Telling spooky stories around the campfire is a time-honored tradition of any camping trip. Whether you’re camping with friends, family, or your special someone, you can’t miss a chance to raise a few goosebumps and use the flickering light to spook your companions with these fantastic stories. We hope that you enjoy these stories that were gathered by request from some of our guests.
So today, we bring you four of our favorite bone-chilling ghost stories to tell with a flashlight under your chin and marshmallows melting in the fire. Without further ado:
The Unstoppable Coffin – (Funny – Stories for all ages)
One day a California man decided to go camping at Yosemite. He had a great weekend but when it was time to go home, he realized his car’s battery had died. Since he lived nearby, the man decided to walk the three hours home and call a tow-truck in the morning.
After an hour of walking, the sun went down, but the man wasn’t worried. Soon he passed a cemetery and began to whistle as he walked to avoid feeling nervous. But not long after he began whistling, he heard a Bump, Bump, Bump behind him.
At first, the man walked faster, but the bumping sped up too! Bump, Bump, Bump, Bump.
The man looked over his shoulder and was terrified to see a giant upright coffin hopping after him. Bump, Bump, Bump
The man ran. The coffin continued to bump behind him. As he passed someone’s trashcan, the man hurled the can behind him into the coffin. The coffin tipped over and the man ran away as he thought he was safe.
Not so! Soon he heard the Bump, Bump, Bump again and there was the coffin. Right behind him.
Finally, the man got home. He hurled his own trashcan at the coffin. Nothing. It followed him up the steps, and onto the porch. He tried to slam the door but it crashed right through.
The man threw a chair at the coffin, but that barely slowed it down. At last, it cornered him in the bathroom. Desperately, he grabbed a bottle of cough syrup and threw it. It broke and splattered all over the wooden lid.
It was only then that the coffin stopped.
The Ghost With One Black Eye – (Funny – Stories for all ages)
In the early 1900s, there existed a tavern on the road that went from the countryside to the city. Travelers would stop there to eat and rest. The entire tavern would be full except for one haunted room.
Years ago, a fight at the tavern left a man with a severe blow to one eye. As he fainted, the others at the tavern placed him in that room. He never recovered and died in the room. Since then his ghost seemed to haunt that room.
One day a cowboy came to the tavern. The old owner told him that there was no room except the haunted one.
The cowboy said, “I rope bulls and wrestle with them every day. I ain’t afraid of any ghost,” and took the room. That night during a bath, the cowboy heard a booming voice, “I am the ghost with one black eye.”
The cowboy panicked and looked around to find none. He wrapped his towel and ran as fast as he could.
Another day, a barmaid came for a room but the tavern was full. The old man said that there was only one room left and it was haunted.
The barmaid said, “I have seen the most violent of men at the place where I work. No ghost can scare me. I will take the room.”
That night, while tucking into the bed, she heard the same words in the booming voice. A shiver ran down her spine. She wore her gown, picked her luggage, and dashed out of the tavern.
A few days later, came a couple with a son. The couple wanted a separate room for themselves, but the only other room available for the son was haunted.
The son said, “Cool, a real ghost. I will live in it!”
That night, when the boy switched off the lights to go to bed, he heard the voice, “I am the ghost with one black eye.” The young boy calmly switched on the bed lamp and said, “Well, I am a boy scout. If you do not keep your mouth shut, you will be a ghost with two black eyes.”
After that, it was totally silent. The boy switched off the light and slept peacefully. Since that day, the ghost never disturbed or scared anyone again.
The New Baby Sister (Scary – Stories for older kids)
Once upon a time, there was a loving couple and their young daughter who lived in a tiny apartment in North Carolina. They were very happy but their one unfulfilled dream was to live in a big house with room for even more children. They worked hard to save up enough money for a big house and every day, their daughter begged for a baby sister.
“Mamma” she’d cry, “why can’t I have a little sister?”
