Haunted Places and Halloween History
Sep 08
We recently visited the famously haunted Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs as part of our sightseeing of the town and snapped a few photos of this eerily beautiful building. We didn’t stay overnight, but got to take a good look at the exterior of the building and the lobby for some wonderfully spooky vibes. All …
Aug 05
Ohio’s landscape is filled with imposing prisons, forgotten railroad tunnels, historic hotels, grand theaters and mysterious mansions. Many of these landmarks have accumulated stories of apparitions, unexplained footsteps and voices heard in otherwise empty rooms. Some of Ohio’s ghost stories grew from documented tragedies. Others developed gradually through local folklore, staff experiences and tales shared …
Aug 04
Hidden among the forests of northern Czechia, Houska Castle is a remarkably preserved medieval stronghold with an unusually dark reputation. Its Gothic chapel, isolated setting and centuries of architectural change have inspired one of Europe’s most enduring supernatural legends: that the castle was built over a passage leading directly to hell. Stories describe a bottomless …
Jul 27
Indiana may be known for peaceful farmland, covered bridges and welcoming small towns, but the Hoosier State also has a surprisingly eerie side. Historic hotels, Victorian mansions, former medical institutions and even a public library have inspired some of the Midwest’s most enduring ghost stories. Visitors have reported mysterious footsteps, shadowy figures, unexplained voices and …
Jul 22
New Orleans has inspired ghost stories for generations. Its centuries-old buildings, elaborate cemeteries, historic hotels, courtyards, churches and narrow French Quarter streets provide an atmospheric setting for tales of restless spirits and unexplained encounters. But the city’s reputation for the supernatural is inseparable from its very real history. Fires, epidemics, slavery, immigration, religious traditions and …
Jul 21
Hundreds of weather-beaten dolls hang from trees, fences and buildings on a small chinampa hidden among the canals of Xochimilco in southern Mexico City. Some are missing eyes. Others have lost arms, legs or heads. Decades of sun, rain and humidity have left many with cracked faces and faded features. This unsettling place is La …
Jul 17
Black cats silhouetted against the moon. Bats circling an old house. Ravens perched on gravestones. Spiders spinning webs across forgotten corners. Certain animals have become so closely associated with Halloween that it is difficult to imagine the holiday without them. But real black cats are not agents of witchcraft, ravens do not predict death, and …
Jul 16
Eureka Springs, Arkansas, already looks like the setting for a ghost story. Victorian buildings cling to steep Ozark hillsides, narrow streets wind through the historic district, and grand hotels dating back more than a century overlook the town. It is also one of Arkansas’s best-known destinations for paranormal tourism. At the center of that reputation …
Jul 14
Halloween is one of the most recognizable celebrations of the year. Every October 31, glowing jack-o’-lanterns appear on porches, children dress as ghosts and superheroes, families visit pumpkin patches, haunted attractions open their doors, and trick-or-treaters travel from house to house collecting candy. Yet Halloween did not begin as a night of plastic skeletons, chocolate …
Jul 05
Las Vegas may be famous for neon lights, casinos, elaborate shows, and all-night entertainment, but once Halloween approaches, Sin City reveals a much darker side. Haunted houses appear around the Las Vegas Valley each fall, while the arrival of Universal Horror Unleashed has given horror fans something Vegas never previously had on this scale: four …
