Bring Your Dog to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

Visit Dog-friendly Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

If you love historical buildings that may be haunted and like to travel with your pup, then this is the perfect stop for you! The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is in Weston, West Virginia, and was (and still is) an important part of the local economy. They offer multiple tours sure to meet everyone’s interests and host different events throughout the year. The best part is that you can bring your dog to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum which is amazing. This is a truly unique experience that you can share with your pup as most historic buildings don’t allow pets inside, let alone on the tours.

Is the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum Dog-Friendly?

Yes! You can bring your leashed and well-behaved dogs to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Upon arriving we noticed signs stating that the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was dog-friendly. This means your pup can go with you on most of the tours as you learn about the history of the building, paranormal activities, and more.

Dogs are welcome on all daytime tours so you can check off “Haunted Places” off your Pup Memory Passport!  Be aware that most of the tours do involve stairs (for those pups who may have trouble with steps) and that you will come across small objects including small old candies left behind by previous guests for the ghosts. Keep a close eye on your dogs to keep them out of trouble so they don’t anger any spirits or the staff.

Unfortunately, pups are not allowed during the nighttime events so you will have to make other arrangements for your pup if you plan on doing the overnight experiences. As always, I do suggest calling ahead to confirm that their pet policy hasn’t changed before booking your tour just to be on the safe side.

Brief History of Trans-Allegheny

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was originally called the Weston State Hospital and was built between 1858-1881. It was designed to house only 250 people and it started housing patients in 1864. It soon became incredibly overcrowded, reaching its highest population in the 1950s. At this time, they were housing around 2,400 patients which meant living conditions were very poor. As medical treatments for the mentally ill began to change, combined with the continued deterioration of the building, the facility finally closed its door as a hospital in 1994.

The building itself is quite impressive and is the largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America. It was based on the Kirkbride plan which was a popular design for mental healthcare facilities in the mid and late 1800s. The goal was to provide patients with a healthy environment and a feeling of respect. These buildings often had long rambling hallways, and big windows, and were built on large properties so the patients could get lots of healing sunlight and fresh air.

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum Today

Due to the uniqueness of the building, Weston State Hospital was made a National Historic Landmark in 1990. The building and grounds were purchased by a private owner in 2007 and renamed the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Today you can tour the Asylum and learn more about the history of the building, the patients that lived there, and the paranormal. In an effort to restore the building and help the local economy they offer multiple types of tours and host numerous events throughout the year. There is also a small museum and gift shop located inside as well.

Museum and Gift Shop

The Asylum has both a gift shop and a museum on the main floor of the building. The gift shop is located through the main doors just to your left and before you reach the indoor ticket and information counter. The museum is past the ticket counter and covers a large portion of the rest of the main floor. Each section houses different displays and exhibits like the equipment that was used to treat patients, old patient registers, the list of reasons that people were admitted to the hospital, and even artwork that was done by patients that lived there.

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum Tours

The tours at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum will cover almost every category of interest you could possibly have! Go on a ghost hunt, learn about the criminally insane, take a photography tour, and more! All the tours are guided, and the price can range anywhere from $10-150. The duration of the tours can take anywhere from 45 minutes up to 8 hours so make sure to take that into consideration when you sign up.

Tours are available seasonally, typically from April to November. You can book your tour online, by phone, or onsite. Walk-ins are accepted Tuesdays to Sundays as they are closed Mondays unless you have pre-booked the Discover the Asylum tour. Each tour has set days and times that they are offered so be sure to check the calendar if you are hoping for a specific one.

Photography Tour–

This historical building is a fantastic place for photographers and the Photography Tour is the perfect opportunity to get some great shots! This tour is 4 hours, and you can choose between the morning or afternoon session. The cost is $100 for one of the sessions or $150 if you want to do both. This tour will take you through the most photogenic spots of the asylum.

Historical Tours

If you are interested in history there are three tours that might interest you: 1^st floor, All Floors, or the Criminally Insane.  The first-floor tour is $10 per person and lasts 45 minutes. This tour will talk about the Civil War area of the hospital, and you will hear about a gold robbery as well as the pioneers of humane treatments for the mentally ill. 

The All-Floors tour is 90 minutes long and costs $30 a person. This tour will take you through the 1^st floor in addition to Medical Center, the doctors’ and nurses’ living spaces, and Ward F where the most problematic patients stayed.

The Criminally Insane tour is 60 minutes long and is $15 a person. This tour will lead you through the areas of the hospital that held the criminally insane for over 100 years and you will hear about the riot that changed the way the hospital was run.

Paranormal Tours

You can book a paranormal tour during the daytime or evening hours. The daytime tour lasts 1.5 hours and costs $35 a person. This tour will take you through all the hot spots for paranormal activities.

If you want to book an evening adventure, you will have a few options. There is a Paranormal Tour that costs $40/person and lasts 2 hours. This is the evening version of the Daytime tour option.

If you’d like to stay after dark for longer, you can sign up for either a public or private Ghost Hunt. The ghost hunts will give you 8 hours to explore the Asylum.  Public Tours will cost $100 a person whereas Private tours are $150/person and require a minimum of 10 people plus insurance.

Miscellaneous Tours

Discover the Asylum is a tour that goes over the history of the asylum, treatments used, and paranormal experiences. This tour lasts 5 hours and costs $125 a person.

If you are interested in all these tours but have a limited time, consider doing the VIP Tour. It’s 90 minutes long and only costs $35. This tour is based on the interests of the current tour group whether it is more history, paranormal, civil war, architecture, or patient treatments. This is a great way to learn more about the topics that interest you the most.

Special Events

Weston State Hospital was a huge part of the community, and it still is today as the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. They host different events throughout the year to help the local economy. Depending on when you visit you can take in a car show, let your kids participate in a gigantic Easter Egg Hunt, shop at a flea market, and more. Check the schedule of events for the latest updates on dates and times.

The month of October seems to have the most event options of the year. If you love fall and Halloween, this is the time of year to go. Look forward to Asylum After Dark (an award-winning Haunted House), Hearsemania (a car show), Zombie Paintball, the Fall Festival, and the Asylum Ball.  

Nearby Attractions

Depending on your interests there are a wide variety of attractions nearby. If you are interested in the paranormal you can visit the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, or the Archive of the Afterlife “The National Museum of the Paranormal” in Cameron, West Virginia.

Green Bank Observatory is a great place to learn more about Astronomy and has the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope.

If you are interested in World Religions or remarkable architecture, Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold is one of the eight religious wonders in the United States and honors the Hindu God Lord Krishna.

Outdoorsmen will love the Monongahela Forest which covers a large area and is full of different types of landscapes and stops like Seneca Rocks or the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area.

Why You Should Visit:

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum did a great job sharing the history of the building as well as the past treatment of the mentally ill. We took the Daytime Paranormal tour and our guide did a great job sharing stories of previous ghostly encounters. If you have any interest in historical buildings or the paranormal, I highly suggest a visit! If you are looking for another wonderfully spooky building, take a trip to the Ohio State Reformatory.

I do admit that we were a little bummed that we didn’t know ahead of time that we could have brought our dogs so unfortunately, they missed out on this trip, but we will be heading back at some point because I want to see if they pick up on any spirits. They say dogs have a better 6^th sense than us humans and this is a great way to put it to the test. On our daytime paranormal tour, we were told of a dog that used to live there that the ghosts would play with. Maybe your dog can make some new ghostly friends too!

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