Real Haunted Houses

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).

176 comments on this haunted house. Share your story »

176 Comments

Leave a comment

« · 1 · 2 · 3 · [4] · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · Next » ·

Show All Comments

Crissy says:

August 9, 2007, 10:44 pm

Though many of these stories may seem false or exaggerated to some people they are not for I myself am a paranormal investigator and have been staying the the newer Cavalier across the street for about two weeks now doing interviews of both new and old cavalier employees and interrogation/investigation of the Haunted Cavalier hotel. I do not know all of the stories but I believe that the Coors man committed suicide in the 1920’s during the Great Depression and the cat is a different soul that haunted Coors the night of his death. This is just a guess but I think I may have a good lead on the amazing mysteries of this charming, enchanted hotel. It’s a great get-away very cute and mysterious, I think they offer tours now also. Be cautious though: While I was there I saw the haunted piano, a cat with red eyes, the elevator broke down, the stairwell was ghastly and hot, and there is a strange meat-slapping sound as well as some whispers and color changing towels.

contact me at crstngrbr@hotmail.com

Matt says:

August 20, 2007, 9:14 pm

Crissy,
I am writing this from the front desk of the Original (Haunted) Cavalier. I just wanted to expose you as a liar; there is no one that has inerviewed employees of either building recently.

That said, I have a new story that has been confirmed by different guest on different nights. . .a woman walking through a door with a dog following her across the lobby. Of course the piano incident has happened a couple times. I have also heard about a waiter walking through a wall in the Pocahontas room. There is a window in a room behind the front desk (the room is spooky itself) that looks onto the pool so I will have to keep my eyes peeled for the drowning kid.

Just tonight some people came in asking about some things, they took some pics in the music room and I witnessed the orbs in several places in the pic. It could have been light reflections, but didn’t seem entirely reasonable for that to be the explanation.

Will let you all know if any other activity is observed by me.

Lezet says:

August 21, 2007, 5:32 pm

Every year my family and I go to VA. Beach, we live in New Jersey so VA. Beach is a great get away. On our last day which was yesterday the 20th my mother,sister,brother and I went to the Cavalier Hotel just to see how much the rooms go for…it’s not expensive at all. A nice very helpful African-American lady gave us a tour of the hotel, well I must say beautiful hotel. This is hotel is so different from anything we saw. Everything from the atmosphere,the rooms, scenery made it so amazing. Now i know this may not be so thrilling but as all of us went on the elevator to go back to the first floor the elevator doors kept opening and closing…at least three times. We were all freaked out! We plan on staying there next week for a week…we are so excited.

John says:

August 23, 2007, 12:57 am

Matt you liar! You can’t get onto Real Haunts on a business computer. Even if you did, you’ll probably be experiencing a lay-off in the next few days.

Nicky says:

August 25, 2007, 10:40 am

if i went there and my towels turned green i would not wash my buttwith it!! thats just weird :P

JIM says:

September 21, 2007, 11:28 am

I’m in the navy stationed down here in virginia beach and when i got here people on base told me the story of the “haunted hotel near the beach.” Being curious me and some friends stayed there for an entire weekend. Unfortunately nothing paranormal happend to us while we were there. We even brought along cameras and explored during the night and not one thing. Maybe it was just an off night or two for the ghosts.

Zhandra says:

September 25, 2007, 1:28 am

I’ve stayed at the Oceanfront Cavalier twice now. Sadly both times were off season so I am yet to stay in the haunted building. I snuck in there today to have a look around, it’s really beautiful. Hopefully next summer I’ll stay over there. The pool area is really intimidating! I’m not even sure why, I’d like to find somewhere that catalouges all the recorded deaths/accidents there.

Carol says:

October 15, 2007, 9:17 pm

My husband and I visited Yorktown, VA. When I was a young child and teen, I saw a lady in white below my bedroom window. My aunt was the only one who believed me because there had been 2 car wrecks near our road by drivers who say a woman in white dart accross the road. In Yorktown it was about 9PM and my husband wanted to drive thru the battle grounds in our car. It was ok until we turned on this one road and I suddenly felt like something had come over me and I could not breath. He quickly stop the car and said I had a glow. He turned the car around and we left the area and I was fine. The next night we drove back into the battle grounds just a short distance and I felt very strange as if something had me by the throat. I ask him to please get us out of there fast. Once we were out of the grounds I was again find. I still love to visit Yorktown but not the battle fields at night.

