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Real Haunted House

The Cavalier Hotel

Virginia Beach, Virginia
By Shannon Reinbold-Gee

Overlooking beautiful North Beach in the bustling city of Virginia Beach, Virginia, this elegant hotel features far more than a stunning view and its dramatic chandelier-hung lobby with glossy checkerboard floors and sharply contrasting paneled walls. This, the original Cavalier Hotel, has ghosts. Elevators run when no one is riding in them, toilets flush of their own accord and guests report that their room towels change color from time to time. But these are only little oddities compared to the tragedies that began only two short years after the Cavalier opened on what was then a rather secluded strip of beach.

Many guests have remarked on architectural similarities between the old hotel and the Overlook hotel featured in the movie “The Shining.” Perhaps it is also the creepy feeling of something always lurking that causes visitors to draw such connections. Guests have reported they feel like they are being watched in both the Pocahontas room and the Hunt Room. Perhaps it is the waiter who supposedly walks through the walls of the Pocahontas room or the lady followed by a ghostly dog crossing the hotel lobby, or perhaps it is merely someone who still broods about the misfortunes of their lost life…

Opening in 1927 (after 13 months of steady labor), the Cavalier was once the haunt of the movers and shakers of society, hosting such guests as Adolph Coors (of the famous brewery), author F. Scott Fitzgerald, and actors and actresses including Judy Garland, Will Rogers, Bette Davis, Betty Grable, Mary Pickford, Ginger Rogers and Jean Harlow. For three decades the Cavalier hired a wide variety of big-name bands. Performers included such greats as Tomy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, Glen Miller, Lawrence Welk and Bing Crosby. Now guests report that the piano in the ballroom sometimes plays by itself—maybe wishing for the raucous music of the Twenties.

Nicknamed the “Aristocrat of the Virginia Seashore” the Cavalier was the spot to see and be seen, so it’s no wonder some guests are reluctant to depart. Ten US Presidents have also stayed or spoken at the Cavalier, bringing with them the rumors, speculation and debate that guests, both living and dead, seem to feed on.

During the Roaring Twenties, the Cavalier skirted Prohibition by driving well-to-do guests on discreet trips to the local speakeasies. This evading of the law was not enough to keep brewery owner Adolph Coors from a mysterious fall that ended his death on June 5, 1929. Whether suicide because the brewery was forced to make cement and pottery rather than beer during Prohibition, or murder (as some feel Coors was pushed through a closed window on the hotel’s 6th floor), people have reported sensing someone still lingering and cold spots appearing randomly throughout the 6th floor. Many have even reported the sickening sound of flesh slapping concrete—could it be that Adolph Coors relives his tragic plunge on a regular basis?

Local lore claims that the hotel’s first owner shot himself on the premises, but it seems unsubstantiated as a hotel staff member said the initial owners of the hotel were a group of people investing in a business venture and they held it until the Dixon family purchased it. So, although the rumor can’t be attached to a specific person through my research, perhaps it was one of the original owners or one of the Dixon family members who committed suicide on the property. Or, perhaps (as is the case too often), this “fact” is merely a case of rumors evolving and growing.

The hotel’s front desk is occasionally plagued by guests calling to report a cat meowing and scratching at doors in the hotel’s grand hallways, though no living cat has been seen roaming the halls in decades. Rumor has it that a young girl’s pet cat escaped one night and drowned in the swimming pool—the little girl also drowning as she tried to save her precious pet. Though the girl’s ghost has not been sighted and people only occasionally report strange sounds from the pool, perhaps the cat still wanders the halls trying to find his worried young owner.

Visitors report mysterious orbs showing up in their photos and hearing footsteps where no one is seen walking. A popular tale revolves around sightings of an older African American gentleman dressed in the hotel’s old staff uniform. Guests report that he stands on the staircase of the sixth floor and warns people of ghosts ahead. Unfortunately, it seems he himself is a ghost, as there hasn’t been any staff to fit his description working at the hotel in more than a few years.

Today the Cavalier Hotel is truly two distinct hotels—the Cavalier on the Hill (the original and still haunted) and the Cavalier Oceanfront (beautiful and at peace except when tourist season begins).

197 comments on this haunted house. Share your story »

197 Comments

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noyb says:

November 21, 2006, 9:08 pm

ummmmmmmmmmmmm enough w/ the swearing b-dog……god STOP SWEARING ON THISS SITE and noyb mean NONE OF YOUR BUISNESS!!!

charmagne says:

December 24, 2006, 8:25 pm

THAT’S SPOOKY,BUT I’d like to see it for my self that would be cool. I think?

Frank says:

January 7, 2007, 1:05 am

George, If you still read this stuff, please contact me at yardmanbill@fortrobinhood.com I would love to get together and investigate some paranormal stuff. It actually is very interesting to me and my family.

