that the Fox is haunted. There are even ghost tours at the 90-plus-year old Midtown theater around Halloween. Over the years, staff and theater patrons claim to have seen apparitions of women and a Confederate soldier walking throughout the building and doors shutting suddenly and experienced unexplained cool breezes. One story involves the backstage elevator, which automatically stops at the fourth floor. Many believe it’s the ghost of a woman who lived and died in the apartment there. The Fox now includes a swanky bar and club — the Marquee — overlooking Peachtree Street offering drinks and bites before and after shows.

Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse

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It seems fitting that a theater and tavern named for Shakespeare might be haunted. Located on Peachtree Street in Midtown, guests and staff of the Shakespeare Tavern claim to have heard voices and witnessed everything from unexplained lights and shadows to seeing a ghostly figure or two floating around the backstage dressing room. Apparently, some on staff feel uneasy entering a top-level room of the tavern due to its many cold spots.

Oakland Cemetery

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Considered Atlanta’s oldest and largest cemetery, Oakland is now surrounded by some of the city’s most well-known restaurants, including Ria’s Bluebird, Six Feet Under, Daddy’s D’z, Mi Barrio, the restaurants at the Larken, and Agave, to name just a few. Residents and visitors alike flock to Oakland daily for quiet walks through treelined avenues and beautiful memorial gardens while taking in the ornate obelisks, mausoleums, and headstones around the 48-acre park. It’s estimated that 70,000 people are buried here. Oakland includes among its residents past governors and mayors, several famous Atlantans, and families dating back to the founding of the city. While tours of the old cemetery take place daily throughout the year, it’s during the evening tours in October where Oakland’s ghosts and their stories and sightings take center stage. Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours fill up quickly and often sell out.

The Estate

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Built in Washington County, Georgia, in 1797, then disassembled and moved to Buckhead in 1967 to open as Anthony’s Fine Dining, the former Pope-Walton house has had many lives over the last two centuries. It’s picked up a few spirits, too. Guests and staff of Anthony’s claimed to have seen and heard ghosts lurking within the historic mansion, especially in and around the staircase. Some say they’ve witnessed plates and utensils tossed about rooms in the old house, too. Flickering lights, cold spots, and even an apparition of a woman hanging in the front yard have all been reported here throughout the years. Anthony’s closed in 2011 due to the recession. The building is now home to events and wedding venue the Estate. But, do the former restaurant’s ghostly residents still remain?

DBA Barbecue

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In 2012, the popular Virginia-Highland barbecue restaurant invited a group of paranormal investigators in to check out some strange noises and occurrences there. Recording devices captured sounds and weird voices that night, some of which were explainable, some of which were not.

Kimball House

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No Atlanta “best-of” bar list would be complete without Kimball House. Located in an old Decatur train depot dating from the 1800s, the building has seen its fair share of people coming and going over the decades. Lights flicker here and doors often creak and close suddenly. The current owners chalk it up to the building’s age. However, even they have experienced a few unexplained occurrences, including seeing a little boy’s face in a bathroom mirror and hearing someone enter the bathroom and close the door loudly only to find no one there. Some people claim to have seen a ghostly figure of a woman on the train tracks just beyond the restaurant. Regardless of whether these spooky stories are true or simply the trappings of an old building, grab a cocktail, oysters, and a steak dinner, and soak in the moody atmosphere at Kimball House

Aqua Terra Bistro

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Residing inside a late 19th century building in Buford, patrons and staff members of Aqua Terra Bistro claim to have witnessed everything from lights turning on and off to wine bottles and coffee mugs flying off shelves. But that’s not all. Apparently, unexplained voices are often heard in the dining room and on EVPs (electronic voice phenomena) picked up by ghost hunters. A ghost has also been seen in the restaurant.

