Jefferson’s Paranormal Season Is Here: Your 2026 Visitor’s Guide

If you’ve never heard Jefferson, Texas called one of the most haunted towns in the state, you haven’t been paying attention. Every fall, this small East Texas river town leans all the way into its spookier side — and two of the season’s biggest draws are happening within weeks of each other. Whether you’re a serious paranormal investigator or just someone who likes a good ghost story with your antiquing, here’s what’s coming up and how to plan your stay.

Texas Bigfoot Conference — October 16–17, 2026

Established in 2001, the Texas Bigfoot Conference is the original annual Bigfoot conference in the state, and it’s become a fixture on Jefferson’s fall calendar. Held at the Jefferson Tourism and Visitor Center, the weekend brings together researchers, authors, and longtime field investigators for talks and discussion on sasquatch sightings and research across the region. It’s a niche crowd, but a devoted one — and it fills up rooms downtown fast.

History, Haunts & Legends Paranormal Conference — Fall Edition

Jefferson’s other signature paranormal event, the History, Haunts & Legends Paranormal Conference, actually runs twice a year — once in the spring and once in the fall. The fall conference typically lands in November and draws visitors from across the region for speaker sessions, guided investigations, and tours through some of Jefferson’s oldest and most storied buildings.

At the time we’re publishing this, exact 2026 fall dates hadn’t been announced yet. Given the town’s track record, expect tickets to move quickly once they go on sale — we’ll update this post the moment dates are confirmed, so check back before you lock in your travel plans, or keep an eye on the Jefferson events calendar directly.

Where to Stay

However you’re splitting your paranormal weekend, you’ll want to be within walking distance of downtown — and there’s no more fitting home base than the Excelsior House. As the oldest hotel in continuous operation in Texas, we’ve got more than a little history of our own. (Curious whether any of it comes with a resident ghost? We covered that in an earlier post — Haunted or Just Historic?)

From our porch on West Austin Street, you’re a short stroll from the Visitor Center, William Perry Park, and the antique shops and restaurants that make a Jefferson weekend worth extending past the conference schedule.

Plan Ahead

Both events draw overnight visitors from well outside Marion County, and rooms in a town this size go fast during conference weekends. A few tips:

• Book early. October and November weekends fill up well before the events are officially announced in full, especially around the Bigfoot Conference’s confirmed October 16–17 dates.
• Combine your trip. With roughly a month between the two conferences, it’s easy to plan separate weekends around each — or extend a single stay to take in Jefferson’s antiquing, dining, and historic home tours in between.
• Check back for updates. We’ll add the fall History, Haunts & Legends dates here as soon as they’re released.