Overnight Stay Booking Required
Stay in the Historic Mansion
Book one of 47 guest rooms in the restored 1900 Goodall Wooten House; corridors and parlors in the original mansion are most often associated with reported phenomena.
- Duration:
- 12 hr
Haunted Hotel / Inn
Hotel Ella (Goodall Wooten House)
Greek Revival mansion built in 1900 as a wedding gift to Goodall and Ella Wooten, now a 47-room boutique hotel where guests report footsteps, shadowy figures, and cold spots in the historic core.
1900 Rio Grande St, Austin, TX 78705
Wheelchair Accessible
Research-Backed · 3sources
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Boutique hotel room rates typical of upscale Austin lodging; on-site bar and restaurant available to the public.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved walkways, elevator access to upper floors; some original architectural thresholds in historic core.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1900 · National Register of Historic Places · Greek Revival residential architecture · Associated with the Wooten family, prominent in early Austin civic and medical history · Ella Wooten's Red Cross relief work during World Wars I and II
The mansion at 1900 Rio Grande Street was completed in 1900 as a private residence, built by Dr. Goodall Wooten — a physician, regent, and businessman whose influence in Austin extended well beyond medicine — for his son Goodall Wooten and his new wife Ella Newsome, whom he had married in 1897. The home occupies the western edge of the University of Texas neighborhood, positioned between the academic center to the east and downtown Austin to the south.
In 1910, Ella took on the renovation of the home, working with retailer-designer Stanley Marcus to recast the residence in its current Greek Revival form. Ella Wooten was also a civic figure in her own right, organizing Red Cross relief efforts in Austin during both World Wars. The Wooten family remained associated with the property for decades, during which it served as both a private home and a social landmark on the edge of campus.
The property later passed into other hands and operated under several names — most notably as the Mansion at Judges' Hill — before a comprehensive 2013 restoration returned the historic core to its early-20th-century character while adding compatible new wings. The reopened property took the name Hotel Ella in tribute to Ella Wooten and now offers 47 guest rooms, a wrap-around veranda, and a cabana-lined pool on the historic grounds.
The mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the hotel actively preserves and interprets the property's architectural and family history through its public spaces, restaurant (Goodall's Kitchen & Bar), and seasonal programming.
Sources
- https://hotelella.com/about-ella
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodall_Wooten_House
- https://www.hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/hotel-ella-opens-in-austin-texas-completing-the-restoration-of-historic-goo/
Unexplained footsteps in empty hallwaysFaint, indistinct voices from unoccupied roomsPeripheral glimpses of figures that vanish when looked at directlySudden, localized cold spotsSensation of being watched in historic core
Ghost City Tours, which features Hotel Ella as one of its Austin haunted-property profiles, reports that guests and staff describe 'footsteps in hallways when no one is visible,' faint indistinct voices from unoccupied rooms, and peripheral glimpses of figures in doorways or corridors that vanish when observed directly. The tour's account notes that 'cold spots have also been reported — sudden, localized drops in temperature' in the historic portions of the mansion, particularly in the original family spaces.
Local lore most often attaches these reports to Ella Wooten, who oversaw the home's renovations into its current Greek Revival form and led Red Cross relief work in Austin during both World Wars. There is no single named room or 'haunted suite' in the public lore; the phenomena are described as diffuse and atmospheric, distributed across the original mansion's corridors and parlors rather than concentrated in one location.
Hotel Ella has, in some years, programmed a Halloween-season 'Haunted Mansion Tour' that walks guests through the property's history and the lore that has accumulated around it, positioning the haunting as part of the building's heritage rather than a marketed attraction.
Notable Entities
Ella Newsome Wooten (associated, not confirmed identification)
Media Appearances
- Ghost City Tours — Haunted Hotel Ella feature
- Austin Patch — Hotel Ella Haunted Mansion Tour coverage
Plan Your Visit
2 ways to experience Dinner
Goodall's Kitchen & Bar
Dine at the on-site restaurant inside the historic mansion; open to the public without an overnight stay.
- Duration:
- 1.5 hr
Sources & Further Reading
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Similar Destinations
Photo coming soon
Haunted Hotel / Inn
Commodore Perry Estate
Austin, TX
The Commodore Perry Estate was built in 1928 for cotton entrepreneur and real estate developer Edgar Howard 'Commodore' Perry on a 10-acre site in Austin's Hyde Park/Hancock area. The Italian Renaissance Revival mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in August 2001. After housing Saint Mary's Academy from 1944 to 1972 and several subsequent schools, the property was restored and reopened in 2020 as a 54-room hotel within the Auberge Resorts Collection.
$$$$ All Ages
Family: High
Haunted Hotel / Inn
The Driskill
Austin, TX
Colonel Jesse Lincoln Driskill, a Tennessee-born cattle baron who supplied beef to the Confederate Army and later the Texas Rangers, opened The Driskill Hotel on December 20, 1886. Its first event, two weeks after opening, was the inaugural ball for Texas Governor Sul Ross. Driskill sold the hotel in 1888 after severe drought devastated his cattle herds and died in 1890. The hotel has hosted every Texas governor's inaugural ball since 1887.
$$$ All ages
Family: Moderate
Photo coming soon
Haunted Hotel / Inn
The Adolphus Hotel
Dallas, TX
The Adolphus opened October 5, 1912, on Commerce Street as the flagship Dallas hotel of St. Louis beer magnate Adolphus Busch, founder of Anheuser-Busch. Designed in Beaux Arts style by Thomas P. Barnett of Barnett, Haynes & Barnett, the 22-story tower stood as the tallest building in Texas for a decade. The hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and remains an operating luxury hotel under the Marriott Autograph Collection.
$$$$ All Ages
Family: Moderate
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hotel Ella (Goodall Wooten House) family-friendly?
An operating luxury hotel with no haunted-attraction elements; lore is folkloric and atmospheric rather than confrontational. Comfortable for families seeking historic character. Overall family fit: High.
How much does it cost to visit Hotel Ella (Goodall Wooten House)?
Boutique hotel room rates typical of upscale Austin lodging; on-site bar and restaurant available to the public.
Do I need to book in advance?
No advance booking is required, but checking availability is recommended.
Is Hotel Ella (Goodall Wooten House) wheelchair accessible?
Yes, Hotel Ella (Goodall Wooten House) is wheelchair accessible. Terrain: Paved walkways, elevator access to upper floors; some original architectural thresholds in historic core..