It’s the spookiest time of the year! Now that it’s officially October all my Halloween decor is on full display and you can bet that we’re watching as many scary movies and reruns of Stranger Things and every Halloween episode of Friends, Parks and Rec, The Office, and Frasier as we can.
I love Halloween and the paranormal and make it a point to do at least one ghost tour every year. I think I’ve been to every haunted location in Denver at least three times!
While I love Denver’s haunted past, there are plenty of great travel destinations across the country that are casting their spells and trying to lure us in with their own ghost stories and haunted mansions, hotels, and cemeteries.
If you’re like me and can’t get enough Halloween and love booking ghost tours and hearing about a city’s sinister or otherworldly past, here are my picks for the best places to spend Halloween in the US!
10 best places to spend Halloween in the US
1. New Orleans, LA
Vampires, ghosts, murder and mayhem, New Orleans has it all for Halloween enthusiasts! The Big Easy makes it easy to get into the Halloween spirit as it celebrates its darker side and has fun with the thrilling holiday. With a rich history, it’s no surprise that New Orleans has a few haunted spots throughout the city.
There’s no shortage of ghost tours, haunted hotels, voodoo experiences, cemetery tours, specialty shops devoted to vampires and witches, haunted houses, and even Halloween-themed escape rooms for your fun around October 31.
Your ghostly adventure through NOLA has to include the French Quarter, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, LaLaurie House, and Hotel Provincial. See some of these haunted New Orleans spots on a ghost tour – we recommend New Orleans Secrets!
2. Salem, MA
You can’t think of Salem without thinking of witches or at least Hocus Pocus. This New England colonial town welcomes its witchy visitors with its annual Haunted Happenings, complete with ghost tours, parades, and parties. Be sure to pop into the Salem Witch Museum to learn about witchcraft and its history in America and discover if you can channel your own magic.
Feeling extra wicked? Be sure to check out these haunted Salem sites: Gallows Hill Park, Old Burying Point Cemetery, Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, and Wicked Good Books.
3 Sleepy Hollow, NY
The name alone makes it a worthy choice as a place to spend Halloween, but its legends of the Headless Horseman seal the deal. Attend the Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze and be guided by the lit up pumpkins.
Sleepy Hollow also has some haunted mansions you can explore, you can take a haunted hayride, tour the Haunted Hollow and cemetery, or see a reenactment of the Sleepy Hollow legend.
4. Colonial Williamsburg, VA
A city living the past is the perfect setting for your Halloween haunts! Learn about the spirits that call this area home on a ghost tour or hear about Williamsburg’s witch trial. Add some extra screams to your Hallowen fun in Colonial Williamsburg by heading over to Busch Gardens for the Howl-O-Scream event and outrun the zombies and other spooky characters at the theme park.
5. Savannah, GA
Like New Orleans, I feel Savannah is almost synonymous with haunted cities. Between the men falling on the battlefield and the supernatural happenings at the cemeteries, Savannah has a lot to offer travelers looking for the scary side of Halloween.
You can find paranormal investigators to explore the city’s haunted sites or book a ghost tour in Bonaventure Cemetery and try to capture otherworldly orbs. Other haunts to explore include Old Savannah Jail, Marshall House, Colonial Park Cemetery, the Mercer House, Calhoun Square, and Dr. Corsen Mansion.
6. San Francisco, CA
From infamous inmates at Alcatraz to deaths in the capitol building, San Francisco has a lot of Halloween treats, and some tricks, for visitors. While the city is bustling during the day with tourists getting chocolate samples, chowing down some clam chowder, or snapping the perfect picture of the Golden Gate Bridge, the city doesn’t exactly quiet down in the dark.
Haunted sites in San Francisco: Golden Gate Park, the Queen Anne Hotel, City Hall, and the Curran Theater.
7. Bell Witch Cave, TN
Like Sleepy Hollow, the name is just too perfect for Halloween. Take a tour of the haunted cave and cabin and see if you feel the witch’s presence at this chilling destination in Tennessee.
Legend goes that in 1817, a presence, the Bell Witch or Kate as they called her, started haunting the Bell family by knocking on the doors, dragging chains, and even physically attacking the children. The tormenting the witch did to the Bell family was so severe that the story of the Bell Witch Cave is taught in Tennessee school!
8. Baltimore, MD
Keep a lookout for a raven or black cat a you explore Baltimore around Halloween. Charm City is a great destination for thrills and chills as you tour the Westminster Hall catacombs where Edgar Allan Poe is buried, Bennett’s Curse, a haunted mansion, or the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. Baltimore is a great Halloween destination for ghost hunters and history enthusiasts alike.
Stay at the Admiral Fell Inn and join them for the Admiral’s Ghost Tour & Reception, Wednesday through Friday 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., and on Saturdays from 4 – 5 p.m., and learn about the hotel’s ghost stories and then enjoy a different kind of spirit with beer and wine at the end of the event.
9. Chicago, IL
Might not be the notorious wind of the Windy City that’s giving you the chills. Chicago is no stranger to hauntings and a seedier side – hello, mobsters! Chicago opens its doors to those seeking the paranormal with its ghost tours or you can test your bravery in the House of Torment
Best haunted places in Chicago: The Drake Hotel, Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, Congress Plaza Hotel, and Excalibur Nightclub.
10. Fort Worth, TX
Hop aboard the Fort Worth Ghost Bus to learn about the city’s hauntings and ghosts, or if you want to pair your spirits with other spirits, opt for the Cowtown Winery Ghost Tour. On the Ghost Bus, you’ll visit Fort Worth’s haunted locations and hear about the outlaws and scandals that rocked the area.
Some of the most popular haunted locations in Forth Worth include the zoo, Miss Molly’s Hotel, Lake Worth Castle, and Thistle Hill.
Did we miss your favorite place to spend Halloween? Tell us in the comments or over on Twitter about where we need to spend the ghostly holiday!
