Cobb County, Georgia is overflowing with tricks and treats for visitors during the creepiest month of the year, October! Visit some of the most spine-chilling areas north of Atlanta including Civil War battle sites, haunted theme parks, and cemeteries surrounding horrifying urban legends. We are sure you will get in the Halloween spirit when you check out these eight spooky spots.
1. Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield, north of Atlanta, was the site of a bloody battle of the Civil War in 1864. More than 4,000 men perished at this fight, mostly on the Union side, and are said to still haunt the fields to this day. The grounds are open to the public with hiking trails and exhibits on the war, however, an eerie energy has been reported since this gory battle. Sightings of ghostly soldiers walking in the distance, the sounds of gunshots and cannons, uncomfortable cold spots, and smells of blood and gunpowder lead visitors to believe some soldiers never really left the battle.
900 Kennesaw Mountain Dr, Kennesaw, GA
2. Root House Museum in Marietta, Georgia was the home of William Root, the town’s first druggist and a merchant. As the oldest house in Marietta, multiple claims of paranormal activity have been reported in the main bedroom of the house including sights of a spirit peering from the windows, believed to be Mrs. Root. Museum operators also claim that the antique rope bed sometimes appears to have been slept in when the house is opened in the mornings. Mrs. Root’s father passed on October 11 when it was believed evil spirits surround a home when someone passes. Covering mirrors kept those evil spirits from taking you, too. During the month of October, The William Root House is decorated for a Victorian-style funeral. Spooky flashlight tours are available on October 18 and 25! Understand the Victorian interest in death and the afterlife at Beyond the Veil: Victorians & Spirit Communication on October 19.
80 North Marietta Pkwy NW, Marietta, GA
3. Six Flags Over Georgia has allegedly been haunted since opening in 1967. According to legend, an actor by the name of “Joe” was supposed to star in the opening number for the very first show at the Crystal Pistol Music Hall, but he was killed in a car accident on the way there. Many employees and guests believe Joe is still waiting to perform that number. His ghost has been seen at the edge of the balcony watching performances, and witnesses have seen orbs and heard a man singing after the hall was closed for the evening. Joe has also been blamed for moving props from the stage to the railroad tracks beside the building. Another possible explanation for these strange occurrences is that Six Flags may have been built on top of Creek Indian Mounds dating back around 1500 years ago. Today, guests can enjoy a truly terrifying experience in the park after the sun goes down during Fright Fest.
275 Riverside Pkwy, Austell, GA
4. Kennesaw House was used as a hospital for soldiers during the Civil War. Now it is home to the Marietta Museum of History and more than 700 ghosts! After the Civil War, the building served as a hotel, and one of the most striking supernatural accounts comes from a hotel guest. When the guest stepped off the elevator onto the third floor, he witnessed a scene from a Civil War hospital, complete with a surgeon bending over a wounded man. Thinking he had walked into some kind of re-enactment, he quickly retreated into the elevator and returned to the first floor. When he asked the front desk agent what was happening on the third floor, the employee was perplexed. Both the clerk and the guest returned to the third floor only to find an empty hotel hallway. More recently, a child reported seeing a woman dressed in a light blue antebellum-style dress with pink flowers around the neckline and bodice while on a field trip to the Marietta Museum. This woman smiled at her and then vanished. She claims it is a woman in a picture at the museum. Learn more about this and other haunted Marietta sites on the Ghosts of Marietta Walking Tour.
1 Depot St, Marietta, GA
5. Folklore Haunted House has been called Atlanta’s Scariest and Most Spectacular Haunted House for years. This Halloween season, Folklore Haunted House is unleashing two terrifying and elaborate haunted houses, plus a horror-themed carnival to test your skills under fear called Midway of Mayhem, a claustrophobic Casket Ride with two chilling experiences, and a captivating emporium of Eerie Essentials with a mysterious allure. Brave yourself to enter the Winter’s Estate, an immersive haunted house that brings you face-to-face with the evil Winters family and the unimaginable horrors that have taken residence. Will you fall victim to the nightmares and become a permanent guest of this labyrinth of terror? Venture into the Maze of Madness and encounter a menagerie of monsters and madmen with a different nightmarish journey each night. Learn why USA’s Greatest Haunts has named it one of the Best Haunted Houses in the country when you tour these bone-chilling attractions.
5389 N Main St, Acworth, GA
6. The Statue of Mary Meinert in the James Episcopal Church Cemetery is one of the spookiest spots in all of Cobb County. Mary Meinert and her family are said to have lived in a large house near the Marietta National Cemetery in the 1800s. According to her obituary, Mary died tragically of a lung disease just 4 weeks after giving birth to her twin daughters in 1898. Her striking statue sits eerily in the cemetery, and some say this statue weeps for her infant twins with tears so real that they roll down her face and dampen the bodice of her gown. Others say if you walk around her grave 13 times and say “Oh Mary, Oh Mary what happened to your babies?” You will hear a woman cry and tears will begin to roll down the statue’s face.
161 Church St, Marietta, GA
7. Escape Woods is taking the creepy up a notch in Powder Springs this Halloween season with six spooky escape challenges – Paranoia and Possession: The Horrors of Camp Kray, Murder Mystery: Legend of Sleepy Hollow 1990, The Hunted: The Hollow Grove Ripper, Renaissance Ruins: Curse at the Faire, The Bunker: Aftermath, and their most popular- Hopper’s Cabin: The Cabin from Stranger Things. A few of these escape games are recommended for adults only because of the content and scare factor. Can you escape?
628 Sleepy Hollow Rd B, Powder Springs, GA
8.The Kolb Creek Farm subdivision in Marietta was built on the site of a minor Civil War battle. A couple, James and Katherine Tatum, purchased a home in the neighborhood in 1986. After a quiet first year in the house, the couple began to experience unexplained activity including an electric drill going off, pocket change on a dresser jingling on its own accord, a small bell ringing by itself, and even a full-body apparition. Their stories have been publicized on the television show Unsolved Mysteries and in Beth Scott and Michael Norman’s 2004 book, Haunted America.
1581 Powder Springs Rd SW, Marietta, GA 30064
Craving More Spooky Stories?
Book a tour on one of Cobb County’s ghost tours. Ghosts of Marietta offers tours by trolley or by foot through Civil War sites, antebellum homes, and cemeteries all year long. Acworth Ghost Tours run through the end of October and highlight hauntingly historic spaces throughout Acworth, Ga.
Check out the gallery below to see October’s fun from the past. Don’t forget to share sweet photos of your fall festivities with us by using #AtlantasSweetSpot on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Your photo could be featured on our social media pages! To see events happening in Cobb County, click here.
