7 Spooky Greater Cincinnati Spots You Won't Want to Visit at Night

Ludlow Incinerator

Location: In the woods of Devou Park, Covington, Ky.
Down the road from the Ludlow Lagoon Clubhouse is the Ludlow Incinerator. The incinerator was built in the ‘40s to burn trash until it was shut down in the ‘60s. At first glance, its history seems uneventful. Except, the body of a deceased Covington waitress was discovered near the incinerator in 1967. The cause of death? The woman was strangled with her own stockings, which were left knotted around her neck. No one is certain to what extent this specific murder is attached to the string of serial murders that took place between Cincinnati and Michigan in the ‘60s. Regardless, the incinerator still somehow reeks of trash and is littered with new refuse — used condoms, empty beer cans and probably whatever else you can imagine there. Covered in graffiti and crumbling brick, the place isn’t what you’d call welcoming.
Photo: Josh Purnell

Ludlow Incinerator

Location: In the woods of Devou Park, Covington, Ky.
Down the road from the Ludlow Lagoon Clubhouse is the Ludlow Incinerator. The incinerator was built in the ‘40s to burn trash until it was shut down in the ‘60s. At first glance, its history seems uneventful. Except, the body of a deceased Covington waitress was discovered near the incinerator in 1967. The cause of death? The woman was strangled with her own stockings, which were left knotted around her neck. No one is certain to what extent this specific murder is attached to the string of serial murders that took place between Cincinnati and Michigan in the ‘60s. Regardless, the incinerator still somehow reeks of trash and is littered with new refuse — used condoms, empty beer cans and probably whatever else you can imagine there. Covered in graffiti and crumbling brick, the place isn’t what you’d call welcoming.
Photo: Josh Purnell

Ludlow Incinerator

Location: In the woods of Devou Park, Covington, Ky.
Down the road from the Ludlow Lagoon Clubhouse is the Ludlow Incinerator. The incinerator was built in the ‘40s to burn trash until it was shut down in the ‘60s. At first glance, its history seems uneventful. Except, the body of a deceased Covington waitress was discovered near the incinerator in 1967. The cause of death? The woman was strangled with her own stockings, which were left knotted around her neck. No one is certain to what extent this specific murder is attached to the string of serial murders that took place between Cincinnati and Michigan in the ‘60s. Regardless, the incinerator still somehow reeks of trash and is littered with new refuse — used condoms, empty beer cans and probably whatever else you can imagine there. Covered in graffiti and crumbling brick, the place isn’t what you’d call welcoming.
Photo: Josh Purnell

Tower Park Mess Hall

Location: 801 Cochran Ave., Fort Thomas, Ky.
Tower Park is a beautiful green lawn filled with historic buildings, walking trails, volleyball courts, playgrounds and basketball courts in a former armory. Juxtaposed to the scenic imagery is the haunting history of the space. In 1977, in response to the Beverly Hills Supper Club infamous fire, the mess hall was used as a temporary morgue that housed over 100 unidentified victims.
Photo: Josh Purnell

Gano Power Station

Location: Downtown
The only way into the abandoned power station is through a small, human-sized opening framed with jagged concrete and broken bricks. The last time time this building was on the record was in a 1904 insurance survey, but with no description of when it was built or by whom. Abandoned, it remains a huge,old and a hauntingly empty space.
Photo: Josh Purnell

Alexander Circle, an abandoned Victorian cul-de-sac

Location: Alexander Circle, Fort Thomas, Ky.
Nearly a dozen century-old mansions stand together in a group deep within the city limits of Fort Thomas. This now-abandoned cul-de-sac was built in the 1880s to house ranking officers and their families during a time when Tower Park was still an active military post. The city has plans to eventually restore these mansions to their original beauty; for now they stand empty of residents but full of artifacts that give a glimpse into the past.
Photo: Josh Purnell

Alexander Circle, an abandoned Victorian cul-de-sac

Location: Alexander Circle, Fort Thomas, Ky.
Nearly a dozen century-old mansions stand together in a group deep within the city limits of Fort Thomas. This now-abandoned cul-de-sac was built in the 1880s to house ranking officers and their families during a time when Tower Park was still an active military post. The city has plans to eventually restore these mansions to their original beauty; for now they stand empty of residents but full of artifacts that give a glimpse into the past.
Photo: Google Maps

