Five Texas places with a haunted reputation and a public door

The Driskill, Austin

The Driskill will rent you a room at the corner of Brazos and Sixth. Its own pages, read in October 2026, do not print a ghost, a bride, or Room 525. Tanya Estes's Austin Monthly piece, bylined October 2021, prints Room 525. Texas Highways, bylined September 13, 2007, prints Room 329 for a bride who sounds like the same story.

The footer on the homepage and the about page prints "604 Brazos St," and then "Austin, TX 78701." The phone on both pages is 512-439-1234. The link target is tel:512-439-1234. That target uses dashes and does not use a plus or a country code. The visit line below uses the printed digits with an ordinary +1 link. It does not use tel:512-439-1234. Email on both pages is AustinDriskill.Hyatt@hyatt.com. The footer says "© 2026 The Driskill Hotel."

A Commons file that was not saved, Driskill austin 2006.jpg, Larry D. Moore, carries a description that places the building at 601 Brazos St. The hotel pages I saved print 604. The 2025 photograph used below shows a street blade that reads Brazos and a street blade that reads 6th. It does not print 604 or 601.

The homepage says "Since 1886" and "189 individually styled guestrooms." The about page says the story "goes all the way back to 1886" and, later, "since 1886." The historic-timeline block on that same about page says, "It all began in 1888 with Colonel Jesse Driskill." 1886 and 1888 are both on the about page. The timeline calls the room "The Victoria room." The dining nav calls the bar "The Victorian." The about page prints "Lady Bird Johnson" and, in the timeline, "Ladybird started a radio show." Lady Bird and Ladybird are both on the about page. The timeline also says "the first long-distance call in the United States was made from Austin to New York." The paragraph above it says the first long-distance telephone call from Austin to New York happened at the front desk. "In the United States" and "from Austin to New York" are not the same claim. I am not using either sentence as a checked history fact. They are what the about page prints.

The homepage says 1886 Café & Bakery is "Serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch 7-days a week." It does not print an opening clock or a closing clock. The homepage says the Driskill Bar's cocktails, beer, and small plates "are served daily from open to close." Open and close are not a clock. A package called Reimagined Luxury prints "2pm late check-out." That 2 p.m. line is the package. The policies page, read in October 2026, prints a fitness center with "24/7 availability," valet at the Brazos Street entrance at $65 per night and $75 per night for oversized vehicles, and EV charging at $15 per charge. The pet fee line prints "$150 one-time, non-refundable." The policies page does not print an ordinary check-in time. October 4, 2026, is a Sunday. The cafe line says seven days, so Sunday is included, and it still does not print a clock. The policies page does not print a Sunday closure.

Estes's story is "Driskill Hotel's Haunted History: Fact vs. Fiction." The byline is Tanya Estes, October 2021. The article:published_time tag is 2021-09-28T21:05:10+00:00, which is 4:05 p.m. Central on September 28, 2021. The visible byline says October 2021. The article:modified_time tag is 2024-10-15T14:34:43+00:00, which is 9:34 a.m. Central on October 15, 2024. The meta author is Tanya Estes.

Under "Room 525," Estes writes, "The only thing confirmed is that she killed herself in Room 525 after her fiancé called off their wedding, and that she mournfully walks the halls in her Victorian gown." Confirmed, in that sentence, is Estes's word about the first bride. The same section calls that first bride "a sort of ancillary ghost peppered in for flavor." A suicide story and a ghost in the hall are not the same finding, and this draft does not treat either one as proved. Estes then describes a second bride, "a rare Gen X ghost who died in 1991." A Houston socialite, "jilted at the altar," "went on a massive shopping spree with her lover's purloined credit card and was last seen carrying several bags into Room 525." "Later that night, while sitting in the bathtub, the bride put a gun in one hand and a pillow in the other, then shot herself." "Driskill guests have claimed to see her carrying packages or a pistol down the hall before she vanishes into Room 525 without ever opening the door." Claimed is Estes's verb. She does not name the guests.

On the senator's daughter, Estes writes, "Legend says that a girl, rumored to be named Samantha Houston, tripped and fell to her death on the Driskill's grand staircase and can since be heard giggling and bouncing a ball on its steps. Historians have long searched for any evidence to verify the tale, all to no avail." The legend and the historians' search are both in that paragraph. They are not the same sentence. Estes also writes that Annie Lennox "claimed he selected her stage outfit while she showered," and that Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde wrote "Ghost of a Texas Ladies Man." Claimed is Estes's word for Lennox. I did not open a Lennox interview or the song. The cigar-smoke paragraph says some guests blame Col. Jesse Driskill. "Some blame" does not name the guests.