“We want to give you a sister, sweetie,” Said her mother. “But first we have to buy a big house so there’s room for everyone!”
Finally, they had enough money and bought a big beautiful old house the Blue Ridge Mountains where they had always wanted to live. The house was perfect with big curving staircases, a basement, an attic, and even a nursery for the little sister their daughter had always wanted. What they didn’t know was why the house was so affordable. An entire family just like theirs had died there years before, including a little girl only a few years younger than their daughter.
As much as the couple loved their new house, their daughter loved it more. She loved to explore and ventured into every room except the basement where her mother told her not to go.
But every night, the little girl heard a faint whisper
“I’m in the basement,” the whisper said. “Come to the basement. I’m in the basement”. Every night the girl heard this whisper. It scared her, at first. But soon, her curiosity was too much to resist. “Come to the basement” it whispered, and so she crept out of her bed. The ghostly voice guided her. “I’m in the basement” it whispered.
The next morning, her mother awoke to find their daughter missing! They checked every room in the house. The kitchen, the nursery, even the attic. But she was nowhere to be found. Finally, the mother ventured into the basement to find her little girl sitting on the floor talking to no one.
The girl was sitting in front of an ancient dusty toy chest and in her hands was a porcelain doll in a faded lace dress. When the girl heard her mother, she looked up and smiled.
“Momma, momma!” she cried. “I finally have a baby sister!”
The living couple’s daughter had befriended the ghost of the girl who died there years before.
Little Johnny and the Scarecrow (Scary – Stories for older kids)
Seven-year-old Johnny loved spending time at his grandfather’s farmhouse. It was an old-fashioned place with huge farmland at the front, a barn, and a sheep’s pen by the side of the house, and a scarecrow.
Johnny loved the scarecrow. He drew a smile on it and called it Fluffy. Little Johnny also loved spending time at the sheep enclosure. He had helped his grandpa hammer the wooden planks together to make the sheep’s pen. Life was fun at the farmhouse.
One evening, Johnny decided to go ride his bike along the trail beside the Choctawhatchee Bay. He was so busy, that he did not realize that the clouds at the horizon had turned into a thunderstorm. The rain lashed out across the bay and Johnny could barely see the road. “Where am I?” thought Johnny. His confusion turned into fear and he started crying. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. Johnny turned and it was a tall man. The rain was so heavy that Johnny could barely see the man’s face, but could tell that he was a jolly person with a cap on his head.
“Are you lost?” said the man.
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay, I know the way back to where you live. Come,” the man took Johnny’s hand, while Johnny pulled his bike with another.
Soon the duo reached Johnny’s farmhouse. Johnny could tell it was grandpa’s place by the outline of the house that he could see through the haze of the heavy rain.
“Go Johnny. That is your place, isn’t it?” said the man.
“Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!”
Johnny hurried towards the main entrance while the man stood at a distance. Johnny dropped his bike when suddenly there was a roar of thunder behind him. It tripped Johnny. He turned around and got the shock of his life. Lightning had fallen on the man and now he was engulfed in flames. The rainwater evaporated as steam, as the man hovered at his place about to collapse. Johnny screamed at the top of his voice. Grandpa rushed out of the house and pulled Johnny inside.
The next morning was bright and sunny. The entire family stepped out to take stock of the damage. The sheep were safe in the barn, but their pen was destroyed. Johnny’s bicycle was safe too. There was no sign of the man although there was a mark of lightning on the soil. As Johnny looked around, he heard his grandpa gasp. Johnny rushed towards grandpa who was staring at something on the land. Johnny looked as well. On the ground lay Fluffy, the scarecrow, dismembered with his parts charred black; burnt like when lightning strikes something.
The Mysterious Firewood Ghost (Scary – Stories for all ages)
Not so long ago, there was a group of campers in Pine Mountain, Georgia. Campers just like you.
They had planned to camp out all week long and had been dropped off by their parents, so there was no car to get home with. They thought it would be great! But on the very first night, a terrible storm blew through their camp. Whoosh!
