Explore the Haunted Benbow Inn in Garberville, CA

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Uncover the mysteries of the haunted Benbow Inn and its rich history in the heart of California’s Southern Humboldt County.

One of the few remaining early 20th-century hotels in Northern California, the Benbow Historic Inn is a standard bearer for luxurious hospitality. Its distinctive Tudor Revival-styled architecture and storied history evoke the golden era of travel and resort life while offering every modern comfort. The Benbow Inn is in the heart of the Southern Humboldt County Redwoods Forest, near Garberville.

The inn upholds an old-world charm with 65 spacious guest rooms, antique furniture, classic paintings, an acclaimed restaurant, and a historic bar. The grand dame of Southern Humboldt, the hotel attracted the Hollywood elite of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, as well as dignitaries from around the world.

But it’s not just celebrities that frequented the Benbow. We’ve heard whisperings about spirits and mysterious happenings at the hotel and wondered, “Is the Benbow Inn haunted hotel really known for paranormal activity?” As we enter spooky season this fall, it seemed like the perfect time to find out for ourselves.

Benbow Inn History

The Benbow family commissioned architect Albert Farr to design the hotel to create a cornerstone for the planned resort community they intended to build in their 1,290-acre valley. The hotel opened to the public in 1926. It quickly became a popular stop along the newly completed Redwood Highway. Known as a destination offering seclusion, elegant hospitality, upscale lodging, and outdoor recreation, guests enjoyed luxurious accommodations and the best of the great outdoors: riding stables, a golf course, swimming, boating, and fishing in the Eel River.

The Benbow family sold the hotel in 1962, and each subsequent owner added improvements while attempting to maintain as much of the original structure as possible. The Inn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. John and Teresa Porter, along with Jack and Linda Macdonald, purchased the Inn in 1994 and continued to make improvements.

Modern-day Benbow Inn

The Benbow Historic Inn is still a stately four-story building standing tall among majestic redwoods on the hills behind it. Its unique architectural style exudes old-world charm, juxtaposing white walls and dark framed windows. Built of Douglas fir, it was originally called the Benbow Hotel. A massive renovation in 2018 added ten new suites, a ground-floor lobby, and a five-story elevator. The suites, known as the Founders’ Rooms, are named after the Benbow Family siblings and Joe Linser, who sold his property in 1922 to the Benbow family to develop the resort.

Today, the hotel’s ownership is transitioning as Jack and Linda Macdonald’s three daughters, Jill Macdonald, Sally Macdonald, and Polly Endert, prepare to take the helm. However, the hotel maintains its traditional look and ambiance. Rooms are spacious and elegantly decorated with antique furniture, heavy wooden desks and side tables, dark wooden bed frames, floral bedspreads, and small framed prints reminiscent of the era in which the hotel began. Many rooms come with fireplaces. And all rooms include a complimentary decanter of cream sherry. However, you may want to drink it before the ghosts get to it. Many guests have told stories of the decanter’s top suddenly popping off in the middle of the night.

The rooms are split between the terrace and historic buildings. If you’re curious to meet some of the hotel’s “permanent residents,” the third floor’s west wing is known for the most paranormal activity. Thankfully, we stayed in a fireplace king room on the ground floor, safe and sound from nighttime visitors.

Insider Tip: To increase your chances of experiencing paranormal activity, book a room on the third floor’s west wing.

Amenities

The spacious, welcoming dining room overlooks the grounds and the East branch of the South Fork of the Eel River below. The restaurant offers a fresh take on traditional American cuisine and has been awarded Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for the past 15 years. The dining room is open daily for dinners, and reservations are required. The dining room dress code is casual-elegant to match the white linen-covered tables and classic dark beams accentuating the ceiling.

The historic bar and cocktail lounge, open daily, offers a bar menu as well as the full dining room menu in the afternoon and a full array of fine spirits, wines, and imported and domestic beers, including local microbrews. Breakfast is served each morning in the lounge, terrace, and dining room—depending on weather and numbers.