Texas Highways is "The (Haunted) Driskill." The visible byline is "By Texas Highways," September 13, 2007. The meta author tag is Art Williams. Williams's name is not on the visible byline. The article:published_time tag is 2007-09-13T10:39:33+00:00, which is 5:39 a.m. Central on September 13, 2007. The article:modified_time tag is 2026-02-09T19:26:27+00:00, which is 1:26 p.m. Central on February 9, 2026. The visible date and the 2026 modified tag are not the same day.

The story says Austin Ghost Tours calls the building haunted, and it names "original owner and cattle baron Jesse Driskill, a jilted bride, and a young girl." Jeanine Plumer, "founder of Austin Ghost Tours," says, "Most hauntings are feelings, smells, or movements of objects." The next paragraph is labeled folklore: Jesse Driskill "is said to" show up as cigar smoke and flickering lights, because he "had to forfeit ownership" shortly after the 1886 opening. "Is said" does not name a second speaker. Then: "A bolder ghost is that of a bride who, in the 1990s, checked into Room 329 after her fiancé called off their wedding." She "went on a shopping spree racking up a $40,000 credit-card bill," then "shot herself, muffling the sound with a pillow." "Past guests claim they have seen her ghost walking down the halls with shopping bags in tow." Estes's room is 525, her year is 1991, and she does not print $40,000. Texas Highways's room is 329, the decade is the 1990s, and the bill is $40,000. The two pages do not cite each other. A child "who died after falling down a flight of stairs, can be heard giggling and bouncing a ball." Texas Highways does not print the name Samantha Houston. Estes does not print Plumer, Room 329, or $40,000. The 2026 hotel pages do not print any of those names or numbers.

Visit: 604 Brazos St, Austin, TX 78701, the footer line. The 2006 Commons description that prints 601 Brazos St was not the hotel's page. (512) 439-1234. The site link points at tel:512-439-1234. driskillhotel.com. Cafe, checked in October 2026: breakfast, brunch, and lunch, seven days, no clock. Bar: daily from open to close, no clock. Policies page: no ordinary check-in time. A package prints a 2 p.m. late checkout. October 4, 2026, is a Sunday, and the seven-day cafe line includes it without a clock. Room 525 and the 1991 bride are Estes, Austin Monthly, October 2021 on the byline and September 28, 2021, at 4:05 p.m. Central on the published tag. Room 329 and $40,000 are Texas Highways, September 13, 2007, modified February 9, 2026. Plumer's sentence is that story. The hotel pages do not print them. 1886 and 1888 are both on the about page.

The Menger Hotel, San Antonio

The Menger will rent you a room on Alamo Plaza, and it will sell a pool day pass that does not require a night in a room. Its homepage, read in October 2026, does not print Sallie White, a ghost, or the word haunt. Neal Morton's Express-News story, updated January 23, 2015, has the hotel's own public-relations director talking about ghosts. Camille Sauers's mySA story of June 22, 2021, has a tour guide naming Sallie White. KSAT, October 15, 2015, has the same hotel man saying the stories are true, and a viewer naming Sallie.

The footer prints "204 Alamo Plaza," and "San Antonio, TX 78205." The phone, printed more than once, is 210-223-4361. The link target is tel:210-223-4361. That target does not use a plus or a country code. The visit line below uses the printed digits with an ordinary +1 link. It does not use tel:210-223-4361. Email in the footer block is reservations@mengerhotel.com. The copyright line says "The Menger Hotel, all rights reserved 2026."

The homepage says the hotel is "the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi," that William Menger opened the brewery in 1855 and the hotel in 1859, and that there are "316 elegant guest rooms and suites." Morton's story says, "The first hotel built west of the Colorado River, the Menger opened to the public Feb. 1, 1859," a two-story, 50-room inn, later "five stories and 316 rooms." West of the Mississippi, on the 2026 homepage, and west of the Colorado River, in the 2015 story, are not the same line. February 1, 1859, is Morton's. The homepage says 1859 and does not print February 1. Sauers writes that the hotel was "constructed in 1857." 1857, 1859, and February 1, 1859, are three dates. A photo caption on Sauers's page says "no fewer than 32 known spirits." Her own paragraph says "over 30 different ghosts." 32 and "over 30" are both on that page.

