Entry No. 12 — the Las Vegas file — filed under: haunted
Boulder Dam Hotel
Built in 1933 to house Hoover Dam-era VIPs — Shirley Temple, Boris Karloff, and Norway's Crown Prince Olav all stayed here — the H-shaped hotel was cut from 83 rooms down to 22 during a 1993 restoration, and staff say two of the remaining rooms produce far more unexplained noises and cold spots than the rest.
The story
In 1933, while thousands of desperate laborers were pouring concrete in scorching heat at Black Canyon, federal officials needed a dignified sanctuary to house the movie stars, foreign royalty, and politicians arriving to witness the engineering miracle. Enter the Boulder Dam Hotel, constructed as an H-shaped oasis in the middle of a strict, alcohol-free government town. Shirley Temple wandered its corridors as a child, Boris Karloff took shelter here away from monster-obsessed crowds, and Crown Prince Olav of Norway stayed here when Boulder City was still mostly dust, tents, and wooden mess halls.
The property took its strangest turn six decades later. During a 1993 renovation led by the Boulder City Museum and Historical Association, crew members gutted the building's original 83 cramped guest rooms, knocking down partitions to build 22 sprawling modern suites. Rearranging the floor plan created eerie blank wall pockets and altered the acoustic flow of the timber structure. Almost immediately after the walls fell, night clerks began recording unexplained footfalls down empty corridors, sudden drops in ambient room temperature, and recurring phantom noises concentrated in two specific rooms—numbers front-desk clerks will usually share if you ask quietly.
Today, the hotel sits 27 miles southeast of the Las Vegas Strip, operating as a non-profit historic site where the past stays stubbornly close to the surface. Between the dark wood trimmings upstairs and the historical exhibits downstairs, it feels less like a modern stay and more like lingering in a 1930s sanctuary where the original guests never quite finished checking out.
What it's like
Stepping into the lobby immediately detaches you from Nevada cliché—Boulder City bans gambling entirely, so there isn't a single slot machine chime in earshot. The hotel moves at an antique, unhurried pace, with squeaking floorboards, an on-site lounge and restaurant, and an eerie silence after nightfall. Spend time wandering the free first-floor museum to absorb the brutal labor history of the dam before taking the stairs up to the guest quarters. The catch is authentic to 1933: walls are historic rather than soundproofed, so every creak carries, and if you book one of the active rooms, you should be prepared for sudden thermal drops and unassigned knocks.
The move: Book the purple, Hollywood-styled Carole Lombard Suite for the night, then visit the free basement museum on Hoover Dam's construction before asking the front desk which two rooms guests report the most activity in.
- 📍 Boulder City, NV
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1305 Arizona Street, Boulder City, NV 89005
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Dark Arts at Grey Witch — After exploring 1930s paranormal lore in Boulder City, head into Henderson to duck behind a fireplace and mounted peacocks for a dark cocktail.
- Fox Ridge Park — Pair the hotel's unexplained night noises with a late trip to this suburban Henderson park to watch for its notoriously restless ghostly swing.
- Old Pope Mine — Connect the dam-era labor history of the hotel with the raw ruin of early desert prospecting down in the Black Mountains near Lake Mead.
- Cemetery Pulp - Oddities and More — Match the historical weirdness of the hotel with a stop at this shop packed with taxidermy, real bone displays, and wet specimens.
Good to know
Where is the hotel located relative to Las Vegas and Hoover Dam?
The hotel is at 1305 Arizona Street in historic downtown Boulder City, roughly 27 miles southeast of the Las Vegas Strip and 6.8 miles from Hoover Dam.
Who owns and operates the Boulder Dam Hotel?
The hotel is owned and managed by the non-profit Boulder City Museum and Historical Association, which preserves the building as part of local history.
What is the history behind the Carole Lombard Suite?
The suite is styled in vintage purple and Hollywood decor to honor actress Carole Lombard, who was among the notable 1930s celebrities who stayed at the hotel.
Why did the room count drop from 83 to 22?
During a comprehensive 1993 restoration, the non-profit owner combined the original small 1930s rooms into 22 modern, spacious guest suites.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · Official site · vivajessvegas.com · ghostmap.org · bchdmuseum.org
last checked: 2026-07-20