Sadie Grant says:

October 15, 2007, 10:37 pm

Me n my friends were new to the area. We are in the navy n got stationed on NOB. We heard about hotel cavelier through a friend n on night decided to go check it out. There was about six of us and we went to the hotel around 1-2 am. we looked around the front n walked the perimeter of the hotel since it was closed. After walking all around it we got back to the front we realized that alot of things had changed. Sum window blinds that we realized were closed on the 6th floor when we first arrived there were then open n we seen a shadow if sumthin in one of the windows on the six floor. Now im not saying i blieve in this haunted ghost stuff but i will leave everyone to come to there own conclusion.

annabelle says:

October 19, 2007, 9:33 am

i know the family that owns this hotel.. the story about the man who threw himself out the window, well from what i am told by the family it would be to murder more than suicide due to the fact he didn’t open the window before you jumped out of it, he went right through the glass. and they say that nothin really happens around that room.. the only thing that does happen is the hotel doors do open a bit on their own but that is about it…

annabelle says:

October 19, 2007, 9:36 am

i know the family that owns this hotel.. the story about the man who threw himself out of the window would appear to be more murder than suicide due to the fact that he threw himself out while the window was still closed.. like through the glass and everything.. they don’t really hear to much from that room either.. the only that really does happen is the elevator doors do open alot on their own but that is about it.

E Rew says:

October 25, 2007, 2:57 am

The Cavalier is not as old as they have listed on this site. However the Coors’ story is true and the meat slapping concrete sound is common. There is some mystery as to whether he committed suicide because of the beginning of Prohibition or if it was an accident. The windows in this building are large and you could easily fall out before they were blocked from opening all of the way like they are now.

lacey says:

October 31, 2007, 9:09 am

WEll my queston is isnt there any stories about Lee County, Virginia? It’s one of the most spooky places I have ever seen, and I know there are strange things that happen in this town. I have lived here my whole life and have experienced many paranormal things. In Big Stone which is may be a 30 minute drive from here there was a house just recently tore down. The queston is why? The house was beautiful and from the outside it looked like a good family house. In the past years a few families have lived there and moved out of that house saying that doors would open and close, things would fly out of cabinets, and many other strange things happened. May be the house had a electrical problem so there for they tore it down or may be all the families that lived there in the past few years let there story be known to show there are real evil in that house!

gay fag says:

November 1, 2007, 8:17 am

REDSKINS ARE HOMOSEXUAL GHOSTS WHO RAPE LITTLE BOYS ON HALLOWEEN AND EVERY SUNDAY OR MONDAY DEPENDING ON WHICH DAY THE GAME IS THEY RAPE EVERYONE IN THE STANDS

lacey says:

November 2, 2007, 9:02 am

gay ***,
are you talking about the Cumberland Redskins?? All I have to say is your probally just mad because they can whoop your football,basketball, and basball team anyday!! I’m not even from there but half of my family live there and I have stayed in cumberland so I know how good there sports are!

gay fag says:

November 5, 2007, 8:46 am

DUDE WHAT THE **** IS WRONG WITH YOU SERIOUSLY DO U THINK I GIVE A FLYING **** ABOUT OUR GAY HIGHSCHOOL TEAM IM TALKING ABOUT THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS DIPSHIT NOW Y DONT YOU GO GET RAPED BY THE CUMBERLAND REDSKINS

lacey says:

November 5, 2007, 9:40 am

umm it aint my high school ******* so read and you would know and grow up and go suck a ****!

gay fag says:

November 7, 2007, 8:47 am

WHO THE **** CARES IF ITSNOT UR HIGHSCHOOL ITS STILL SOME STUPID **** THAT GOES AND RAPES SQUIRRELS LIIKE ****** REDNECKS NOW JUS LIKE HOW I BANGED YOUR MOM LAST NIGHT SO Y DONT U SUCK MY BIG BLACK **** AND MY BIG BLACK SWORD U WHORE.

BLACK POWER MA FUCKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tara H. says:

November 7, 2007, 5:54 pm

Mark & Lacey quit fighting over teh internet abotu stupid **** like woh the clumberland redskins are just sotp.

gay fag says:

November 8, 2007, 8:44 am

YEH LISTEN 2 YOUR MAMA BITCHESSSSSS

« · 1 · 2 · 3 · [4] · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · Next » ·

Show All Comments

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

Website

Please use correct grammar, capitalization, and punctuation. Let's try to keep this place looking classy.
Real Haunts reserves the right to remove any comment that does not adhere to this requirement or is otherwise
inappropriate. Any post containing a link will be flagged for moderation due to recent comment spam. Feel free
to include relevant links, but please know that it will delay your post.

About Real Haunts

Do you believe in the supernatural?

This is the best resource for haunted houses, spooky stories, ghostly tales and all things paranormal.

 

We have mountains of stories about ghosts, ghouls, and specters.

Sitemap

HomeStatesSubmit a Haunt

 

Copyright © 1998-2010

i85media Networks LLC

Privacy Policy