The Inn offers four distinct styles and specialty-themed accommodations. They range from family suites to Founders’ Rooms, Terrace Building Rooms, and Historical Building Rooms. Some have vaulted ceilings, gas fireplaces, soaking tubs, and private balconies or patios. All guest rooms have coffee and complimentary Wi-Fi and feature antique furniture, fine prints, and a decanter of complimentary cream sherry.

Like the guest rooms, the Great Room, with its comforting fireplace, and other common rooms are filled with antiques, paintings, needlepoints, and objects d’art.

What Guests Like About the Inn

“Some of the most intriguing aspects of the Benbow Historic Inn are its relaxed atmosphere, its location, and its connection to nature,” explains Sally Macdonald. “Beyond its delightful luxurious amenities, you feel encouraged to relax and enjoy the graciousness of the Inn, forgetting about your daily troubles for a moment. You can stroll the parklike grounds, watch the river flow under the stone bridge, book a massage, piece together a puzzle, read a poem, take a dip in the pool, play a round of golf, or idle your time by enjoying the long-standing tradition of complimentary tea and scones service provided each afternoon in the elegant lobby.”

Another experience guests enjoy is the Annual Wine Auction held each November. A fundraiser to benefit the local community, the Benbow Inn hosts an auction of wine donated by California wineries. Last year’s fundraiser brought in $120,000; this year’s beneficiary will be the new community hospital. Overnight guests at the hotel receive free admission to the auction.

The Spirits of Benbow Inn Haunted Hotel

Visitors and hotel staff have witnessed spirits and mysterious happenings over the years, and the hotel embraces this part of its history. Samantha Montoya, a Southern Humboldt resident and local concierge, worked at the hotel as a front desk agent starting in the Fall of 2016. She says that her job always started at 7:30 in the morning, and she would relieve the night audit staff, who often shared stories of strange happenings they witnessed during their shift.

As a believer in the paranormal, Samantha also saw and experienced many mysterious happenings in the hotel. She says, “The third floor and West Wing have the most reported sightings because that wing was the first one completed when the hotel was built.”

When she agreed to take us on a tour of the spookiest part of the hotel, we summoned the courage and climbed to the third floor. While we walked through the narrow hallways, Samantha shared her unexplained encounters.

Room 311

“I was giving a tour of the king rooms to a Bride-to-be and was using a chart that lists all the rooms that are occupied, unoccupied, vacant and dirty, or vacant and clean,” Samantha explains to us. “When we arrived at Room 311, my chart told me the room was vacant. I went to put the key in the door, and I held the doorknob. I used my other hand to turn the key, but it wouldn’t turn. I tried again, but it still wouldn’t turn. Then I turned to my guests, apologizing, and said, ‘The knob seems to be stuck.’ When I reached for the knob again, the doorknob suddenly turned in my hand without me trying. It sent tingly shockwaves up my arm, and I pulled my hand away.”

When the bride said to Samantha, “What just happened? Is this place haunted?” Samantha replied, “I prefer to say it’s enchanted.”

The Lady in White

Samantha said one of the most common sightings in the hotel is what staff affectionately call “The Lady in White.” “People have seen an apparition of a woman wearing traditional housekeeping clothes from the 1930s, an all-white gown with a white apron, and a high neck collar, her hair pulled back in a top knot bun,”Samantha recounts. “She has a child with her, so the speculation is that she lived there as a housekeeper with her child. Perhaps she was a widow, or her husband was away at war.”

Samantha also said many guests reported that the top of the sherry decanter popped off in the middle of the night or that they awakened to the sound of crystal sherry glasses moving across the counter.

As we listened to Samantha’s stories, we could almost feel someone watching us and couldn’t wait to get back downstairs to a part of the hotel that isn’t known for being “enchanted.”

But don’t worry—if you can’t arrange a personal tour of the Benbow Inn haunted hotel, it sells a book of its own ghost stories in the lobby, and you can read more on its website. You can also read more of Samantha’s tale on her website.

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Visiting Haunted Benbow Inn

So, if you’re looking for a spine-tingling scare or just a gentle shiver, the Benbow Historic Inn might be the right place to visit this spooky season. If you’re looking for elegance, luxury, and an escape to nature where you can spend idle time, then you’ll enjoy a stay at this glamorous, enchanted, old California hotel anytime of the year.