2026 Question and Answer With Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts!
September 10, 2026
By Haunt News & Press Releases
What does Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts! have in store for the 2026 Halloween season? Sharon Coyle is here to tell you!
What's new at Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts! for 2026? Do you have any new rides, attractions, or special features that Haunt Seekers should know about?
You won't find amusement rides or actors creating scares at Rolling Hills Asylum. Our spirits are the attraction—and they don't follow a script.
For 2026, we've expanded the number and variety of ways guests can experience both the incredible historic property and the paranormal activity for which Rolling Hills Asylum is known. Guests can choose from Daytime Asylum Tours, Guided Flashlight Tours, several different Self-Guided Ghost Hunt experiences, paranormal classes, Haunted Movie Nights, celebrity paranormal events and other unique special events throughout the year.
While we continue creating new ways for guests to experience Rolling Hills, the most exciting part is something we could never manufacture. Our spirits have their own personalities. Guests report hearing unexplained voices and footsteps, seeing shadow figures and apparitions, feeling physical interaction, watching equipment respond seemingly intelligently, and sometimes experiencing things none of us expected.
That's part of what makes every visit different. The building may be nearly 90 years old and the history of the property dates back to 1827, but the paranormal activity is happening right now.
You never know who—or what—you might meet at Rolling Hills Asylum.
What are you most excited about for the 2026 Halloween Season?
October is always an incredible time at Rolling Hills Asylum, but this year I’m especially excited about the variety of ways people can experience the property. We have more than 50 opportunities throughout the month, including daytime asylum tours, Guided Flashlight Tours, Self-Guided Ghost Hunts, DEAD TIME investigations, and special events.
What I really love is that there is an experience for almost every level of curiosity. Someone who has always wanted to see Rolling Hills but isn't quite ready to spend hours investigating in the dark can visit during the daytime. Those who want to experience the building after dark can take a Guided Flashlight Tour, while guests ready to investigate can choose from several different ghost-hunting experiences.
October also brings special events, including Haunted Movie Night featuring Practical Magic, Shopping with the Spirits, and two nights of Psychic Bingo and Ghost Hunting with Psychic Medium Karyn Reece.
But what excites me most is watching people walk through the doors for the first time. Some arrive excited, some nervous, and plenty arrive skeptical. I never know what they are going to experience inside Rolling Hills—and neither do they.
What differentiates Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts! from other local haunts in New York?
Rolling Hills Asylum is not a traditional haunted attraction—we are the real thing. There are no actors waiting around corners, no manufactured scares, and no scripted path telling you what you are supposed to experience. Our guests step inside a massive, genuinely historic and reportedly haunted former institutional property and explore the very rooms and hallways where unexplained activity has been documented and experienced for years.
The history of the property dates back to 1827, and today Rolling Hills Asylum encompasses more than 60,000 square feet, including former patient rooms, the Psych Ward, Morgue, Shadow Hallway, Roy's Room and a subterranean tunnel. Guests have reported everything from unexplained voices and footsteps to shadow figures, physical interaction and full-bodied apparitions.
What makes an evening at Rolling Hills especially exciting is that we don't know what is going to happen either. Two people can walk through the same hallway five minutes apart and have completely different experiences. You aren't watching someone else's ghost story unfold—you have the opportunity to experience your own.
Come as a skeptic. Leave a believer.
How long has Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts! been in business? Can you tell us a bit more about Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts!'s history?
Rolling Hills Asylum has been welcoming paranormal investigators and curious visitors for many years, and I have had the privilege of owning, preserving and sharing Rolling Hills Asylum since 2009.
The history of the property itself stretches back nearly two centuries. In 1827, the Genesee County Poorhouse was established here to care for the poor, elderly, orphaned, infirm, mentally ill and others who had nowhere else to go. Over the generations, the property evolved and expanded, serving thousands of people under several different names and uses.
