Coeur d’Alene is a city in northwest Idaho, just west of the Coeur d’Alene National Forest. It is situated just north of Lake Coeur d’Alene, which feeds the Spokane River. Just off Sherman street, north of the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course, and west of the St. Thomas Cemetery you’ll find the The Bates Motel. It’s one of fourteen motels in the area, and a bit run down, but the name alone, is enough to draw a crowd.
The motel didn’t start out as a motel. It was once an army barracks for officers before, and after World War II. After the war, the property was sold, and it was then that it became a motel. Originally The Roadway Inn, it was once again sold, this time to a Mr. Randy Bates. He renamed the motel, and the rest is history.
It has been rumored that Robert Bloch, author of the popular novel, Psycho, which was later turned into a movie; produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
While the original Psycho movie, and Bates Motel TV series were not filmed on location, another film was, in the 1980’s. The film crew happened to put up the motel’s infamous sign and left it behind when production wrapped. The Bates Motel is now a budget motel, drawing fans and paranormal investigators alike.
As for being haunted, there is no specific details of persons killed or dying on the premises, however guests and employees alike report constant ghostly activity.
If you do decide to take a trip to the Bates Motel, be sure to request room 1, or 3. That is where the majority of the activity is reported. Guests have complained of creepy feelings, such as being watched, or sudden cold sensations. They hear noises which cannot be explained. Lights will flicker on and off on their own. Ashtrays will fall off the table and items will seemingly move on their own.
Sorry folks, no Norman here, but that might be a good thing…
Looking for something else? Try checking out the story of the Haunted H1 – a highway in Oahu, Hawaii.