The policies page prints "Check-in Time | 4:00 PM" and "Check-out Time | 11:00 AM." Minimum check-in age is 21. Overnight valet is "$59 plus tax." A line reads, "Sunday 5PM Late Check-out, Fee $35. Available for Sunday departures only. Restricted to certain room types. Not available on holiday weekends." October 4, 2026, is a Sunday, so that Sunday line is the one that could apply, and the restrictions are on the same line. Room service is "6:30 AM to 8:00 PM," with the note that hours vary. Pool hours are 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The fitness center is 24 hours. The homepage spells it "Fitness Centre." Centre is the homepage spelling. The policies page does not print a Sunday closure of the front door. The homepage says in-room dining is "available daily with extended weekend hours" and does not print the clock the policies page prints.

Morton's story is "Beer, ice cream, ghosts at historic Menger Hotel." The byline is Neal Morton, Staff Writer. The visible line says "Updated Jan 23, 2015 2:00 p.m." A second line on the page says "Jan 21, 2015" and then "Updated Jan 23, 2015 2:00 p.m." The article:published_time tag is 2015-01-23T20:00:00Z, which is 2:00 p.m. Central on January 23, 2015. January 21 and January 23 are both printed.

Ernesto Luis Malacara, "director of public relations and ghost expert at the historic Menger Hotel," said, "So, after the bar would close, he would simply clear the tables, and that was their bed for the night," and "It is said that gave him the idea to open a hotel with all the bells and whistles." Later he said, "Oh, we have our fair share of ghosts." He said, "The building at this time is 155 years old." February 1, 1859, plus 155 years, is February 1, 2014. The story's updated line is January 23, 2015. The 155 and the 2015 date are both in the story. He said, "Only the good Lord knows what's buried here." Morton writes that staff do not shy away from the ghostly rumors, and that a book, "The History and Mystery of the Menger Hotel," by Docia Schutlz Williams, "chronicled visitations from a Confederate soldier, the 'blue ladies' that haunt the second floor, phantom chambermaids and spirits at the bar." Schutlz is the spelling on the page. I did not open the book. The names in that sentence are Morton's summary of Williams. A lobby caption on the same page prints "Aflred Giles" and "Coronthian columns." Those spellings are the caption's.

KSAT's story is "Ghost tales and guests that never leave: San Antonio's historic Menger Hotel." The bylines are Erica Hernandez, Adrian Garcia, and RJ Marquez. The visible line says "Published: October 15, 2015 at 1:05 PM" and "Updated: October 25, 2021 at 10:35 AM." The article:published_time tag is 2015-10-15T18:05:48Z, which is 1:05 p.m. Central on October 15, 2015. The article:modified_time tag is 2021-10-25T15:35:45.348Z, which is 10:35 a.m. Central on October 25, 2021. The story says Ernesto Malacara has worked at the hotel since 1977. He said, "These (stories) are absolutely true. We do not make any of this up." True, in that sentence, is Malacara's word to KSAT. It is not a finding that a spirit has been proved. "One spirit is that of a little boy named either Leonard or Lawrence." Leonard and Lawrence are both in that sentence. KSAT writes that the night of the visit "nothing unusual happened." Days later, viewer Felishia Powell, who "visited the Menger in 2013," sent a photo of "a child in red" and "a dark figure behind the child." "Felishia said she believes it could possibly be the ghost of Sallie White. Sallie was a maid at the hotel and allegedly died there." "The story is that Sallie's husband attacked her and she later died from the injuries." "It is rumored you can see her on the third floor." Allegedly, "the story is," and "it is rumored" do not name a document. Powell's belief and Malacara's "absolutely true" are not the same speaker.

Sauers's story is "Tales of Texas Ghosts: The spirits of the historic Menger Hotel." The byline in the meta author tag is Camille Sauers. The article:published_time tag is 2021-06-22T09:13:00Z, which is 4:13 a.m. Central on June 22, 2021. The article:modified_time tag is 2021-06-22T20:41:33Z, which is 3:41 p.m. Central on June 22, 2021. Lauren Swartz, "who has been leading Sisters Grimm Ghost Tour out of the hotel for the past 10 years," says the Menger "is not like" the scratching ghosts on television. "For the past 10 years" is dated by a June 2021 story. This draft does not add five more years. Sauers writes, "According to Swartz, Sallie White was a chambermaid at the Menger Hotel who met a tragic end on March 30, 1876." The husband in that account is Henry Wheeler. Swartz's account, as Sauers prints it, has Sallie shot, reaching the hotel, and dying after two days "under the care of a widowed Mary Menger." Sauers writes, "There are records that show Mary paid for her funeral costs." I did not open those records. The sentence is Sauers's. KSAT's Sallie "allegedly died there" and does not print March 30, 1876, Henry Wheeler, or Mary Menger. Sauers writes that front-desk staff "occasionally receive calls about a strange maid." "If you ask the front desk" does not name the clerk. She quotes Kinky Friedman from a Texas Monthly column she says he wrote, including "That's our Sallie!" I did not open the Texas Monthly column. The sentences are what Sauers's story prints. Swartz tells Sauers she has "a feeling" a missing Sisters Grimm sign was a message from Sallie. A feeling is Swartz's, in that phone conversation. The 2026 Menger pages I saved do not print Swartz, Sallie, Malacara, or a ghost.