Corner Stop Cafe

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According to some reports by guests and the owners over the years, this cafe in downtown Lawrenceville features a few spirits residing within its walls. One such spirit, Bo, apparently likes to play tricks on employees, including conjuring up the sound of breaking dishes coming from the kitchen only to sit back and watch staff scurry in to find nothing there — and no broken dishes.

Dominick's

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Employees at the Lawrenceville location of the Italian restaurant chain have experienced odd happenings over the years, from lights turning off and on without warning to objects falling from high shelves. Most chalk it up to the trappings of an old building, which was once a hotel. But some folks believe it’s more than that. The building in which the restaurant now resides was featured in a book called “Georgia Spirits and Specters”, which told tale of a ghost that once haunted the old hotel over a century ago.

Bourbon Street Grille

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Once home to Gabee’s Cajun Kitchen and Art Cart, this historic building in downtown Dahlonega apparently includes a resident ghost who makes the sound of breaking dishes, roams unseen with only its footsteps alerting people to its presence, and enjoys moving chess pieces around on a game board. It’s unclear if the current owners have experienced these ghostly happenings, too.

The Historic Green Manor Restaurant

Once a grand home part of a late 19th century farm, Green Manor is now a Southern restaurant and event space known for its crispy fried chicken and Sunday buffet lunches. However, some staff over the years have claimed seeing objects moving about the restaurant, hearing water running in the basement only to find the faucets turned off, and even witnessing a shadowy figure of a woman on the porch.

Rootstock & Vine

Before this Woodstock restaurant changed hands, it was Hot Dog Heaven. That’s when the majority of the mysterious happenings occurred. A devilish spirit with a penchant for pranking often turned the hot dog cooker off or tossed a few buns around from the cupboard. Some believe it’s the spirit of the postmaster, as the building now sits on the site of a former post office. No word as to whether he still roams the premises now that the current restaurant, Rootstock and Vine, no longer serves hot dogs.

Rhodes Hall

While not officially a restaurant, the Romanesque Revival mansion built by furniture magnate Amos Rhodes on Peachtree Street frequently hosts weddings and events throughout the year. It’s also apparently haunted. Many say Mrs. Rhodes died in the house, and some believe her spirit as well as those of children have been heard throughout the years. Others believe an evil spirit resides in the basement of the mansion. Lights turning off, footsteps, and even a ghost sighting or two have all been reported. During the 1980s, Rhodes Hall was a popular spot for impromptu haunted house tours around Halloween before it was renovated. Take a tour.

Ellis Hotel

The Ellis Hotel (formerly the Hotel Winecoff) in downtown Atlanta includes a tragic chapter in its history. It’s the site of the deadliest hotel fire in the United States. On December 7, 1946, 119 people perished after a fire ripped through the hotel on Peachtree Street. The fire began at 2:48 a.m. and lasted for nearly six hours. Ever since, staff and guests claim to have seen ghostly figures, heard screams in the hallways, and even smelled smoke. Occasionally, the fire alarm sounds at 2:48 a.m.

Fox Theatre and Marquee Club

It’s a well-established fact in Atlanta that the Fox is haunted. There are even ghost tours at the 90-plus-year old Midtown theater around Halloween. Over the years, staff and theater patrons claim to have seen apparitions of women and a Confederate soldier walking throughout the building and doors shutting suddenly and experienced unexplained cool breezes. One story involves the backstage elevator, which automatically stops at the fourth floor. Many believe it’s the ghost of a woman who lived and died in the apartment there. The Fox now includes a swanky bar and club — the Marquee — overlooking Peachtree Street offering drinks and bites before and after shows.

Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse

It seems fitting that a theater and tavern named for Shakespeare might be haunted. Located on Peachtree Street in Midtown, guests and staff of the Shakespeare Tavern claim to have heard voices and witnessed everything from unexplained lights and shadows to seeing a ghostly figure or two floating around the backstage dressing room. Apparently, some on staff feel uneasy entering a top-level room of the tavern due to its many cold spots.

