Two Burlington landmarks rank among Vermont's ten most haunted places

With Halloween approaching, two Burlington landmarks, Shanty on the Shore and Follett House (exterior viewing only), rank among Vermont's ten most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index. The index ranks 34 Vermont sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Shanty on the Shore ranks #4. The restaurant occupies an 1833 building on Burlington's waterfront, originally the general store of Isaac Nye, a merchant who abruptly closed it in 1840 and lived as a recluse in a back room until his death in 1871. Three separate published accounts describe activity there. The restaurant's owner has described bar glasses rattling at closing time with no cause, and staff have found tables and chairs pushed against the walls, footsteps overhead, and lights switching back on after closing, activity attributed to Nye.

Follett House ranks #7. Railroad executive Timothy Follett built the Greek Revival mansion in 1840, but lost his fortune when the Rutland Railroad went bankrupt in the 1850s and died in 1857. Two separate published accounts describe activity there, retold in four later publications. Visitors and Pomerleau Real Estate employees describe flickering lights, shapes passing the upper windows, and figures glimpsed on the front lawn at twilight, attributed to the Folletts' grief after the family's ruin.

Statewide, the Hartness House Inn in Springfield ranks #1, and Emily's Bridge in Stowe, the state's most famous haunted site, ranks #6.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:Shanty on the Shore, 181 Battery St., Burlington, is a waterfront restaurant and bar with seasonal hours.Follett House, 63 College St., Burlington, is private office space; view the exterior from the sidewalk (exterior viewing only). Please do not trespass.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/vermont/The fact sheet, with Burlington numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/vermont/Venue contact: shantyontheshore.comA short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

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