Visit: 204 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205. (210) 223-4361. The site link points at tel:210-223-4361. mengerhotel.com. Policies, checked in October 2026: check-in 4:00 p.m., check-out 11:00 a.m. Sunday late check-out is 5 p.m. for a $35 fee, Sunday departures only, with the restrictions on that line. October 4, 2026, is a Sunday. Malacara's "fair share of ghosts" and the 155 years are Morton, Express-News, updated January 23, 2015, 2:00 p.m. Central. His "absolutely true" and the Leonard-or-Lawrence boy are KSAT, October 15, 2015. Sallie White's March 30, 1876, date is Swartz, via Sauers, mySA, June 22, 2021. Powell's 2013 photo is KSAT. The homepage does not print any of them. 1857 is Sauers. February 1, 1859, is Morton. The homepage says 1859.

Miss Molly's Hotel, Fort Worth

Miss Molly's will rent you a room over the Star Cafe in the Stockyards. The about page, read in October 2026, prints the haunting in the hotel's own words. Paula Gowins told NBC 5, in a story published October 31, 2018, that she saw a cowboy walk into a room and shut the door. A Fort Worth Weekly piece dated October 10, 2024, repeats much of the hotel's wording and adds that the morning meal is gone. A CBS Texas page returned 406 and did not open. Quotes that exist only on that page are not here.

The about page prints "109 W. Exchange Ave." and "Fort Worth, TX 76164" and "Phone (817) 626-1522." The contact page prints "109 West Exchange Ave." and "Fort Worth, Texas 76164" and "Tel: (817) 626-1522." West and W. are both on the site. Ave. and the contact page's "Ave." match. The terms page prints "109 W. Exchange Ave. 76164" without a comma, and it also prints "INNKEEPER 817-454-4320." The about page does not print 817-454-4320. The terms page tells you to call or text the innkeeper with an arrival time. Those are two numbers. Fort Worth Weekly's parenthetical is "109 W Exchange Av, 817-626-1522." Av, not Ave, and no period after the W. The visit line below uses the about-page number with an ordinary +1 link. The innkeeper number is printed on the terms page, so it is linked where it appears, and it is not the about-page number.

The terms page prints "CHECK IN: 3 pm - 8 pm ONLY" and "CHECK OUT: 11:00 AM." A lost key is "$35.00 per room." "Rates are not guaranteed until the client has paid in full." The page does not print a Sunday closure and does not print a dollar rate for a room. October 4, 2026, is a Sunday. The 3-to-8 window does not say it skips Sunday. An arrival after 8 p.m. is outside the line that is printed. The about page says "spending the weekend at Miss Molly's Hotel" and does not say the building is closed on Sunday.

The about page says the hotel is "the oldest Bed and Breakfast in Fort Worth," "Established as a boarding house in 1910 and called the Palace Rooms," then "The Oasis," then "a Bordello in the 1940's when it was called the Gayatte Hotel." Gayatte is the spelling. It says, "The eight themed rooms in the hotel all share stories of paranormal activity, with the Cattlemen's and Cowboy rooms having some of the more famous sightings of apparitions." The next sentence is "Visitations have also occurred in the current owner's private room's number eight and nine of a young girl, who is considered a former tenant of the hotel." Room's, with the apostrophe, is the page's. Eight themed rooms, and private rooms numbered eight and nine, are both on the page. The page does not say whether eight and nine are inside the eight or in addition to the eight. "According to a former owner, one housekeeper quit because she kept finding coins in rooms even though there had been no guests." The former owner is not named. The housekeeper is not named. The page says the hotel "is listed with Texas Christian University's paranormal activity class." I did not open a TCU page. The sentence is the hotel's. A room description above the haunted section says "Exerted from a article by Elizabeth Campbell that appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram." Exerted, and "a article," are the spellings. I did not open the Star-Telegram piece. It is not the ghost section.