Justin says:

January 8, 2007, 4:46 pm

I live in Virginia Beach and have heard stories about the Cavalier Hotel but have never actualy been there. If anyone wants to investigate this I would be very willing to. The problem is that I don’t have the first clue as to how.

Michael says:

January 23, 2007, 3:42 pm

A couple of weeks ago I was in Virginia Beach doing some paranormal work. A co-worker who was giving me a ride back to my hotel told me about the Cavalier and some of the ghost stories associated with it. She told me that I had to check it out for myself. We would only be about 10 mins out of the way and although it was closed we could walk around and look at it. We got there and the place was like the Overlook from the Shining (a very common association with the Cavalier). Walking around, looking in the windows was like stepping right into teh 20s or 30s, you could almost feels the spirits. Well, we began walking accross the circular drive towards her car and she stopped me and told me that I had to see in the front door windows. Just as we got there and she started to tell me where the halls all led we heard a gigantic crash. Turning around we could see that a huge piece of what we later discovered to be a huge piece of the buildings granite ledge from the roof, smashed down right about where we would have been if we hadnt stopped. I exclaimed “wow, cool” (LOL) and we started investigating a bit. It appeared that nowhere in the front was there any facet missing but only on one of the angled sides. The next morning we both went indepently to take photos and confirm that observation. I am very excited at the idea of going back once they are open and doing a full investigation there. After all The large piece of granite would have had to travel roughly 55feet or more laterally to be able to land where it did on that windless night! I use a piece of that ledge as a paperweight on my desk back in Chicago, just to remind me that if something is meant to get you, it will!

Sally says:

January 24, 2007, 3:19 pm

I went to HS in Va Bch in the late 70s. We had proms & stuff at the Cavalier & there were never any stories of hauntings or weird experiences. It is just a gorgeous historic hotel. In the 90s I stayed there overnight, and nothing happened.

I’m not a skeptic–I would love to have any paranormal experience–but I just don’t think it’s that easy to have something occur. I lived close to the Thoroughgood House (supposedly also haunted) & even trick-or-treated there for years, and there was never anything going on in my presence or that anyone I knew ever experienced. I also worked at the Chamberlin Hotel in Hampton, and nothing happened … except monstrously huge cockroaches right before customers’ eyes in the dining room!

I think a lot of these stories are just good stories that take on a life of their own. How many of you stayed at the Cavalier just to see a ghost? See, it’s good salesmanship to have a haunted reputation! Post some photos of weird stuff & I’ll start to believe. But until then, just enjoy the architecture & history. Not all old things are scary!

Sam says:

February 4, 2007, 1:50 pm

Im just getting into paranormal studies, and would be more than interested in checking out the Cavalier,or any other local haunts… anybody wanna go , contact me @ samgfrazier3@cox.net

Amanda says:

February 9, 2007, 1:04 pm

I went to the Cavalier and its definitely haunted. Me and my mom were walking past the room with the piano and we heard the piano playing so we went to check it out and it was playing by itself

Andrew says:

February 11, 2007, 9:31 am

I have not stayed there, nor do I have any experiences to discuss. However, I recently learned about the Cavalier while I was on vacation a couple weeks ago. When I was told it was haunted, I did research and stumbled across this page. I would just like to thank all of you that have shared your experiences. Some of them sound really creepy! It was great reading them. I’m looking forward to going back to VA Beach soon and spending a night in the Cavalier!

Ice Queen says:

March 3, 2007, 6:49 pm

in my opinion,this story sounds like a load of lies.wy would old celebrities wanna haunt a stupid hotel? wouldn’t they wanna haunt their old mansions or somthen?

Yo MOMMA says:

March 23, 2007, 8:32 am

LULZ DIS IS DO HAUNTED I P00PED MAH PANTZ
GHOSTS ALMOST ATEZ MAH SOULZ
I CRIED ALLZZZ N1TE
T_________T
LULZLZLZLLZULZLZU!!11

Karen says:

March 30, 2007, 1:32 am

My friend and I visited the Cavalier Hotel tonight just to check it out. We both live here in VA Beach and have been fascinated by the “spookiness” of the Hotel. We entered the old hotel in to the lobby and up to the front desk. We were met by the manager and told him we were there just to check it out to possible rent a room in the near future. He told us we were welcome to look around. I couldn’t resist but to get my camera. Before I got the camera, we toured the check-in desk level and wandered our way around. There was a door to the right (ballroom) just past the library )I think it may have been the Pocahontas Room. The door was closed as we passed it. We walked straight until we came to a pool table. It was there we both started to feel something creepy. We then walked toward the pool and at the same time we both decided to turn around. There was an unwelcome feeling that we both felt. Once I went and got my camera and came back in to the hotel, the door to the Pocahontas Room (that was closed) was open. Since this is off-season, the hotel was scarecely occupied. I then took a picture in to the Pocahontas Room. I immediately noticed some “orbs” in the picture. One in particular that was noticable. We took about 3 pictures when all of a sudden my camera died. As I was walking in to the hotel, I put brand new batteries in my camera. After only 3 pictures, my camera died. This was just as I was about to take a picture of the piano and the large picture above it. I can’t wait to be able to reserve a room and see more!!! I was creeped out but in a curious way.

