A self-guided tour is a fantastic way to delve into the city’s unique character. Virginia Beach is a place where history runs deep, and so do the shadows. As a major military and maritime hub, its past is riddled with both tragedy and glory, creating a rich tapestry of folklore and legend. Many believe the city is “ruled by its dead”. This self-guided tour is your chance to peel back the layers of sand and sun to uncover the chilling stories that haunt Virginia Beach’s most historic landmarks. From colonial-era witch trials and pirate legends to naval tragedies and restless spirits, prepare to journey into the mysterious side of the city where every historic site has a ghostly tale to tell.
The Headless Pirate at First Landing. Check out the museum at First Landing. Lots of fun history, paranormal and otherwise, including the lost treasure of Blackbeard…
The Cavalier Hotel: Grandeur and Ghosts
Begin your tour at this historic landmark, a grand hotel that once hosted presidents and movie stars alike.2 Its opulence is matched only by its reputation as a hotspot for restless spirits.2 The most famous is that of Adolph Coors, the founder of the Coors Brewing Company, who died under mysterious circumstances in 1929 after a fall from a sixth-story window.3 His ghost is said to re-enact the fall and still wanders the halls.3 Other ghostly encounters include a kindly old bellman who appears on the stairs between the fifth and sixth floors, warning guests of apparitions before he vanishes.4 You may also hear the phantom scratches of a “long-forgotten cat” or a “spooky serenade” from the piano in the Crystal Ballroom with no one at the keys.4
- Location: 4200 Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
The Thoroughgood House: Colonial-Era Poltergeists
Built around 1719, the Thoroughgood House is one of Virginia Beach’s oldest homes and a purported “playground for mischievous spirits”.3 Local lore speaks of a red-haired woman in Colonial-era dress who strolls the grounds and a dapper male spirit in a brown suit who makes fleeting appearances.4 According to a local ghost tour company, the ghosts may be Argall Thoroughgood, the house’s suspected builder who died mid-construction, and his wife, Susannah, who helped finish the home.6 The spirits are known for their poltergeist activity, with staff witnessing glass domes on Christmas candles lift and crash to the floor on their own.4
- Location: 1636 Parish Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23455
The Ferry Plantation House: Unquiet Souls and Hidden Secrets
The land on which the Ferry Plantation House stands has been inhabited since at least 1642.3 While the original house burned down, the current 1830 structure was built with salvaged bricks.8 This location is considered one of the most haunted in the city, with at least eleven spirits said to be in residence.3 Among the most well-known is Grace Sherwood, the “Witch of Pungo,” who was tried by “trial by ducking” nearby in 1706.8 Other spirits include Sally Rebecca Walke, who is believed to have died of a broken heart during the Civil War 2, and Henry, an enslaved man whose presence was identified through paranormal investigations and who reportedly kneels in front of a fireplace that was discovered behind a wall during later restorations.5
- Location: 4136 Ferry Plantation Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23455
First Landing State Park: The Headless Pirate
First Landing State Park, the site where English colonists first landed in 1607 2, is also said to be the hiding place for the lost treasure of the notorious pirate Blackbeard.4 According to legend, Blackbeard buried a large portion of his treasure in the dunes, but his subsequent death prevented him from ever returning for it.12 His headless ghost, a tribute to his gruesome demise at the hands of naval Lieutenant Robert Maynard, is said to haunt the area, guarding his lost riches.12 Visitors have reported mysterious footprints in the sand, chilling breezes, and fleeting glimpses of the headless figure wandering the dunes.12
- Location: 2500 Shore Dr, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Elbow Road: A Cautionary Tale
For a thrill-seeking drive, head to Elbow Road, a notoriously sharp and dangerous stretch of pavement.5 Locals have long advised drivers to “never, ever stop on Elbow Road” unless they want a “phantasmic encounter”.4 The road is reportedly haunted by the ghost of Mrs. Woble, a woman who was murdered but whose body was never found.4 She is seen as a “bloodied, battered woman” who actively tries to cause accidents.4 A second spirit, that of a little girl who drowned in a nearby lake, is also said to appear. If you stop your car at night, wet footprints of a child will supposedly begin to appear on the hood, moving slowly toward you.4
- Location: Elbow Road, Virginia Beach, VA
The Boardwalk: Echoes of the Sea
Complete your tour on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk, where the souls of shipwreck victims and pirates are said to roam after dark.14 A key haunted location is the Norwegian Lady Statue, which commemorates the 1891 wreckage of the Norwegian barque, the
Dictator.1 Many of the crew, including the captain’s wife and child, perished in the disaster.1 The restless spirits of the sailors, buried far from their home country, are said to roam the beaches near the monument.1 One person swimming in a nearby hotel pool even reported feeling an “icy, disembodied hand grab his ankle”.1
- Location: Norwegian Lady Statue at 16th Street and the Boardwalk, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
These tales, while firmly in the realm of folklore, are a living part of Virginia Beach’s culture, giving a deeper, more mysterious meaning to the historic sites that define it. Enjoy your spooky journey!
