In Las Vegas, popular places are where people are living life to the fullest. However, there is another side to Las Vegas that stays a bit more in the shadows. If you’re into ghost hunting and you are in Sin City, we have a few haunted spots you’ve got to find.
Founded by the creator of Caesar’s Palace, Jay Sarno, Circus Circus was created to be a circus themed casino in Las Vegas. At the time it opened in 1968, Circus Circus was just that, a casino, and it had no hotel attached to it. Unfortunately no hotel meant no penthouse to offer to high rollers and with no high rollers Circus Circus began to fall apart. To save the place, Sarno borrowed money from the mob – $23 million and in exchange Sarno was forced to allow mob activity to take place within the casino and hotel. Circus Circus is believed to have been used often by those in organized crime to permanently silence people, with many having “fallen” to their deaths through the windows of hotel. The number of victims is unknown and Circus Circus has since done its best to move on from their shady past and has morphed into a family friendly atmosphere promoting good, clean, fun.
The Westgate, formerly the Las Vegas Hilton
If you love Elvis Presley (and who doesn’t) why not try and catch a glimpse of the specter of the King himself? Yes, yes, he died many years ago but before that he spent a solid 7 years performing at the Las Vegas Hilton, becoming a genuine Las Vegas legend. His spirit has long been said to roam the grounds and even to this day guests of the Las Vegas Hilton, now the Westgate, still report seeing the ghost of Presley walking the hallways of the upper floors of the building. Staff acknowledge seeing the King hanging out in the theater basement as well, a place he often would spend time relaxing with fellow performers.
Little Choo Choo Daycare
This one is a little heavy. Legend has it that the Little Choo Choo Daycare was a cute, safe, neighborhood childcare center. The center had a miniature, gas powered train (Little Choo Choo), to take the kids on little rides around the yard. The story is that one day, while taking the little ones on a ride around the yard, a little boy was tragically pinned underneath the train, ending his life. If that isn’t bad enough, later a teach reportedly took her own life while at work. The building has since been demolished, but residents of the neighborhood have reported seeing a young boy with a shovel digging in the dirt at the ruins of the Little Choo Choo Daycare. The woman who killed herself has also been spotted, walking the streets of the neighborhood, perhaps trying to find her way home.
Tivoli Gardens
Liberace was an actor, a musician and a singer well known for his over the top and often opulent fashion sense. He was the best paid entertainer of his day, getting $50,000 a WEEK in 1955 when performing at The Riviera. Although critics would typically have only negative things to say about his musicianship, Liberace didn’t seem to care and was more concerned with entertaining and giving people a real show than he was with performing each piece of music perfectly. Later he opened and operated Liberace’s Tivoli Gardens Restaurant, furnishing the interior with as much Vegas charm as one would imagine from the glitzy performer. Tivoli’s even had a huge room, featuring a few of Liberace’s most famous and glamorous pianos. After his death this piano room was rumored to be a favorite hangout for the star, and some guests of the restaurant have claimed to see Liberace peering in through the windows at diners. Though the restaurant has since been closed, the building still stands and people still report sightings today.