Being able to take a New England road trip with kids to ghost towns is an excellent way to have fun. There are many ghost towns near me, to include an old abandoned community in the woods.
We love traveling around on a family road trip during the summer season. With the right off-roading vehicle you can visit just about any of the ghost towns around.
If you’re thinking about going on a family road trip to see abandoned cities of the United States, then continue reading to learn more about ghost towns in America.
What causes ghost towns?
Ghost towns are caused by a variety of reasons. It could be an economic failure, human-made disasters or perhaps something natural that occurred to ruin these once thriving towns.
Some ghost towns were created due to lawlessness and wars. You see, when people are left to fend on their own without the basic concept of laws, respect, and a sense of community, they often fail.
Why do towns get abandoned?
I know I see a lot of history repeating itself with our current generation that’s now the younger adults. These younger adults weren’t educated about our history, the truth of both sides, and what truly happens when you think you can get things for free.
One piece of advice I have for you is that while you explore these ghost towns, take a good look at them. Try to visualize a world where people no longer have freedom of speech, freedom to dream, freedom to be who they are.
These freedoms that our new generation of adults want to give up for more government control is just one piece of the puzzle that leads down the path of America’s ghost towns.
What does geotab do?
A brand that’s known to be a pioneer in smart transportation and telematics technology has done it again. Geotab has gathered data for over 4,000 ghost towns across America.
These ghost towns remain frozen in time and can be found using an interactive map or your car’s GPS device when you have the coordinates for each of the many ghost towns.
Enjoy taking a family road trip following your car’s GPS device to the ghost towns of American. Sit back, relax and have fun as you experience all of these old towns that didn’t make it.
I’m sure this family road trip to ghost towns will give your family a whole new appreciation for the world we call ours now.
America’s Historic Ghost Towns, Mapped
An interactive map reveals information about 10 of the historic ghost towns in the U.S.
- The states with the most ghost towns are Texas (511), California (346) and Kansas (308), while Rhode Island (1) and Connecticut (4) have the least
- The counties with the most ghost towns are Kern County, California (113), Lawrence County, South Dakota (93) and Indiana County, Pennsylvania (36)
“In many parts of the world, people may wander around ancient ruins, but they rarely encounter a true ghost town”
Peter Ling , Professor of American Studies at the University of Nottingham.
The interactive map I’m sharing features many ghost towns in America that you can go explore. Each of the towns have been forgotten. They sit there abandoned and empty.
It’s like exploring a piece of our history. I don’t know about you, but I love exploring historical locations. When we were living on the road in 2019, we spent time exploring an abandoned community in New Hampshire.
It was eery yet fun to find an old school house marker, cemeteries, and other pieces of abandoned history in the small NH town.
The 10 ghost towns in America listed below are all within a 25-50 mile radius and while the list doesn’t feature New England ghost towns, we do have plenty of those around here.
10 Ghost Towns in America
Geotab’s Ghost Towns of America map places focus on the below top 10 ghost towns in America. These are towns that were once thriving but now sit, abandoned.
If you think our history doesn’t repeat itself, then clearly you’ve not been educated in American history. Check out these ghost towns in America. See for yourself what happens when a city or town that once thrived economically hits rock bottom.
It sits. Abandoned. Forgotten. This too can happen to our United States.
Taking a family road trip to ghost towns in America is an excellent way to educate our children about the impacts that changes in society, government, and economics have on our towns and cities.
| State | County | Town |
| Nevada | Nye County | Berlin |
| Alaska | Valdez-Cordova | Kennicott |
| Florida | Monroe County | Fort Jefferson |
| Montana | Granite County | Garnet |
| California | Mono County | Bodie |
| Colorado | Chaffee County | St. Elmo |
| Arizona | Yuma County | Castle Dome |
| Utah | Washington County | Harrisburg |
| Montana | Beaverhead County | Bannack |
| New Mexico | Hidalgo County | Steins |
What state has the most ghost towns?
The state that has the most ghost towns are, in order, Texas with 511, California with 346 and Kansas with 308 ghost towns. While Rhode Island and Connecticut have just one and four ghost towns respectively, they are a couple of New England states that do have ghost towns to explore.
Many towns in America were built thanks to the growth of infrastructure, trade, and transport in the United States. Those towns that are now ghost towns leave behind a rich American history.
These ghost towns for a family road trip serve as a gentle reminder of what the past can teach us about today’s times. While it seems the new generation of adults doesn’t comprehend or acknowledge how American history impacts the current state of affairs, it does.
When you opt to explore these Ghost Towns in America, you’re saying yes to opening your mind to a world that truly does exist thanks to our ancestors who believed in hard work, dreams, and a sense of community.
Geotab is advancing security, connecting commercial vehicles to the internet and providing web-based analytics to help customers better manage their fleets. Geotab’s open platform and Marketplace, offering hundreds of third-party solution options, allows both small and large businesses to automate operations by integrating vehicle data with their other data assets.
Our Favorite New England Road Trips
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- New England Road Trip With Kids Groton CT
- 10 Day Road Trip
- The Basin at Franconia Notch State Park, Lincoln NH
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- Vintage Craft Box by Cora Crea Crafts
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- Laisof crafts
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- Arts + Crafts Crate
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- Green Kid Crafts
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- Makerly Crafts
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Oh wow, what a great idea for a family road trip. That would definitely give everyone a lot to explore.
Ghost towns are so interesting, we have visited a few. But I had no idea there were so many in the United States. I’ll have to see if there are any near us to visit.
I’ve always been interested in paranormal activity. But never have a clue where to find ghost towns. There is a hotel in a few towns over but I heard that the cops won’t let you get near it anymore. But if your lucky, I’ve heard that you can see movement in the windows at night.
This looks like a lot of fun. I would love to see everything you guys did, for myself. I may have to plan a family trip here soon.
This should be an interesting trip! It’s unique and sounds fun!
I’ve never visited a ghost town before but you’ve highlighted so much information about them… makes it seem so interesting to visit! Didn’t realize the U.S. had that many!
Oh, I love ghost towns and old abandoned buildings. We have many here in Florida and when I come upon one, I love taking pictures of them.
wow! This is an awesome idea! I’ve never visited a ghost town! I think I will like it!
Haven’t been to this kind of place, looks a bit scary but my son would love this trip for sure! Thanks for sharing.
This sounds like a fun and exciting road trip. I’m sure my sons will love to visit these places. Thanks for sharing!
eek this sounds like such a fun road trip to do with my own family someday! were super into towns like this so this is really neat
I would love to do something like this – it sounds absolutely amazing to go and take a trip through some of these ghost towns. I would love to learn the history personally.
I would love to do this with my family. We are all about history and ghosts, so this would be our kind of road trip.
This looks like a very interesting trip. Lots of learning and history. This looks like a road trip that my son would love.
Taking in the sights and learning the history behind towns like this sounds very cool. I had no idea there were so many in America!