Oakland Cemetery

Considered Atlanta’s oldest and largest cemetery, Oakland is now surrounded by some of the city’s most well-known restaurants, including Ria’s Bluebird, Six Feet Under, Daddy’s D’z, Mi Barrio, the restaurants at the Larken, and Agave, to name just a few. Residents and visitors alike flock to Oakland daily for quiet walks through treelined avenues and beautiful memorial gardens while taking in the ornate obelisks, mausoleums, and headstones around the 48-acre park. It’s estimated that 70,000 people are buried here. Oakland includes among its residents past governors and mayors, several famous Atlantans, and families dating back to the founding of the city. While tours of the old cemetery take place daily throughout the year, it’s during the evening tours in October where Oakland’s ghosts and their stories and sightings take center stage. Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours fill up quickly and often sell out.

The Estate

Built in Washington County, Georgia, in 1797, then disassembled and moved to Buckhead in 1967 to open as Anthony’s Fine Dining, the former Pope-Walton house has had many lives over the last two centuries. It’s picked up a few spirits, too. Guests and staff of Anthony’s claimed to have seen and heard ghosts lurking within the historic mansion, especially in and around the staircase. Some say they’ve witnessed plates and utensils tossed about rooms in the old house, too. Flickering lights, cold spots, and even an apparition of a woman hanging in the front yard have all been reported here throughout the years. Anthony’s closed in 2011 due to the recession. The building is now home to events and wedding venue the Estate. But, do the former restaurant’s ghostly residents still remain?

DBA Barbecue

In 2012, the popular Virginia-Highland barbecue restaurant invited a group of paranormal investigators in to check out some strange noises and occurrences there. Recording devices captured sounds and weird voices that night, some of which were explainable, some of which were not.

Kimball House

No Atlanta “best-of” bar list would be complete without Kimball House. Located in an old Decatur train depot dating from the 1800s, the building has seen its fair share of people coming and going over the decades. Lights flicker here and doors often creak and close suddenly. The current owners chalk it up to the building’s age. However, even they have experienced a few unexplained occurrences, including seeing a little boy’s face in a bathroom mirror and hearing someone enter the bathroom and close the door loudly only to find no one there. Some people claim to have seen a ghostly figure of a woman on the train tracks just beyond the restaurant. Regardless of whether these spooky stories are true or simply the trappings of an old building, grab a cocktail, oysters, and a steak dinner, and soak in the moody atmosphere at Kimball House

Aqua Terra Bistro

Residing inside a late 19th century building in Buford, patrons and staff members of Aqua Terra Bistro claim to have witnessed everything from lights turning on and off to wine bottles and coffee mugs flying off shelves. But that’s not all. Apparently, unexplained voices are often heard in the dining room and on EVPs (electronic voice phenomena) picked up by ghost hunters. A ghost has also been seen in the restaurant.

Corner Stop Cafe

According to some reports by guests and the owners over the years, this cafe in downtown Lawrenceville features a few spirits residing within its walls. One such spirit, Bo, apparently likes to play tricks on employees, including conjuring up the sound of breaking dishes coming from the kitchen only to sit back and watch staff scurry in to find nothing there — and no broken dishes.

Dominick's

Employees at the Lawrenceville location of the Italian restaurant chain have experienced odd happenings over the years, from lights turning off and on without warning to objects falling from high shelves. Most chalk it up to the trappings of an old building, which was once a hotel. But some folks believe it’s more than that. The building in which the restaurant now resides was featured in a book called “Georgia Spirits and Specters”, which told tale of a ghost that once haunted the old hotel over a century ago.

Bourbon Street Grille

Once home to Gabee’s Cajun Kitchen and Art Cart, this historic building in downtown Dahlonega apparently includes a resident ghost who makes the sound of breaking dishes, roams unseen with only its footsteps alerting people to its presence, and enjoys moving chess pieces around on a game board. It’s unclear if the current owners have experienced these ghostly happenings, too.

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