NBC 5's story is "Historic Stockyards Hotel is Reportedly Haunted." The byline is Ben Russell. The visible line says "Published October 31, 2018" and "Updated on October 31, 2018 at 7:25 am." The 7:25 line does not print a time zone. The parsely-pub-date tag is 2018-10-31T12:08:20Z, which is 7:08 a.m. Central on October 31, 2018. 7:08 and 7:25 are not the same minute. Paula Gowins, "the Manager of Miss Molly's who has worked at the hotel for more than a decade," said, "I had no clue it was haunted [when I took the job] so when I came to work here, after a few months, things started happening." The brackets are the page's. About "the resident cowboy named Jake," Russell writes that "multiple mediums have identified" him as Jake. Gowins said, "I saw him in full body. He walked into a room and shut the door behind him, and I went up and knocked on the door and opened the door and no one was in there." Russell then quotes the hotel website of that day: "The seven themed rooms." Seven, in the 2018 quotation, and eight, on the about page read in October 2026, are not the same count. The 2018 quotation already includes "the current owner's private room's number eight and nine." The Weekly piece in 2024 says "eight themed rooms" and "private rooms (numbers 8 and 9)." Russell's story does not print a phone number.

Fort Worth Weekly is "Haunted?" The visible byline is "By Living Local," October 10, 2024. The meta author is "Fort Worth Weekly." The article:author tag points at a page ending in /author/dana/. Living Local, Fort Worth Weekly, and dana are three labels on one story. The article:published_time tag is 2024-10-10T18:09:39+00:00, which is 1:09 p.m. Central on October 10, 2024. The modified tag is the same timestamp. The headline in the body reads, "Yes. Miss Molly's Hotel is 'one most active paranormal sites in Texas.'" The word of is not in that headline. The hotel's about page says "one of the most active." The photo caption says, "While they no longer serve a morning meal, Miss Molly's is still considered the oldest bed and breakfast in Fort Worth." The about page still calls the place a bed and breakfast and does not print a breakfast hour. The Weekly caption is the sentence that says the morning meal is gone. The rest of the Weekly body tracks the hotel's haunted paragraph, including the unnamed former owner and the unnamed housekeeper. The Weekly photo credit is "Courtesy Miss Molly's Hotel." That file is not the Commons photograph below, and it was not saved.

Visit: 109 W. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76164, the about-page line. The contact page spells out West. The Weekly line uses Av. (817) 626-1522. The terms page also prints (817) 454-4320 for the innkeeper. missmollyshotel.com. Terms, checked in October 2026: check-in 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. only, check-out 11:00 a.m., no room rate on that page. October 4, 2026, is a Sunday, and the terms page does not print a Sunday closure. Gowins's cowboy in the doorway is NBC 5, Ben Russell, October 31, 2018. Jake is Russell's word for what mediums said. Eight themed rooms are the 2026 about page. Seven themed rooms are the website quotation inside the 2018 story. The morning meal is the Weekly caption, October 10, 2024, Living Local. The CBS Texas page did not open.

The Excelsior House, Jefferson

The Excelsior House will rent you a room, and it will sell a Friday or Saturday tour at 2 p.m. The homepage, read in October 2026, lists Steven Spielberg among people who have stayed. A separate page on the same site says Room 215 inspired his work on Poltergeist. Morgan Kinney's Houstonia story, September 25, 2019, has the front-desk clerk calling the ghost stories "just stories," and has a tour guide telling the Spielberg tale anyway. A direct download of the hotel site failed on the TLS handshake. The pages used here are the ones that opened in a fetch.

The page prints "211 W. Austin Street Jefferson, TX 75657." It prints "(903) 665-2513" and, beside that number, the ten digits run together as 9036652513. I did not save a tel: href, because the direct download did not complete. The visit line below uses the printed formatted number with an ordinary +1 link. A Commons category for the building prints the street as "211 W. Austin St." Street and St. are the two forms. The category and the hotel page use the same number.

The homepage calls the hotel "The Oldest Hotel in Texas — Est. 1858" and "the oldest continuously operating hotel in Texas." The Menger's homepage, the same month, calls the Menger the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi and dates the Menger to 1859. Those are two hotels' sentences. This draft does not pick a winner. The Excelsior page says "15 individually appointed guest rooms" and says the Jessie Allen Wise Garden Club has owned and operated it since 1961. Guided hotel tours are "every Friday and Saturday at 2:00 p.m." "Our Excelsior Southern Breakfast is served Friday – Sunday, and is $24.95 plus tax per person." A second block on the same fetch says a breakfast "is served Friday, Saturday and Sunday." The dash form and the three-day form are the same meals. October 4, 2026, is a Sunday, so the breakfast line includes it and the 2 p.m. tour line does not. The page does not print a check-in clock. It also prints a Saturday, October 3, 2026, event at 3:00 p.m., "Experience the Grace and Elegance of the Gilded Age," with seating limited and reservations required. That 3 p.m. line is one Saturday. It is not a standing hour.

