One Of America’s ‘Best Haunted Hotels’ In Fingerlakes

Three Upstate hotels have made the 2019 list of Best Haunted Hotels in America from 10Best. Number 6 on the list is located right in the Fingerlakes: Belhurst Castle.

Belhurst Castle in the Finger Lakes ranked Number 6 on the list. It’s not just haunted, it’s also considered “romantic.” The Belhurst property has three buildings that locals call haunted houses:

One such house, the Hermitage, saw its owner die of blood poisoning after falling and breaking his leg. Another crumbling house was torn down in the spring of 1888, in preparation for the Belhurst Castle. Over the four years that it took to construct the four-story mansion, one man fell from the tower and died, and another went insane while assembling the roof. "

Belhurst's most well-known ghost is named Isabella. She was a beautiful opera singer , and she is often seen dressed in white today. So why does Isabella remain on the grounds? According to Haunted History Trail, her story is one of a broken heart.

Isabella fled with her forbidden lover, Spanish Don, to America, where they built a house with a secret tunnel. When the authorities came looking for them, they tried to escape through the underground passage to their awaiting boat, only for the tunnel to collapse on Isabella. To this day, the white lady is said to walk the shores of Seneca Lake, grieving her lost lover. She has been seen standing at night in the middle of the front lawn or as an apparition flying in through windows."

Other paranormal encounters come from staff members, who have witnessed many haunted activities. These include showers turning on and off in guest rooms, bottles and glasses flying around the bar, and reporting tablecloths tied to the chandeliers. Even guests have reported hearing the sound of a soft lullaby being sung in the middle of the night, or the sound of children playing and screaming in the room next to them.

One interesting report is the sound of furniture being moved from the room that once housed a roulette wheel and gambling tables when Belhurst was a speakeasy and gambling casino.

You can book rooms today, and even weddings. The location is extremely beautiful.