The wind blew away all their supplies. It blew away their firewood, their food, their backpacks, even the muddy hiking boots they’d placed outside their tents. Everything!
In the morning, the campers looked around at the wrecked camp and realized they were stranded in the woods for a week with almost no supplies. They tried to collect what was scattered around, but there wasn’t enough food or firewood to get them through the week, and without their hiking boots, they couldn’t go far from the campsite. And because of the storm, all the nearby fallen wood was too soaked to burn.
The second night, they crawled into their tents hungry and tried to sleep. One boy named Thomas woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of someone moving around outside and an eerie light coming through his tent. Thomas was so terrified of the strange light and sound that it took him ten whole minutes before he peeked out of his tent to see who it was.
But no one was there!
The next morning, the campers discovered that their cooler was back and had an unopened package of hotdogs inside next to a little pile of mysteriously dry firewood. The campers were confused, but they rejoiced and quickly set up a delicious weenie roast breakfast.
The third night, they crawled into their tents and fell deeply into sleep. But again, Thomas was woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of someone moving around and an eerie light outside his tent. Again, he felt terrified but eventually peeked out to see if it was a friend with a flashlight.
No one was there!
In the morning, they found their backpacks dry and tidily packed outside their tents along with their loaf of bread and block of cheese along with another little pile of dry firewood. Delighted, but confused, the group had breakfast and played card games from a deck of cards found in one of the packs.
On the fourth night, they crawled into their tents and fell asleep. Again, Thomas woke up to a sound and an eerie light. This time, he peeked out immediately to see the glowing figure of a young boy his own age running off into the woods.
In the morning, they discovered their hiking boots dry and clean of mud set outside their tents, a few cans of stew, and more dry firewood. And this time, Thomas had a plan. Lacing up his boots, Thomas set out in the direction he’d seen the glowing figure run the night before.
Soon he came to a deep ravine and peering far, far down into the crevice, he could see a tattered backpack and an ancient pair of shoes. Their mysterious helper had been the ghost of a lost camper the whole time!
A Tired Piece of String (Funny – Stories for all Ages)
A tired piece of string had been traveling in the wilderness for days. He had struggled up craggy trails, passed through lush woodlands, seen thrilling vistas, and slept under breath-taking starlit skies.
As his journey was nearing its end, he passed by the only bar he’d seen. Not wanting to forgo the opportunity to slake his thirst with an ice-cold beverage, he opened the door and stepped inside.
As the string approached the bar, the bartender looked at him and said “You have to leave, we don’t serve strings here!” Dejected and disheartened, the string turned around and walked out.
Not one to fail for lack of trying, the string stood outside thinking for a moment. Then he hastily fluffed up his hair, looped himself a few times, and walked back in.
When the bartender saw him the second time, he was puzzled. Although he had changed his appearance slightly, he still looked generally the same. Glaring down at him, the bartender demanded, “Are you a string?!” to which the string replied, “Nope, I’m a frayed knot.”
Tips for Telling a Great Campfire Story
Tell a story that you enjoy (Perhaps it involves a lesson too). Telling good stories isn’t just about entertaining. This is your opportunity to share bits of wisdom with the kids. Create a hook. Use props, get the listeners to use their imaginations, interact with them by playing on their senses. Keep their attention by making the story short and sweet. Don’t rush through it, use dramatic pauses. Be flexible, each audience is different. If one thing doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to switch it up! This will ensure that everyone enjoys your campfire stories and remembers them for years to come.
About RVC Outdoor Destinations
RVC Outdoor Destinations develops, owns, and operates vacation resorts set within naturally beautiful environments and in close proximity to local attractions and activities. We offer RV Sites, Cottages, Yurts, and Tent camping at our 8 locations across the country! Visit our website rvcoutdoors.com for more information or to speak with a reservation specialist through our Live Chat!
