Halloween is less than a week away, so if you haven’t started watching your scary movies, whatcha waiting for? Now’s the time to take that last minute spooky trip and you’re in luck since Lonny Magazine gives us 15 scary trips to take this Halloween. If you like to be scared or are just fascinated with creepy places like I am, you’ll want to take a look at this list.
Take a historical trip to Gettysburg Battlefield in Pennsylvania, where over 10,000 men died in the Civil War. Many tourists have reported running into Civil War re-enactors only to later learn that there were no such groups at the park. Creepy right?
Want to stay at the hotel that inspired Stephen King’s The Shining? Staff and guests have reported seeing apparitions of children and objects moving on their own in this creepy, yet beautiful spot in Estes Park, Colorado that is just an hour and a half away from Denver. (I’ve been here and it’s creepy).
At this former tuberculosis hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, be prepared to encounter shadow people, ghostly nurses, and possibly even ghostly singing from the attic.
The haunted ocean liner docked in Long Beach, California is known as one of the most haunted locations in the world. With over 150 spirits roaming the art deco-filled ship, you’re sure to get a good scare. (I’ve been here several times and even did a ghost tour…it’s a blast and there’s a great art deco bar to have cocktails in).
Hamilton fan? Apparently, the ghost of Aaron Burr haunts this old NYC restaurant along with 25 other ghosts that cause the lights to flicker and plates to fall without warning.
Just an hour away from Portland, Oregon is Lafayette Cemetery, the resting place of a woman hanged for witchcraft in the 1800s. Before her death, the witch cursed the town of Lafayette and said it would would burn down three times. So far, it has twice.
The famous island prison in the San Francisco Bay housed the most vicious criminals in the country until it was shut down. Unknown voices and footsteps have been heard around the cell blocks and doors often open and shut on their own. (One of my favorite places of all time).
Fans of American Horror Story: Coven know quite a bit about New Orleans’ haunted history. Take a tour to see ghost hot spots like the Hotel Monteleone, Marie Laveau’s grave at St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, and the Lalaurie Mansion. (Been there and loved it).
Take a trip from Austin to the Texan island for a seriously spooky weekend. Be sure to visit the haunted Mayfield Manor and stay the night at the Hotel Galvez, where you may possibly come across the famous “ghost bride” who hung herself in the hotel in the 1950s.
Take a weekend away from Boston for a spooky American history lesson. Home to the famous Witch Trials (and the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus), Salem has quite a haunted history. Throughout the witch trials in the 1600s, over 150 people were tried for witchcraft and 19 were hanged. The home of judge Jonathan Corwin known as “The Witch House” is open to guided tours. (Another place I’ve been and it’s well worth the visit…so much history!)
If you’re making an excursion to the Florida Keys, be sure to make a visit to the Key West Cemetery. Not only does it have some hilarious gravestones (“I told you I was sick” and “Devoted Fan of Julio Iglesias” are a few standouts), but it is also haunted by the spirit of a Bahamian woman who protects the site. Also check out the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Graveyard for a real fright. Many people have reported getting spooked by voices and apparitions of children gathered around an angel statue.
In the early 1900s, a high death toll in Seattle, Washington from disease and mining accidents led to the creation of E.R. Butterworth’s mortuary. Apparently the business owner was much more invested in his profits than his work, so he left quite a few bodies unattended to. Angry ghosts now haunt the building, which now houses Kell’s Irish Pub. Make a visit for multiple kinds of spirits.
Savannah is one of the most beautiful and haunted places in the South. From spooky hotels to murder houses to Civil War battlefields, you’re sure to get your fix of spirits in this town. It’s perfect for a Halloween weekender from Atlanta or Jacksonville.
Make a Halloween trip from Tucson or Phoenix to Tombstone, Arizona, home of The Bird Cage Theater. One of the most popular and violent saloons in the 1880s, The Bird Cage Theater was the site of 26 murders. Over 140 bullet holes can still be found in the building structure and visitors have reported hearing voices and seeing visions of prostitutes and cowboys.
All photos and information courtesy of Lonny Magazine
I have a few more of my own favorite spooky places to add…
Upon its opening in 1890, the prison was an intermediate penitentiary, a facility where first-time offenders who were too violent for industrial schools could serve their time. Inmates were taught basic trades for release and reintegration into society. However, as prison populations swelled in the 20th century, the reformatory was forced to accept inmates convicted of more serious and violent crimes. The ghosts of these violent and maltreated men are not easily silenced. Visitors and tour guides have been pushed and punched by unseen forces. As with other haunted locations, many claim to feel an inexplicable chill while on prison grounds. Additionally, witnesses have heard cell doors slam and seen dark apparitions. Even the road leading to the Ohio State Reformatory seems haunted. Local legend suggests it is the ghost of Phoebe Wise, a notorious Mansfield hermit and eccentric. (This was another one of my all time favorite places to visit and is also where “The Shawshank Redemption” was filmed).
I’d love to hear if you have any other suggestions!
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