10 Infamous Crime Scenes That Became Tourist Hotspots

The boundary between historical documentation and morbid fascination is thinner than most people care to admit. While law enforcement agencies often work to preserve the dignity of sites where tragedies occurred, public curiosity frequently draws visitors to the locations of infamous crimes. From quiet suburban homes where cult murders unfolded to remote roads where legendary outlaws met their end, these places have become destinations for true-crime enthusiasts and history buffs alike. This phenomenon of dark tourism reveals a complex, often unsettling human desire to stand where history took a dark turn.

The following entries examine ten such locations that transformed from scenes of tragedy into permanent fixtures on the global travel map. Each serves as a somber reminder of how quickly a single catastrophic event can redefine a place.

Related: 10 Crazy and Creepy Crimes People Said They Were Addicted To

10 The Sharon Tate Residence

The home on Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon where members of the Manson Family murdered actress Sharon Tate and four others in August 1969 has become one of Los Angeles’s most infamous true-crime landmarks. Although the original house at 10050 Cielo Drive was demolished in 1994 and replaced with a new residence bearing a different address, the property continues to attract visitors hoping to glimpse the location tied to one of Hollywood’s darkest chapters. The combination of celebrity, brutality, and the cultural impact of the Manson murders transformed an otherwise quiet hillside into a lasting symbol of the dark side of fame.

The site is private property, and neighbors have long struggled with the steady flow of sightseers and tour buses. Many visitors are drawn by a desire to better understand how such a secluded, affluent neighborhood became the setting for one of America’s most notorious crimes. Even without the original house, the location remains deeply embedded in popular culture through books, documentaries, and countless retellings of the murders.

Local legends surrounding the property have only added to its mystique, inspiring ghost stories and amateur investigations for decades. While the current homeowners understandably value their privacy, the road remains a regular stop on Los Angeles true-crime tours. The contrast between the peaceful canyon setting and its violent history continues to leave a lasting impression on those who visit.^[1]

9 The Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Site

Along a quiet stretch of Louisiana State Highway 154 near Gibsland sits the location where Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow’s two-year crime spree came to a violent end on May 23, 1934. A posse of six law enforcement officers ambushed the pair, firing more than 100 rounds into their stolen Ford V8. Today, a historical marker near the roadside draws visitors eager to stand where one of America’s most famous outlaw stories ended.

Many travelers stop to recreate historic photographs or simply absorb the isolation of the surrounding countryside. Nearby museums and local businesses have embraced the site’s place in American history, making it an important stop for those interested in Depression-era crime. Unlike many infamous crime scenes, the community has chosen to preserve rather than distance itself from the story.

Nearly a century later, the quiet landscape still helps visitors imagine the dramatic events of that morning. The sparse roadside setting offers a sobering contrast to the glamorous portrayals of Bonnie and Clyde in films and popular culture, reminding visitors that the legendary outlaw romance ended on an ordinary country road.^[2]

8 The Amityville Horror House

The Dutch Colonial home in Amityville, New York, where Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered six members of his family in 1974, is one of America’s most recognizable crime scenes. The following year’s claims of paranormal activity by new residents inspired The Amityville Horror, transforming a tragic homicide into one of the world’s most enduring supernatural legends. Today, visitors continue to travel to the quiet Long Island neighborhood despite repeated requests from homeowners to respect their privacy.

Many tourists arrive less because of the DeFeo murders themselves than because of the property’s reputation as a haunted house. The intersection of true crime and paranormal folklore has kept the address alive in popular culture for decades, even as residents have tried to distance themselves from the home’s notoriety.

The house has undergone several exterior renovations, including replacing its famous quarter-moon windows and changing its address, in an effort to discourage visitors. Nevertheless, it remains one of the world’s best-known examples of dark tourism, where historical tragedy and supernatural mythology have become almost impossible to separate.^[3]

7 The O.J. Simpson Crime Scene

The former Bundy Drive residence in Brentwood, Los Angeles, where Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were murdered in 1994, became forever linked to one of the most publicized criminal trials in American history. During the months of media coverage that followed, the home became an unofficial landmark as reporters, curiosity seekers, and mourners gathered outside.

Although the original house was later demolished and replaced with a substantially different residence, the address remains a fixture on many Los Angeles true-crime tours. The property’s transformation did little to erase its connection to a case that reshaped public discussions about celebrity, race, domestic violence, and the American justice system.

Victim advocates have often encouraged visitors to remember the lives that were lost rather than the celebrity surrounding the trial. Even so, the location continues to draw those seeking a tangible connection to one of the defining criminal cases of the twentieth century, demonstrating how certain places become permanently associated with pivotal moments in American history.^[4]

6 The Jeffrey Dahmer Apartment Site

The Oxford Apartments in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer murdered many of his victims during the late 1980s and early 1990s, became synonymous with one of America’s most horrifying criminal cases. Following Dahmer’s arrest in 1991, the apartment building was demolished in an effort to help the neighborhood move forward. Today, visitors still seek out the empty lot where the building once stood.

