Spooky San Antonio Ranks High For Nightmares And Ghost Stories

There’s a reason folks say, “Everything’s bigger in Texas,” and apparently, that includes nightmares. A new study just dropped, naming this Texas city among the top 10 U.S. cities most likely to give you bad dreams, and let’s just say… It’s not because of the tacos (though I’ve had some spicy ones that’ll haunt you).

Why San Antonio Earned a Place in the “Bad Dreams League”

It’s not because the River Walk turns into a ghost river at night (though that’s a fun mental image). NapLab’s methodology stacks up 14 spooky-ish factors, ranging from insufficient sleep rates and crime index, to haunted houses per capita and ghost sightings per 100K.

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San Antonio’s combination of moderate crime, local legends, and restless souls gives it enough “night-fuel” to crack the top 10.

What Your Subconscious Might See (If It’s Ghoulish)

• A mariachi band morphing into a phantom ensemble
• The Alamo’s shadows sneaking out after hours
• Bats under the bridges on the River Walk whispering secrets
• That taco you just ate is coming alive (okay, that one’s on you)

Why You Shouldn’t Let This Stop You

My wife and I visit San Antonio as many times as we can possibly go. We usually stay along the River Walk, but lately we've been renting Airbnb's and enjoying the historic neighborhoods in the area. So, needless to say, a few ghosts and weirdness are not going to scare us away.

Think of this “nightmare ranking” as a quirky badge of honor, and a way for your subconscious to feel relevant. Plus:

• You control your bedtime ritual (lavender, chill, no extra spicy salsa at midnight)
• You get to laugh about it with your wife (team up on who’s having the weirder dream)
• Real world > dream world: no actual ghouls are waiting at The Alamo (probably)

So yeah, San Antonio might be statistically more nightmare-capable than most, but for us, that just means our next trip’s going to be legendary. Sleep weird, Texas.