The Horrifying Lubbock, Texas Ghost Story You’ve Never Heard

Forget Hell’s Gates. This story is one for the books.

If you grew up in Lubbock, you’ve probably heard all the usual ghost stories — Hell’s Gates, the crying angel at the cemetery, maybe even the old lady in the Lakeridge window.

Few know about the haunting of the South Loop Sonic, one of the weirdest, most West Texas ghost stories you’ve never heard. Before we proceed, it's a good idea to turn on a night-light, grab your coziest blanket, and begin clutching your pearls...

Legend Has It...

According to local legend (and at least three MySpace comments from 2004), this particular Sonic was built on top of an old roller rink that mysteriously burned down in the ’70s. Every October, employees say they can hear the faint sound of skates squeaking across the concrete after midnight, and it always happens right around the same time the ice cream machine breaks for no reason.

Spooky Hauntings

Customers have reported their orders being wrong in eerily specific ways — chili cheese tots showing up when they swore they ordered mozzarella sticks, or a cherry limeade so sour, it just can't be part of the recipe.

Some say that’s just the teenagers working the night shift. Others believe it’s the work of The Spirit of Half-Price Shakes Past, doomed to haunt anyone who forgets to tip at the stall. (Let that be a reminder to you all...)

The Ghost

A former manager once claimed to see the ghost herself: a woman in a teased perm and Wrangler jeans, still clutching her roller skates, floating by the drink machine muttering, “We were supposed to go to Joyland.”

The machine overflowed Dr Pepper for hours.

So this Halloween, if you find yourself at a Lubbock Sonic after midnight, be respectful. Don’t honk twice, and definitely don’t ask for extra ice — you never know who might answer. AND ALWAYS TIP!

Keep scrolling for more Lubbock-based fun in the galleries below. Happy Halloween!