The same homepage fetch prints two pilgrimage lines. One says the "80th Annual Historic Jefferson Pilgrimage, April 29–30 and May 1–2, 2027." Another says the "79th Annual Historic Pilgrimage scheduled from April 30th through May 3, 2026." The 79th and the 80th are both on the page. The date ranges are not the same weekend moved by one year. 2026 and 2027 are both printed.

The haunted page is titled "The Excelsior, a Jefferson Texas Haunted Hotel?" It says guests and staff "have shared stories of unusual encounters." It says, "Room 215: This room is famous for an encounter that inspired director Steven Spielberg's work on 'Poltergeist.' Guests have reported unexplained noises and cold spots." It says, "The Headless Man: Some have seen the apparition of a headless man on the second floor, quietly wandering the halls." It says, "The Woman in Black: Dressed in mourning attire and often seen carrying a baby, this figure has been a part of many guests' stories." "Some have seen" and "many guests' stories" do not name the guests. The homepage lists Spielberg with Ulysses S. Grant, Oscar Wilde, Rutherford B. Hayes, and Lady Bird Johnson as people who have "walked its halls." A list of names on a homepage is not the same sentence as the Poltergeist claim. The haunted page does not print a price, a tour clock, or the pilgrimage dates.

Kinney's story is "Separating Facts from Phantoms at Jefferson's Excelsior House Hotel." The byline is Morgan Kinney, September 25, 2019, "Published in the October 2019 issue of Houstonia Magazine." An og:updated_time tag on the page reads 2024-02-24 11:16:21 -0600, which is 11:16 a.m. Central on February 24, 2024. The visible byline is 2019. The updated tag is 2024. Kinney calls the Spielberg account "per legend": location scouting for The Sugarland Express, a few hours in Room 215, then "the nearest Holiday Inn," and "Supposedly the encounter inspired Poltergeist." The front-desk clerk, whom Kinney does not name, "remained tight-lipped on the Spielberg matter" and said, "those are just stories." Kinney prints the wi-fi password he saw on a plaque, "Casper123." Jodi Breckenridge, the ghost-walk leader, told the group the hotel ranked "15 out of 10" on a scale she devised, and told a version in which Spielberg set luggage on a rocking chair and the chair threw it back. Kinney's friend on the trip, whom he calls Texas, answered that the chair was still there. Breckenridge's story and the clerk's "just stories" are both in Kinney's piece. They are not the same speaker. Kinney's traveler-tips line prints "rooms from $99/night." The 2026 hotel pages that opened do not print $99. The $99 figure is the 2019 story. The photo credit on Kinney's hotel pictures is "Courtesy of the Excelsior House Hotel." Those files are not the Commons photograph below.

Visit: 211 W. Austin Street, Jefferson, TX 75657. (903) 665-2513. The page also prints the digits as 9036652513. theexcelsiorhouse.com. Tours, checked in October 2026: Friday and Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Breakfast Friday through Sunday, $24.95 plus tax. No check-in clock on the pages that opened. October 4, 2026, is a Sunday, so the breakfast line includes it and the 2 p.m. tour does not. October 3 is the 3 p.m. gilded-age seating, by reservation. The headless man, the woman in black, and the Poltergeist sentence are the hotel's haunted page. The clerk's "just stories" and Breckenridge's chair are Kinney, Houstonia, September 25, 2019. The 79th pilgrimage in 2026 and the 80th in 2027 are both on the homepage fetch.

Grand Galvez, Galveston

Grand Galvez will rent you a room on the seawall. The homepage that opened in October 2026 does not print the word ghost or the word haunt. A ghost-tours address on that domain, /ghost-tours/, returned a 404 page that says the resource could not be found. Melissa Hall told Chris Gray at the Houston Chronicle, in a story dated October 27, 2025, that she leads ghost tours and that a bride is tied to Room 501. ABC13, in a story whose tags and whose visible date do not land on the same day, has Christine Hopkins saying the hotel stepped up weekly ghost tours.

The visible homepage text I saved does not print a street. A schema block on that page prints streetAddress "2024 Seawall Blvd," addressLocality Galveston, addressRegion TX, postalCode 77550. The Commons category for the building prints "2024 Seawall Blvd." The phone visible on the homepage is "+1 409-765-7721." The link target is +14097657721. That target does not start with tel:. The visit line below uses the ten digits with an ordinary tel:+1 link. It does not use the href the site printed. The schema name is "Grand Galvez." ABC13's headline says "Hotel Galvez." Gray's story uses Grand Galvez and Hotel Galvez. The homepage calls the place "The Queen of the Gulf" and says "Since 1911." It does not print a check-in time, a tour clock, or a room rate. October 4, 2026, is a Sunday. The homepage does not print a Sunday closure. It also does not print Hall's tour.