MORE VIRGINIA BEACH PARANORMAL HISTORY
The sun-drenched facade of Virginia Beach, with its bustling boardwalk and sandy shores, belies a history steeped in darkness and the unexplained. It is a city where colonial-era tragedies, maritime disasters, and enduring urban folklore have woven a tapestry of supernatural tales, leading some to suggest the area is a city “ruled by its dead”.1 From spectral spirits haunting opulent hotels to headless pirates guarding lost treasure, the paranormal history of Virginia Beach offers a chilling journey into a past that refuses to stay buried.
The city’s most famous haunt is arguably The Cavalier Hotel, a beacon of grandeur built in the 1920s that once hosted presidents and Hollywood stars.1 Its most notorious resident, however, is the ghost of Adolph Coors, the brewing magnate who died after falling from a sixth-story window in 1929.3 The circumstances of his death, a mystery to this day, fuel the legend that his ghost still restlessly roams the halls and re-enacts his fatal fall.3 Guests have also reported encounters with a phantom bellman who warns them of apparitions before vanishing, the self-playing piano in the Crystal Ballroom, and the ghostly meows of a “long-forgotten cat”.2 These tales add a layer of tragic mystery to the hotel’s glamorous legacy, making it a key destination for any supernatural enthusiast.
Beyond the hotel’s grand walls, the paranormal narrative of Virginia Beach extends into its oldest homesteads, where the colonial past is still very much alive. The Thoroughgood House, built around 1719, is described as a “playground for mischievous spirits”.2 Apparitions of a red-haired woman in Colonial dress and a man in a brown suit are said to wander the grounds, with poltergeist activity manifesting in objects like glass domes on Christmas candles lifting and crashing to the floor on their own.2 The folklore surrounding this house is particularly compelling because it has adapted over time. While early legends believed the ghosts to be the original builder, Adam Thoroughgood, and his wife, Sarah, later historical research revealed the house was built by his great-grandson, Argall, nearly 80 years after Adam’s death.6 The legend has since evolved, with the spirits now believed to be Argall and his wife, Susannah, returning to see the home they could not finish in life.1
A few miles away, the Ferry Plantation House stands as a nexus of tragic stories, with an astounding eleven spirits said to call it home.4 Its history dates back to a 1642 ferry service, and the current structure, built with salvaged bricks from a manor that burned down in 1828, seems to have absorbed the trauma of the land.8 The most infamous spirit is Grace Sherwood, the “Witch of Pungo,” who was tried by “trial by ducking” nearby in 1706 and whose maniacal laughter is reportedly heard echoing through the walls.2 Other spirits include Sally Rebecca Walke, who died of a broken heart during the Civil War, and an enslaved man named Henry, whose presence was identified through electronic voice phenomena and whose spirit has been seen kneeling in front of a fireplace that was discovered behind a wall during restorations.11 The detailed and documented nature of these hauntings has solidified the Ferry Plantation House’s reputation as one of the most paranormally active locations in the area.11
Virginia Beach’s rich naval and maritime history has also left a lasting supernatural imprint. The legend of the pirate Blackbeard, who plundered ships in the Chesapeake Bay and was eventually killed by Virginia’s Governor Spotswood 3, has been re-contextualized into local folklore. Despite his historical death in North Carolina, legend holds that Blackbeard’s “restless spirit” haunts First Landing State Park, guarding treasure he buried in the dunes before his death.4 Visitors report mysterious footprints in the sand and chilling breezes, along with fleeting glimpses of a “headless figure,” a direct reference to his gruesome demise.13 Similarly, the city’s boardwalk is said to be haunted by the souls of shipwreck victims.14 The Norwegian Lady Statue, which commemorates the 1891 wreck of the barque