The current main building dates to 1938 and today encompasses more than 60,000 square feet of rooms, hallways and institutional spaces. Much of that history remains tangible when you walk through the building—you aren't entering a recreation of an old asylum. You're walking through the actual property where generations of people lived, worked and died.
In 2027, the property will reach its 200th anniversary, which makes preserving its history—and sharing it responsibly with the people who come through our doors—even more meaningful to me.
Rolling Hills has an extraordinary paranormal reputation, but for me, the history and the hauntings have always gone hand in hand. You can't tell the ghost stories without remembering the people who came before us.
What's your favorite experience since opening Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts!?
One of my favorite experiences is actually something that still happens after all these years. I love sharing a story about the paranormal activity at Rolling Hills—especially when I have photographs, video, audio or other evidence to go along with it—and then having someone else experience the very same thing for themselves.
There is something incredible about telling someone, “This is what happens here,” showing them the evidence, and then having the activity seemingly provide its own confirmation. Those moments never get old for me.
In fact, it happened again while I was answering these questions. I was discussing Jack, one of the spirits associated with our Solarium, and looking at video of the Solarium doors opening when guests walked into the room excitedly telling me they had just watched those same doors slowly open.
After more than sixteen years at Rolling Hills, moments like that still stop me in my tracks. I may know the history, the stories and the activity—but Rolling Hills always seems to have another story of its own to tell.
How long is a typical haunt experience at Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts! from start to finish?
During October, guests can choose the experience that works best for them. Our Daytime Self-Guided Asylum Tours are two-hour experiences, giving visitors the opportunity to explore Rolling Hills at their own pace while discovering the history and hauntings of the property.
For those ready to experience Rolling Hills after dark, our Self-Guided Ghost Hunts are offered in three-hour time slots. Each experience includes check-in and orientation before guests head into the asylum to investigate its notoriously active rooms, hallways and subterranean tunnel.
Whether you visit in daylight or venture inside after dark, there is plenty of time to explore—and you never know when one of our spirits may decide to make your visit a little more memorable.
On a scale from 1 to 10, how scary would you say Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts! is? Why?
For some guests, Rolling Hills is an 11. For others, it's a 3. It depends on your nerves—and what decides to interact with you while you're here.
There are no actors jumping out to scare you and no scripted scenes telling you when to scream. The fear comes from knowing that the paranormal activity people experience here is not scheduled, staged or controlled. You may hear footsteps when no one else is nearby, hear a voice come from an empty room, see a shadow figure cross a hallway, feel something touch you, or have an experience you simply cannot explain.
And then there are the skeptics who walk in completely confident that nothing is going to happen. Those are sometimes my favorite people to watch walk back out.
At Rolling Hills Asylum, how scary it is may depend entirely on who decides to introduce themselves while you're here.
Does Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts!'s property have any real haunted history? Do you have a spooky encounter you'd like to share?
Absolutely. Rolling Hills Asylum has a long history of reported paranormal activity, and after all these years, the spirits here can still surprise me.
One of our spirits, whom we call Jack, is known for pacing back and forth inside the Solarium. People have reported seeing his feet shuffling as he walks, and at times a figure appears to block the light coming through the window in the door, almost as though someone is standing there looking out.
Jack is also known for opening the Solarium doors. We've witnessed and recorded the doors slowly opening on their own under different conditions and during different seasons of the year. When Jack opens the doors, I always joke that he's decided to go for a walk.
In fact, while I was answering this very question, a guest who was investigating upstairs came into the room excitedly telling me that she had just watched the Solarium doors slowly begin to open. She heard a click, turned toward the doors and watched as they continued opening in front of her.
And if you'd like to see Jack's handiwork for yourself, we've even captured the Solarium doors opening on video https://youtube.com/shorts/qt620YHmK6I?si=aDIM_Cdn1EnLLAti
That's one of the things I love most about Rolling Hills. After all these years, the activity isn't simply part of the property's past. It's still happening—and sometimes with impeccable timing.