Gray's story is the Chron page "Galveston's Galvez Hotel is haunted, and it has a guide." The meta author is Chris Gray. The article:published_time tag is 2025-10-27T12:02:11Z, which is 7:02 a.m. Central on October 27, 2025. The article:modified_time tag is 2025-10-27T12:05:11Z, which is 7:05 a.m. Central the same morning. Melissa Hall, "Ghostess of Galveston," told Gray she set out to work at the hotel and now does. She said the Tremont House once gave a guest "20,000 Marriott points" after a paranormal report, and that the Galvez could not do that because it happens "all the time." Hall "usually offers her tours year-round, several times a week." "This week," in a story dated October 27, 2025, means tours Sunday through Thursday of that week. "After Halloween, though, she'll be out for at least six weeks" for surgery, and she "has to leave her latest position at the hotel's boutique." That absence is what she told Gray in October 2025. The 2026 homepage does not say whether she is back, and the ghost-tours path returned 404. I am not filling in a 2026 tour calendar she did not print on a page I could open.

Hall told Gray the ghosts "are a friendly lot" and that she thinks "our spirits are happy" about a renovation. Gray writes that new owners Mark and Lorenda Wyant had a reported $50 million renovation "completed in 2023." Reported is Gray's. Hall's best-known specters, as Gray prints them, include "the young girl who haunts the spa (which decades ago was an ice-cream parlor), whispering 'ice cream...'" and "'The Bride' of Room 501, who hung herself off the hotel's West Turret after learning her sailor fiancé had been lost at sea." Gray adds that in 2023 the hotel "threw a 'Ghost Bride Ball' in her honor," and he points to Kathleen Maca's 2021 book. I did not open the book. The bride and the girl are Hall, via Gray. Hall also describes a man who worked at the hotel in the 1960s and 1970s and died in 1984. She does not print his name in the passage I read. She is the speaker. The homepage does not print Room 501.

ABC13's story is "Hotel Galvez has hosted presidents, the Rat Pack and possible ghosts in Galveston." The visible date line on the page says "Monday, June 10, 2019." The article:published_time tag is 2019-10-22T14:55:53Z, which is 9:55 a.m. Central on October 22, 2019. The article:modified_time tag is 2024-10-31T22:50:15Z, which is 5:50 p.m. Central on October 31, 2024. June 10, 2019, October 22, 2019, and October 31, 2024, are all on the page. The saved text does not print a reporter's name. Bobby Lee Hilton, "known as Mr. Bobby," said he "started as the coffee boy" and that "It only took $1 million and one year to build this." The story says the hotel opened June 10, 1911. The page then says, "Mr. Bobby died on October 7 at the age of 86." October 7, on that page, does not come with a year. Christine Hopkins, "with the Hotel Galvez," said, "We've been offering a ghost tour and dinner for many years now, but because of the ongoing interest of our ghosts, we've stepped that up and we actually have weekly tours that you can do." The next paragraph says, "In October, tours and dinners are available Tuesdays through Thursdays and Fridays as part of an overnight package." It does not print which October. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and also Fridays, is the sentence as printed. Hall's "year-round, several times a week," in October 2025, and Hopkins's October package days, on a page whose dates run from 2019 to 2024, are not the same calendar. The 2026 homepage prints neither schedule. The ghost-tours path is a 404.

Visit: 2024 Seawall Blvd, Galveston, TX 77550, the schema line. The visible paragraphs I saved do not print the street. (409) 765-7721. The site prints +1 409-765-7721 and points the link at +14097657721, without tel:. grandgalvez.com. The homepage, checked in October 2026, does not print a front-desk clock, a ghost, or a tour time. /ghost-tours/ returned 404. October 4, 2026, is a Sunday, and the homepage does not print a Sunday closure. Hall's Room 501 bride and the spa girl are Chris Gray, Chron, October 27, 2025, 7:02 a.m. Central on the published tag. Her six weeks after Halloween are that story, not a 2026 calendar. Hopkins's weekly tours are ABC13, whose visible line says June 10, 2019, and whose published tag is October 22, 2019. Mr. Bobby's death date on that page is October 7 with no year.

