The Whitney Mansion: Visit America’s Most Haunted Restaurant

This is a guest contribution from Sally Writes.

The Whitney Mansion in Detroit has been a home, a hospice, and is currently a restaurant that boasts opulent dining rooms and a grand feel throughout the 22,000-foot property.

There’s plenty of ghostly sightings and paranormal experiences to be had, which the restaurant combines with fine dining, followed by drinks at The Ghostbar. Overall, the Whitney Mansion has been described as America’s most haunted restaurant and is a must for anyone seeking all things paranormal.

History of a haunted mansion

The Whitney Mansion was built in 1894 by David Whitney Jr and is located in Detroit. It’s estimated to have cost $400,000, which translates to $9.5 million in today’s money, and has had a further $11 million spent on furniture and interior.

It’s a grand building with many supernatural stories to tell. David Whitney Jr’s wife died during the house’s construction and he went on to marry her sister, who also died in the house. Just four years after the house was complete, David then died in the house and his ghost is one of the most commonly sighted.

The mansion went from being in a nice location on the outskirts of the city until the population and boundary of Detroit expanded and there was an explosion of mass production. This led to the mansion being given to the Wayne County Medical Society a few decades later.

From home to hospice to restaurant

The Wayne County Medical Society turned the mansion into a hospice for tuberculosis patients, which has added to the body count within its walls and fuelled ghostly rumors. Such rumors include apparitions of people gazing out of the windows and employees at the restaurant today say that the lift follows them from one floor to another.

The restaurant offers upscale New American cuisine served with fine wines, with a signature beef wellington being one of their specialties. Guests can go on a tour of the mansion after their meal to learn about its history, as well as haunted tours. The restaurant also recommends that guests start or finish their evening off at The Ghostbar, where they can enjoy hauntingly good cocktails, appetizers, and flaming desserts.

Out of bounds outhouse

The outhouse is said to be the most haunted part of the property. It was originally built for Whitney’s slaves and has been largely untouched for years, mostly due to fear of the paranormal.

Inside the outhouse is a dining table that is set for afternoon tea and has been untouched for as long as anyone can remember. Today, it’s still perfectly set but covered in a thick layer of dust. Adding to the ghostly atmosphere, the outhouse has no electricity, so sits in darkness at night, while the rest of the mansion’s electrics were installed by Thomas Edison, who was a friend of Whitney’s.

The Whitney Mansion is an elegant and beautiful property but has a high body count, a haunting history, and plenty of supernatural sightings still happening today. The restaurant today blends a paranormal experience with fine dining, making for the perfect evening.

Fore more info, visit: https://www.thewhitney.com

Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.

Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.