Introducing Slightly Odd Roadtrips 🚗👻 new every week!

This is where I want to share real destinations that you can roadtrip to and hike to around the country. They're meant to give you ideas for your next expedition, with links to addresses and all that good stuff, to help you get out and get weird! I really hope you like them!

This week: Madame Sherri Forest – Chesterfield, NH

Back in the 1920s, costume designer Madame Antoinette Sherri traded Broadway for the woods of southern New Hampshire. She built herself a wild French-style “castle” out here and threw legendary Jazz Age parties with flappers, bootleg champagne, live bands echoing through the trees. Then the house burned down in 1962, leaving behind only stone archways, a crumbling foundation, and that famous staircase to nowhere.

Today, the forest has taken over. The ruins sit tucked in the Madame Sherri Forest, managed by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Walk the easy 0.6-mile loop, and you’ll find mossy stone walls, twisted trees, and views of the hills. Locals swear that when the wind cuts through the valley just right, you can still hear faint music and laughter, like her ghost parties never really ended.

Why it’s worth the hike:

Abandoned: No roof, no doors, just skeletal stonework being reclaimed by the woods

Haunted happenings: Paranormal groups and campers have logged everything from phantom piano notes to cold spots near the staircase

Photogenic: That lone staircase is peak “fairytale ruin” and looks unreal at golden hour

Easy access: Flat trail, about 20 minutes round-trip, dog-friendly, and kid-friendly

Here's the full map + parking tips for this Slightly Odd America spot!

Parking + tips:

The lot is right off Gulf Road in Chesterfield. It’s small and fills up on fall weekends, so aim for early morning or late afternoon. No fee, no facilities. Bring bug spray in summer. And yeah, the staircase is climbable, but the stones are uneven, so step carefully.

Share this with your road trip crew. And if you want weirder castles, abandoned ski jumps, and diners where the ghosts order pie, make sure you’re following the site. I post a new oddball stop every week!

So, who’s brave enough to catch the ghost band’s encore?

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