JEANETTE(JAY JAY) COX says:

June 16, 2007, 8:34 pm

HEY GUYS . I USED TO WORK THERE, AT THE NEW ONE. MY BOSS WOULD SEND ME OVER TO CLEAN FOR SPEACIAL FUNCTIONS. YES IT IS HAUNTED. THE POOL AREA IS ONE CREEPY PLACE. THE UPPER FLOORS DO FEEL LIKE YOU ARE IN THE MOVIE THE SHINING.

Brie says:

July 12, 2007, 11:35 pm

Holy ****.
I would’ve never thought that place to be haunted.
I’ve never stayed there, but we stay in Virginia Beach every year in a Holiday Inn closeby with a glorious view of the neighboring Cavalier Hotel.

The Hotel doesn’t exactly look like your typical ‘haunted’ place. My word, it’s a beauty. I’ve actually considered marrying next year when my fiaance and I tie the know. Hah.

You should all have a look at it.
You’ll find it’s quite elegant despite its “haunting”. http://www.cavalierhotel.com/

=]]

Wires for Nerves says:

July 18, 2007, 12:56 am

(This was prior to me stumbling across this site tonight) My husband and a very close friend of ours decided it would be fun to go for a stroll around the place. We first noticed a cat or a fox dart almost out of no were across the lot and up a grass hill, we entered and (had to use the bathrooms!) I got a spook from one of the soap dispensers being so loud! Though there was nothing unusual about the bathroom, or the entire bottom floor, it was all very elegant and quiet, we made our way to the stairwell, it was Stifling hot! We made our way up to each floor and upon reaching the sixth we walked down one of the wings and my mate stopped and asked if we’d heard a sound, he claimed it sounded like a wet packing noise.
We decided to leave after that and walked to our car through the hotels small grove of trees we had stopped and were talking a bit and being silly and behind us heard a sound like someone jumping out of a tree, or a heavy footstep in the grass. I am of course not convinced, but a little freaked out after I came home and found this site with stories of a cat and a man that had committed suicide!

Social Occult Machine says:

July 18, 2007, 1:00 am

(This was prior to me stumbling across this site tonight) My husband and a very close friend of ours decided it would be fun to go for a stroll around the place. We first noticed a cat or a fox dart almost out of no were across the lot and up a grass hill, we entered and (had to use the bathrooms!) I got a spook from one of the soap dispensers being so loud! Though there was nothing unusual about the bathroom, or the entire bottom floor, it was all very elegant and quiet, we made our way to the stairwell, it was Stifling hot! We made our way up to each floor and upon reaching the sixth we walked down one of the wings and my mate stopped and asked if we’d heard a sound, he claimed it sounded like a wet packing noise.
We decided to leave after that and walked to our car through the hotels small grove of trees we had stopped and were talking a bit and being silly and behind us heard a sound like someone jumping out of a tree, or a heavy footstep in the grass. I am of course not convinced, but a little freaked out after I came home and found this site with stories of a cat and a man that had committed suicide!

Social Occult Machine says:

July 18, 2007, 1:02 am

Oh lame! Sorry for the double post and spam! This website was acting funny x_x or perhaps it was my crappy connection X3

Doc says:

July 27, 2007, 11:36 pm

do you want to hear or see real ghost,just go to San Antonio,Tx & visit the Alamo @ 1:45am & let’s see what happen’s 365 day’s a year———–

steve says:

August 5, 2007, 4:21 pm

The cav hotel has quite the history behind. Many famous people have stayed in the Cav throughout her glory days. People such as Al Capone, Adolf Hitler, an yes the man who started a brewery. The hotel has very many ghostly storys behind it. Such storys like the curse of room 666 where the brewery man jumped an took his own life. Other storys about hearing someone drowning in the pool in the early hours of the morning. There is a ton of history in this hotel. there are alot of secrets rooms an halls in the cav. there are the abandonded elevator shafts in the cav where a child suposedly road his bike down an fell to his death. an yes these elevators are no longer used but still exist. then there is the narrow stair case on the 7th floor that leads to a heavly chained off door. Storys about a secret room where the man who started the cav lived in. His ghost has been seen walking up the narrow stair case late at night. The hotel is fun to explore. if you get the chance you should stay there one night. an if you got the balls stay in room 666.

John says:

August 6, 2007, 9:57 pm

Screw you steve.

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