Bungalow in the former GA mental hospital for rent on Airbnb

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Apr 29, 2022

Airbnb customers can now book a stay in a renovated bungalow on the campus of Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia. Here's what you need to know. — Airbnb customers can now book a stay in a renovated bungalow on the campus of Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia. Here’s what you need to know.

Screenshot from Airbnb

Once considered the largest mental institution in the world, Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia, invites Airbnb guests to stay overnight in a renovated bungalow nestled on the 2,000-acre campus.

The three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath property dates from the 1920s and is “located on the corner of a large pecan grove, across from the Central State Hospital infirmary,” according to the listing on Airbnb.com.

There’s enough space for five people, and a stay at the “ghoulish” cabin will set you back $191 per night, plus taxes and fees.

The long abandoned campus is rumored to be haunted, attracting fans from afar, according to WMAZ. Now customers have the opportunity to find out for themselves.

“It’s a very interesting place to stay,” Airbnb owner Tom Glover told the news station. “No ghost reports that I know of, but in our guestbook we have a walking or driving tour with audio narration so people can learn about many of the buildings and the history of the campus, so it’s a little neat.”

Hospital buildings are closed to the public, however, preventing customers from moving through hallways that once housed more than 12,000 patients and 6,000 staff, according to Visit Milledgeville.org. The institution opened in 1842 and was originally dubbed “Georgia State Lunatic, Idiot and Epileptic Asylum”.

It served as the first public mental health asylum in Peach State, the website says, and was recognized as “the world’s largest mental institution” in the 1960s. Today, Central State Hospital has just over 200 patients and many of its buildings remain empty and abandoned.

The bungalow is the only rental property on campus and was once used to house doctors who worked at the hospital, Glover told WMAZ. A stay in the historic home is available for guests to book – if they dare.

“What a unique house!” a guest wrote in a comment. “My family enjoyed our stay so much. If you like history with a spooky twist, this is the place for you! We will definitely be back next year!”

Milledgeville is about 30 miles northeast of Macon.

This story was originally published April 28, 2022 11:56 a.m.

Tanasia is an Atlanta-based national real-time reporter covering Georgia, Mississippi and the Southeastern United States. Its subsector is retail and consumer news. She is an alumnus of Kennesaw State University and joined McClatchy in 2020.