TOLEDO, Ohio — If you're looking for spooky - and potentially haunted - places to travel this autumn, Ohio has plenty to offer.
TourismOhio, run by the Ohio Department of Development, created a list of 24 locations around the state of Ohio where folklore, history and haunts meet. Here are a list of the locations you can visit for a thrill - or just a foray into the Buckeye State's history, if that's more your speed.
Are they specter or merely stories? That's for you to decide.
Northwest Ohio
Collingwoods Art Center - Toledo
Supposedly one of the haunted places in Toledo, it also features annual ghost hunt events.
Emore Ghost Rider - Elmore
Legend has it that you can see the Elmore ghost rider atop his motorcycle when you cross the bridge over Muddy Creek.
Park Hotel - Put-in-Bay
Stay in this Victorian-era island hotel and you may see "The Governess" lurking about.
South Bass Island Lighthouse - Put-in-Bay
What's scarier than a lighthouse on an island in the middle of Lake Erie? A haunted lighthouse in the middle of Lake Erie. This one is located near a pleasant spot for fishing, camping and more.
Northeast Ohio
Franklin Castle - Cleveland
This home has a long history of haunting speculation, but wasn't made accessible to the public until recently, when it was converted into a haunted attraction. You can even stay at the castle overnight, if you're brave enough.
The Fairport Harbor Marine Museum and Lighthouse - Fairport Harbor
Another lighthouse on the list, this one also offers tours. Reportedly, there is the spirit of a gray cat who resides at the lighthouse. Perfect for cat-lovers.
Raider's Inn - Painesville
Dating back to 1812, this hotel has a long history, beginning as a stagecoach stop along the Oregon Trail, then a part of the Underground Railroad and later as a speakeasy in the 1920s and 1930s. Rumor has it that you can sometimes see the late wife of the hotel's owner. She may even let you into the building.
Punderson Manor State Park Lodge - Newbury
A more recent haunt, the manor itself wasn't built until the 1950s - but the grounds surrounding the lodge are rife with rumors of haunts, though many of them are based in dubious fact.
Everett Covered Bridge - Peninsula
This covered bridge is located in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. According to legend, an 1877 accident involving a horse-drawn wagon resulted in the death of a local farmer. It's said he still frequents the covered bridge - the last of its kind in Summit County.
Central Ohio
Ohio State Reformatory - Mansfield
Perhaps the most famous on this list, this reformatory is where the film "Shawshank Redemption" was filmed. There are also plenty of haunted tours available.
Malabar Farm State Park - Lucas
Also the site of some scenes from Shawshank Redemption, this park includes hiking trails and the Ceely Rose House, which is supposedly haunted by a specter.
Licking County Historic Jail - Newark
This historic jail, made more spooky by its Gothic architecture, is said to be haunted by the spirits of three sheriffs and 19 people jailed at the facility.
Thurber House - Columbus
Scares with a somewhat literary twist come in the form of this home, where author and cartoonist James Thurber lived. Thurber detailed his experiences in the home, which he said was haunted, in one of his stories. It is also the former site of a psychiatric hospital where patients were said to be mistreated.
John Bryan State Park - Yellow Springs
At this park, it's said a man who drowned during a 1910 storm can be seen around dusk, hence his name, the "Twilight Man". A cafe and tavern in Yellow Springs also bear possible scary encounters with spirits.
Eastern Ohio
Beaver Creek State Park - East Liverpool
Adding to the list of parks on the list, Beaver Creek is said to harbor the spirits of many, including a canal worker and more.
Southern Ohio
Hills & Dales Lookout Tower at Hills & Dales Metropark - Kettering
This locale is said to be haunted by the spirit of a teenage girl, killed when she was struck by lightning outside a lookout tower.
Spring House Gazebo at Eden Park - Cincinnati
At this park, visitors may see the ghost of a bootlegger's wife - Imogen - who was shot and killed at the park in 1927.
Majestic Theatre - Chillicothe
This performing space opened in 1853 and still operates to this day. But there may be a phantom in this opera house. Only you can decide.
Hocking Hills State Park - Logan
Between the caves and waterfalls, you may see the ghost of a long-gone hunter, or a dress-clad woman following you on your hike. There have also been supposed Bigfoot sightings.
Lake Hope State Park - McArthur
Located in the heavily-forested parts of southern Ohio, this park's supposed haunting is deeply tied to its industrial history - and one man's grisly fate.
Moonville Tunnel - McArthur
While ghost ships are often spoken of in nautical folklore, inland transportation specters are, by necessity, not buoyant. It's said the ghost of a train engineer - and sometimes his train - can be seen here.
Ridges at Ohio University - Athens
Ohio University students and visitors can visit The Ridges, a building and property with a complicated history, artwork and possibly, the presence of something otherworldly.
The Hackett Hotel - Marietta
This turn-of-the-century hotel may house a spirit named "Charlotte," who haunts the restaurant inside the hotel.
Lafayette Hotel - Marietta
The second haunted hotel in Marietta, it's said a ghostly maid wanders the halls of the building.
Honorable mentions
Not included in TourismOhio list, here are some other supposedly haunted locations you may like to see.
Levi and Lilac's - Maumee
This restaurant resides in what was once called "The Commercial Building", and has a long history, including as an inn where presidents Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes stayed. According to legend, it was also at one point a stop on the Underground Railroad, as well as a a stop for prohibition runners. It's also said to be haunted by a ghost known as the Lilac Lady, as well as Levi Beebe, who purchased the land initially.
The Oliver House - Toledo
Ghosts must love their restaurants - this location is said to house a long-gone sea captain, a woman in a white dress and others. Grab a pint at the Maumee Bay Brewing Company and see for yourself.