What inspired you to open up a haunted attraction? What's your favorite part of the business?
I never actually set out to open a haunted attraction. I first visited Rolling Hills Asylum in 2008 as a paranormal investigator and had three incredible nights of activity that stayed with me long after I returned home to California.
The following year, I learned that Rolling Hills was going to close and that the future of the historic property was uncertain. That changed everything for me. I had developed a very strong connection not only to the property and its history, but also to the spirits I had encountered there. The thought of losing any of that was heartbreaking.
What began as a paranormal investigation ultimately became something much bigger. In 2009, I purchased Rolling Hills Asylum, and I have had the privilege of owning, preserving and sharing it ever since.
My favorite part is really a combination of things. I love knowing that I am helping to preserve an important historic property at a time when so many places like it are disappearing. I love sharing the history of Rolling Hills and the stories of the people who once lived and worked here. And, of course, I treasure the relationship and interactions I have developed with the spirits over the years.
But one of the best parts is watching someone experience Rolling Hills for the first time—especially a skeptic. They may have heard all the stories before they arrive, but then they see a shadow figure, hear a disembodied voice, capture an EVP, or experience something else they simply cannot explain. Watching that moment of realization is incredible.
And after all these years, I still get just as excited about the activity as they do. That's something that has never gotten old.
How has new technology (i.e. animatronics, special props, etc) helped you to enhance Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts!?
We don't use animatronics, special effects or props to create paranormal experiences at Rolling Hills Asylum. Our activity doesn't require special effects.
Technology does, however, give our guests more ways to investigate and document what they experience. From digital audio recorders and spirit boxes to environmental sensors and other paranormal investigation equipment, technology has evolved tremendously over the years—and it can provide fascinating opportunities for interaction with the spirits.
We use technology to investigate the activity, not to create it.
Can Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts! accommodate large groups? How many people can experience Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts! together as a group?
Yes! Rolling Hills Asylum welcomes groups of many sizes, although the options available vary depending on the time of year and the type of experience.
During our busy October season, guests can attend together as part of our scheduled public tours and ghost hunts. Because Rolling Hills encompasses more than 60,000 square feet, guests are able to spread out throughout the property and investigate different areas rather than remaining together in one large group.
At other times of the year, we also offer private investigation opportunities for groups looking for a more exclusive experience. Availability, group sizes and options vary by date, so we encourage anyone planning a group visit to contact us directly or visit our website for current offerings.
Does Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts! offer any special deals, discounts, or coupons?
No
Anything else you'd like to let us know about Rolling Hills Asylum, A Truly Haunted Asylum with REAL Ghosts!?
The one thing I would love every guest to understand before visiting Rolling Hills Asylum is that this isn't a haunted attraction filled with actors, props and manufactured scares. It's a historic property, and for many years it was home to real people whose lives and stories deserve to be treated with respect.
That same respect should extend to the paranormal experiences people may have here. You don't have to arrive believing in ghosts—in fact, I love welcoming skeptics—but I do ask guests to arrive with an open mind and to respect the property, the spirits, our rules, and the other people who have come to experience Rolling Hills for themselves.
Paranormal investigating isn't about provoking something into performing for you. Sometimes the most remarkable experiences happen when people simply slow down, listen and allow an interaction to unfold naturally.
Rolling Hills can be funny, emotional, fascinating, unsettling and occasionally downright strange. No two visits are exactly alike, and no experience is guaranteed. That's part of what makes this place so special.
Come curious. Come respectful. Come as a skeptic if you'd like. Just be prepared to leave with a story you weren't expecting.
I really like that for the final answer, because it lays groundwork for behavior without saying, “For the love of God, read the fucking rules and don't come in here acting like an asshole.” ??
And that line about provoking something into performing for you is important. It subtly establishes that RHA isn't a theme-park transaction where somebody paid admission and therefore the ghosts owe them a floor show.