City officials have long resisted turning the site into any form of memorial or attraction, hoping to keep the focus on the victims rather than the killer. Despite those efforts, true-crime enthusiasts regularly visit the location to better understand the setting where the crimes occurred. The absence of any physical structure often makes the site feel even more unsettling.

Many visitors remark on how ordinary the surrounding neighborhood appears, underscoring one of the most disturbing aspects of the case—that such horrific crimes unfolded in an otherwise typical apartment building. With no plaque or official marker, those who visit must rely on their own research to locate the site, creating a quiet and reflective experience rather than a commercial tourist stop.^[5]

5 The Hinterkaifeck Farm

The isolated Bavarian farmstead of Hinterkaifeck became the scene of one of Germany’s most infamous unsolved murders in 1922, when six members of the Gruber family and their maid were brutally killed with a mattock. The killer apparently remained on the property for several days after the murders, feeding the livestock, eating meals, and even sleeping in the house before disappearing without a trace. Although the original farmhouse was demolished in 1923, the remote site continues to attract true-crime enthusiasts fascinated by one of Europe’s greatest criminal mysteries.

Unlike many famous crime scenes that have become commercial attractions, Hinterkaifeck remains remarkably understated. A memorial stone marks the approximate location where the farmhouse once stood, while the surrounding countryside has changed little in the past century. Visitors frequently comment on the area’s unsettling silence, making it easy to imagine how such a horrific crime could occur without immediate discovery.

More than 100 years later, no suspect has ever been conclusively identified despite countless theories involving robbery, revenge, family disputes, and wandering drifters. Rather than celebrating the crime itself, visitors are drawn by the enduring mystery and the haunting atmosphere of a place that still refuses to surrender its secrets.^[6]

4 The Manson Family’s Spahn Ranch

Before the Tate-LaBianca murders shocked the nation, Charles Manson and many of his followers lived at the Spahn Movie Ranch in the Santa Susana Mountains outside Los Angeles. Once a popular filming location for Westerns, the ranch became the headquarters of the Manson Family during the months leading up to the killings. Although the ranch buildings were destroyed by wildfire in 1970, the site remains a popular destination for hikers and true-crime enthusiasts.

Today, the former ranch lies within Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park, where visitors can hike trails leading to the area where the ranch once stood, along with landmarks such as the so-called Manson Family Cave. The rugged landscape offers a striking sense of isolation, helping visitors understand how the cult was able to live largely removed from mainstream society.

Unlike urban crime scenes, Spahn Ranch allows visitors to physically explore the landscape connected to one of America’s most notorious criminal groups. Nature has reclaimed much of the property, but its connection to the Manson Family continues to make it one of California’s most recognizable dark tourism destinations.^[7]

3 The Columbine Memorial

The 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, permanently changed the national conversation about school violence. While the school itself remains an active campus closed to visitors, the nearby Columbine Memorial has become a place of remembrance for thousands of people each year who come to honor the 13 victims and reflect on the tragedy.

The memorial overlooks the school and features engraved quotations, personal tributes, and interpretive displays that focus on the lives of those who were killed rather than the perpetrators. Visitors are encouraged to treat the site with respect, creating an atmosphere that is markedly different from many other locations associated with infamous crimes.

Rather than appealing to morbid curiosity, the Columbine Memorial serves as a place for education, healing, and reflection. It stands as one of the most meaningful examples of dark tourism, demonstrating how a community can preserve the memory of a tragedy while ensuring that the focus remains on the victims and the lessons learned.^[8]

2 The Lizzie Borden House

The Fall River, Massachusetts, home where Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered in 1892 has fully embraced its place in American true-crime history. Today, the Lizzie Borden House operates as both a museum and a bed-and-breakfast, allowing guests to tour—and even spend the night in—the rooms where one of the nation’s most enduring murder mysteries unfolded.

Guided tours examine the evidence, introduce visitors to the principal suspects, and explore the many theories surrounding Lizzie Borden’s acquittal. Carefully restored period furnishings help recreate the atmosphere of the late nineteenth century, making the experience feel more like stepping into history than visiting a traditional museum.

More than 130 years after the murders, the house continues to inspire books, documentaries, films, and ghost investigations. It remains one of the world’s best-known examples of dark tourism, where an unsolved historical mystery has become a destination in its own right.^[9]

1 Bonnie and Clyde’s Death Car

The bullet-riddled 1934 Ford V8 in which Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were killed has become one of the most recognizable artifacts in American criminal history. Now displayed at Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino in Primm, Nevada, the vehicle allows visitors to stand inches away from the very car that carried the infamous outlaw couple during their final moments.

The exhibit includes historical photographs, documents, and artifacts that place the ambush in context while highlighting how the media transformed Bonnie and Clyde into enduring cultural icons. Visitors often spend considerable time examining the dozens of bullet holes still visible throughout the vehicle, making it one of the most photographed exhibits in the museum.

Unlike most entries on this list, the crime scene itself has been preserved and placed on public display. Nearly a century after the ambush, Bonnie and Clyde’s death car remains a striking reminder of how objects connected to infamous crimes can become enduring tourist attractions in their own right.^[10]