Ludlow Lagoon Clubhouse

Location: 312 Lake St., Ludlow, Ky.
Between the years 1895 and 1917, the Ludlow Lagoon Amusement Park stood tall on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. Once a successful attraction, it once saw 70,000 visitors in one weekend. The park included rollercoasters, renowned performances and an 80-acre lagoon comprised of five different islands. Matt “Catfish” Williams, a Cincinnati history expert, described the park as the “Wild West” with “gangsters and mistresses and murders and disappearances.” After a series of disastrous events — a flood in 1913, a tornado and a motorcycle that hit a gas-lamp and started a fire that killed nine people — the park eventually closed. The large clubhouse is one of the two structures still standing from the infamous park.
Photo: Josh Purnell

Ludlow Lagoon Clubhouse

Location: 312 Lake St., Ludlow, Ky.
Between the years 1895 and 1917, the Ludlow Lagoon Amusement Park stood tall on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. Once a successful attraction, it once saw 70,000 visitors in one weekend. The park included rollercoasters, renowned performances and an 80-acre lagoon comprised of five different islands. Matt “Catfish” Williams, a Cincinnati history expert, described the park as the “Wild West” with “gangsters and mistresses and murders and disappearances.” After a series of disastrous events — a flood in 1913, a tornado and a motorcycle that hit a gas-lamp and started a fire that killed nine people — the park eventually closed. The large clubhouse is one of the two structures still standing from the infamous park.
Photo: Google Maps

Union Hall Sub-Basement

Location: 1313 Vine St., Downtown
Below the Cintrifuse’s Union Hall entrepreneurial hub is the very chilling sub-basement. In the late 1990s, this space was home to a Goth/Punk club called The Warehouse, but has not seen nearly the same level of foot-traffic since. Nothing comes off too frightening until a visit lands the curious in the sub-basement catacombs. The maze of catacombs stretches underground from Vine Street to Republic, giving plenty of time for guests to let discomfort build as they walk along the dirt floors and feel the uneasiness compound.
Photo: Josh Purnell

Union Hall sub-Basement

Location: 1313 Vine St., Downtown
Below the Cintrifuse’s Union Hall entrepreneurial hub is the very chilling sub-basement. In the late 1990s, this space was home to a Goth/Punk club called The Warehouse, but has not seen nearly the same level of foot-traffic since. Nothing comes off too frightening until a visit lands the curious in the sub-basement catacombs. The maze of catacombs stretches underground from Vine Street to Republic, giving plenty of time for guests to let discomfort build as they walk along the dirt floors and feel the uneasiness compound.
Photo: Google Maps

Weilert’s

Location: 1408 Vine St., Downtown
Once upon a time, Weilert’s was Cincinnati’s premier social establishment, thanks to its 40-piece house band and open-air biergarten that occupied an entire city block. Since the saloon closed, it has served a variety of purposes such as a funeral home, a cab company, a church and a daycare. It now stands vacant and very visible in Over-the-Rhine.
Photo: Josh Purnell

Weilert’s

Location: 1408 Vine St., Downtown
Once upon a time, Weilert’s was Cincinnati’s premier social establishment, thanks to its 40-piece house band and open-air biergarten that occupied an entire city block. Since the saloon closed, it has served a variety of purposes such as a funeral home, a cab company, a church and a daycare. It now stands vacant and very visible in Over-the-Rhine.
Photo: Josh Purnell

Weilert’s

Location: 1408 Vine St., Downtown
Once upon a time, Weilert’s was Cincinnati’s premier social establishment, thanks to its 40-piece house band and open-air biergarten that occupied an entire city block. Since the saloon closed, it has served a variety of purposes such as a funeral home, a cab company, a church and a daycare. It now stands vacant and very visible in Over-the-Rhine.
Photo: Josh Purnell

Weilert’s

Location: 1408 Vine St., Downtown
Once upon a time, Weilert’s was Cincinnati’s premier social establishment, thanks to its 40-piece house band and open-air biergarten that occupied an entire city block. Since the saloon closed, it has served a variety of purposes such as a funeral home, a cab company, a church and a daycare. It now stands vacant and very visible in Over-the-Rhine.
Photo: Josh Purnell