There’s no shortage of haunted places and elaborate ghost stories in Alabama.

Every town in the state likely has a ghost story or two that have been passed down from generation to generation, but the haunted history and eerie happenings of some rumored-to-be supernatural spots make them spookier than others.

That’s why we decided to take a look at five of the spookiest places in Alabama you can visit for yourself — if you dare. With a college, battleship and playground making the list, consider this evidence that you never know where a ghost or two might be lurking.

5 spookiest places in Alabama from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

Sloss Furnaces

Birmingham

These days, Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham might be better known as a unique setting for concerts and special events but it was once a functioning and deadly industrial site that claimed the lives of many of its workers — the spirits of whom are said to be lingering around, waiting on that final clock out.

Sloss Furnaces opened in 1882 and was in use for almost 90 years before closing up for good in 1971. During that time, several employees tragically met their demise due to the daily dangers of the job, which included incineration, carbon monoxide poisoning and steam pipe bursts. Now a National Historic Landmark open for tours, those brave enough to visit Sloss at night have been said to have heard screams, seen shadowy figures and heard what sounded like a foreman yelling at his crew, according to the Travel Channel. It’s these reports that have made the location a popular stop for those seeking the paranormal. Sloss has been featured over the years on several shows including “Ghost Hunters” and “Ghost Adventures,” all of which reported there was no shortage of supernatural activity on its grounds.

Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, where thousands of men once sweated and bled to turn the red rocks from a nearby hillside into materials that could build skyscrapers in the burgeoning town below. Some say the ghosts of some of those men still haunt the historic landmark. (Dennis Pillion)

The Boyington Oak

Mobile

Many folks who believe in the supernatural think spirits often try to send messages from beyond the grave. If that’s the case, the Boyington Oak in Mobile is certainly an example. While it might appear to be an ordinary, old oak tree to those who don’t know its history, the tree comes with a strange and mysterious tale that’s been haunting locals for years.

The legend of the Boyington Oak goes that, in 1835, a 19 year old from New York named Charles Boyington was hanged outside the Oakleigh estate for the murder of his friend, Nathaniel Frost, after Frost was found stabbed in the Church Street Graveyard, according to the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. Before his death, Boyington told onlookers that a tree would grow on his gravesite, out of his heart, to prove his innocence. Close to 200 years later, an oak tree grows in the exact spot. Many believe Boyington’s ghost remains inside the 60-foot tree, which is now a historical marker, as his body does below, waiting for his name to be cleared.

The Boyington Oak off Bayou Street in downtown Mobile is said to mark the spot where 19-year-old Charles Boyington was buried after being hanged in 1835. His ghost is said to inhabit the 60-foot tree. (Bill Starling)

Dead Children’s Playground

Huntsville

The notion that a cemetery, especially one as old as Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, might be haunted isn’t exactly a novel concept, but what’s next to the massive graveyard — often referred to as the Dead Children’s Playground — seems to be an equally popular haunt for the supernatural.

Yes, it’s a playground that some would describe as uncomfortably close to a graveyard, and it’s rumored to be just as popular among the dearly departed as it is the living. Visitors have reported seeing swings moving on their own as well as hearing distant sounds of children laughing, and there have also been sightings of orbs and spectral figures around the playground at night. Legend says the Dead Children’s Playground — which, other than its eerie setting, looks like most playgrounds during the day — garnered its grim nickname because of its proximity to the plots of children in Maple Hill Cemetery who died during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, according to AL.com. It’s the spirits of those children who are said to haunt the playground today.

The spirits that some believe haunt Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, particularly those of children who died during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, are said to make their way to a nearby playground at times, leading to its being known as the Dead Children’s Playground. (Bob Gathany)

Pratt Hall at Huntingdon College

Montgomery

Most universities have a few old ghost stories students like to pass down from generation to generation. At Huntingdon College in Montgomery, the tragic story of the Red Lady, who is said to roam the corridors of Pratt Hall to this day, is a supernatural tale that has been shared across the state for decades.

The Red Lady is said to be the spirit of a woman from New York named Martha, who was sent to the school by her parents. During her time at the college, she became known for her love of all things red. Unfortunately, she was lonely and had a hard time making friends at the school. She ultimately took her own life, while dressed in a red robe, in her fourth-floor dorm room, according to “13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey” by Huntingdon alumnus Kathryn Tucker Windham. Since her death, some Huntingdon students have claimed to see crimson lights at night through the window of her former room, while others said they have witnessed her ghost, dressed in red, roaming the halls and even passing through walls and closed doors in Pratt Hall.

One of Alabama’s most famous ghost stories concerns a lonely student who killed herself in Pratt Hall on the Huntingdon College campus and is said to haunt her old dorm building. The story is well known to fans of Kathryn Tucker Windham’s book “13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey.” (Brad Ford)

The USS Alabama BB-60

Mobile

If a haunted house – or, in this case, college, playground, tree and industrial site – isn’t spooky enough, how about a battleship said to have plenty of ghosts on board? The USS Alabama BB-60 battleship in Mobile is a popular attraction for visitors, but it seems to be a popular haunt for some of its former crew as well.

The 680-foot ship is in Mobile Bay, where it came to rest in 1964 after being built in 1945 and serving as a battleship in World War II. With so much history taking place on its decks, it’s hard to know who the spirits that are said to haunt its halls, but many believe it could be the ghosts of eight crewmen killed during a tragic friendly-fire accident aboard the ship, according to the Haunted Rooms website. Regardless of who the spirits are, plenty of supernatural activity is said to occur on its decks. Visitors have reported hearing footsteps that belong to no one as well as unexplained popping and tapping noises. There have also been sightings of steel hatches closing on their own.

The World War II-era USS Alabama battleship has been a popular Mobile tourist attraction since 1964, but some tourists have reported seeing and hearing things they couldn’t explain. (Mike Kittrell)