How to use this

Start with the door that matches the week you are actually having. The Driskill is (512) 439-1234, at 604 Brazos St, Austin, TX 78701. The site link is tel:512-439-1234. A 2006 Commons description prints 601 Brazos St. The 2025 photograph shows Brazos and 6th and does not print either number. The about page prints 1886 and 1888, Lady Bird and Ladybird, and The Victoria room against a nav item called The Victorian. The cafe says seven days and does not print a clock. The bar says open to close. Policies do not print an ordinary check-in. A package prints a 2 p.m. late checkout. October 4, 2026, is a Sunday. Estes's Room 525 and the 1991 bride are Austin Monthly, October 2021 on the byline, September 28, 2021, at 4:05 p.m. Central on the tag, modified October 15, 2024. She writes that historians have not verified Samantha Houston. Texas Highways prints Room 329, the 1990s, and $40,000, bylined September 13, 2007, modified February 9, 2026, at 1:26 p.m. Central. The meta author is Art Williams. The visible byline is Texas Highways. Plumer's sentence is in that story. The hotel pages do not print the ghosts.

The Menger is (210) 223-4361, at 204 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205. The site link is tel:210-223-4361. Check-in is 4:00 p.m. Check-out is 11:00 a.m. Sunday late check-out is 5 p.m. for $35, with the restrictions on that line, and October 4 is a Sunday. The homepage says west of the Mississippi and 1859. Morton says west of the Colorado River and February 1, 1859, and he prints January 21 and January 23, 2015. Sauers says constructed in 1857, and her page prints both "over 30" and "no fewer than 32." Malacara's "fair share of ghosts" and "155 years old" are the Express-News story updated January 23, 2015, 2:00 p.m. Central. His "absolutely true," and Leonard or Lawrence, are KSAT, October 15, 2015, updated October 25, 2021. Sallie White's March 30, 1876, and Henry Wheeler are Swartz, via Sauers, June 22, 2021. Powell's photo is the KSAT story, from a 2013 visit. The book credit spells Docia Schutlz Williams. The homepage does not print a ghost.

Miss Molly's is (817) 626-1522, at 109 W. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76164. The terms page prints (817) 454-4320 for the innkeeper. Check-in is 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. only. Check-out is 11:00 a.m. No room rate was on the terms page. October 4 is a Sunday, and the terms page does not close that day. The about page says eight themed rooms and private rooms eight and nine, and it spells Gayatte. NBC 5's 2018 quotation of the website says seven themed rooms. Gowins's full-body cowboy is Ben Russell, October 31, 2018, with a 7:25 a.m. line that has no zone and a 7:08 a.m. Central tag. Jake is what Russell says mediums called him. The Weekly caption, October 10, 2024, 1:09 p.m. Central, says they no longer serve a morning meal. The byline is Living Local. The author URL ends in dana. The headline drops the word of. The CBS Texas page returned 406.

The Excelsior House is (903) 665-2513, at 211 W. Austin Street, Jefferson, TX 75657. The page also prints 9036652513. Tours are Friday and Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Breakfast is Friday through Sunday at $24.95 plus tax. October 4 is a Sunday, so breakfast is on the printed line and the 2 p.m. tour is not. October 3, 2026, is a 3 p.m. reservation event. The homepage says oldest hotel in Texas, 1858, 15 rooms. The 79th pilgrimage is April 30 through May 3, 2026. The 80th is April 29–30 and May 1–2, 2027. Both lines were on the homepage fetch. The haunted page's headless man, woman in black, and Room 215 Poltergeist sentence are the hotel's. The clerk's "just stories" and Breckenridge's rocking chair are Kinney, Houstonia, September 25, 2019, in the October 2019 issue, with an updated tag of February 24, 2024, 11:16 a.m. Central. The $99 rate is that 2019 tips box, not the 2026 page. The direct TLS download of the hotel site failed. The fetch is what opened.

Grand Galvez is (409) 765-7721, at 2024 Seawall Blvd, Galveston, TX 77550, in the schema block. The visible homepage does not print the street, a ghost, or a clock. The phone link target is +14097657721, without tel:. /ghost-tours/ is a 404. Hall's Room 501 bride, the spa girl, the year-round tours, and the six weeks after Halloween 2025 are Chris Gray, Chron, October 27, 2025. Hopkins's weekly tours, and the October package days, are ABC13, visible date June 10, 2019, published tag October 22, 2019, modified October 31, 2024. Mr. Bobby died "on October 7" with no year on that page. The photograph is March 29, 2022, before the 2023 renovation Gray reports.

If a guide adds a ghost this research did not find on the venue's site or in the news pieces cited below, enjoy it as a story and leave it there.

These five doors are not in one town. Compact binoculars and a Texas road atlas are the practical extras if you are driving between them.