A really horrible stay in a bad Texas hotel could potentially fuel your nightmares for weeks. No question, noises in the night from the neighboring room, a hot water shortage, bed bugs and dirty sheets are the stuff bad dreams are made of. But what if you want to be haunted? By the ghostly of course, not the ghastly. In the interests of full disclosure, we can assure you that there are plenty of Texas hotels where you can enjoy a perfectly peaceful night’s sleep. But that’s so last year. Even if the very notion of ghosts, or magnetic flux sensors, makes you laugh so hard you can’t eat your continental breakfast, some of the Lone Star State’s reputedly haunted hot spots are worth considering because, well, they’re interesting old historic buildings. And if nothing else, the corridors stay busy after hours with excited ghost hunters, if not ghosts. How’s that for entertainment?

Take for example the Ott Hotel in Liberty, Texas. This listed Texas Historic Landmark building also happens to (purportedly of course) to host, in addition to paying guests, an assortment of specters and supernatural happenings. If Liberty is too far off the beaten path, don’t dismay; there are other options even in large, well-developed urban areas. For example, you can enjoy easy access to The Alamo and other San Antonio sights (as well as the occasional apparition) at the Menger Hotel, or the Emily Morgan Hotel. Tooling around Austin? Reserve a room at the boutique Inn at Pearl Street, a charmer with or without the ghosts, or The Driskill, a historic luxury hotel downtown. Even if you don’t spot the giggling girl on the staircase you can rest assured your stay will be comfortable.

In terms of bang for your bed however, we’d be remiss to neglect the haunted hotels of Jefferson, Texas. Sure, this tiny town is a little off the beaten path but between nearby bayous and historic sights it does just fine when it comes to tourism (and ghost sightings). None of the ghosts at the Jefferson Hotel appear to be malicious, but as legends go, nighttime activity at the Excelsior Hotel across the street was enough to drive Steven Spielberg out and supposedly provide inspiration for the movie, “Poltergeist”.

Really, why settle for Texas hotels of the staid sort when you can enjoy a good haunting with your clean sheets?