Dictator that killed many of the crew, is a focal point of this lore.14 Sailors who were buried far from home are believed to roam the beaches 14, with one memorable account describing a person feeling an “icy, disembodied hand grab his ankle” while swimming in a nearby pool.1
The city’s supernatural landscape also includes urban legends that serve as cautionary tales. Elbow Road is notorious for its many deadly accidents.15 The folklore surrounding it provides a supernatural explanation for this danger, telling of the ghosts of Mrs. Woble, a woman who was murdered on the road, and a little girl who drowned in a nearby lake.2 The spirits are said to appear on the road, with Mrs. Woble’s bloodied ghost actively trying to crash cars, turning a mundane hazard into a dramatic and terrifying local legend.4
Finally, Virginia Beach’s connection to the military has given rise to modern tales of the unexplained. The user query specifically mentioned UFOs and aliens around naval air bases. While official reports from the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) have consistently stated they have “discovered no evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology,” 17 the city’s status as a major naval hub naturally fuels speculation.18 The Navy takes reports of “unauthorized and/or unidentified aircraft entering various military-controlled ranges and designated air space” very seriously.18 Historical CIA documents also note a 1956 report of a Naval Air Station tracking a “tear-drop shaped object” 19, highlighting a long-standing pattern of unexplained aerial phenomena intersecting with military activity. This dynamic creates a feedback loop where military secrecy and a lack of firm conclusions for UAP sightings only deepen public curiosity.
In conclusion, the paranormal history of Virginia Beach is a living, breathing entity. It is a story not just about ghosts and monsters, but about the enduring human need to find meaning in tragedy, to explain the unexplainable, and to preserve cultural memory. The legends of The Cavalier Hotel and the Thoroughgood House keep the city’s colonial and Gilded Age history alive. The stories of Blackbeard and the Norwegian Lady Statue memorialize the dangers and sorrows of a life at sea. The urban folklore of Elbow Road provides a cautionary tale for a treacherous path, and the speculation about UAPs on military bases reflects a modern, technologically-driven curiosity about the unknown. Ultimately, these narratives serve as a powerful and compelling reminder that in Virginia Beach, the past is never truly gone—it simply waits to be discovered in the shadows.
Notes and References
https://www.ferryplantation.org/paranormal
https://www.ferryplantation.org/paranormal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Sherwood
https://www.jackrabbitstorage.com/blogs/virginia-beachs-most-haunted-locations-ghosts-and-legends/
https://www.ferryplantation.org/paranormal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cryptids
https://neptuneghosts.com/the-thoroughgood-house/
https://usghostadventures.com/virginia-beach-ghost-tour/
https://lizzie-borden.com/ghost-tours/virginia-beach/
https://neptuneghosts.com/the-ghosts-on-elbow-road/
https://usghostadventures.com/virginia-beach-ghost-tour/
https://usghostadventures.com/virginia-beach-ghost-tour/
https://www.jackrabbitstorage.com/blogs/virginia-beachs-most-haunted-locations-ghosts-and-legends/
https://neptuneghosts.com/top-10-haunted-places-in-virginia-beach/
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