Halloween Spots That are Creepy, Eerie, and Downright Bizarre
For thrill seekers who enjoy a good scare, October is the time to hit the road and visit some of North America's spookiest spots.
Below are some hair-raising destinations to consider if you're into the paranormal.
Sloss Furnaces--Birmingham, Alabama
Screams, groans, and even the apparition of a former foreman are routinely reported at this former smelting plant in Alabama. The iron ore smelting plant operated for nearly a century (1882 to 1971), during which around 60 employees died. Workers succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning, scalding steam from burst pipes, and vats of molten iron.
Now a national landmark, witnesses report echoes and apparitions at Sloss Furnaces. The ghost is said belong to a cruel foreman and occupies the second floor of the Blower Building. Supposedly "Slag" can be heard demeaning his workers.
Perhaps an evening drive near the plant on Halloween is worthwhile?
Crescent Hotel--Eureka Springs, Arkansas
This Victorian hotel once home to a 19th century cancer ward routinely appears on lists of America's most haunted destinations. Spirits allegedly spotted over the years include former guests, a nurse pushing a gurney, and a woman who died after falling from the roof. The hotel offers self-guided walking tours, as well as nightly ghost tours.
Highway 666, New Mexico
This roughly 200-mile stretch of pavement shed the mark of the beast in 2003 when it became US Route 491, but rumors of evil apparitions and ghostly encounters stayed behind. Ghosts appearing in the backseat and a flaming truck attempting to run drivers off the road are among the paranormal reports of the allegedly haunted highway stretching through Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico.
Amityville Horror House: Amityville, New York
Widely agreed to be the most notorious haunted house in the United States, 108 Ocean Ave. is where Ronald DeFeo Jr. killed his mother, father, and four siblings in 1974. The Lutz family moved into the two story Dutch Colonial in 1975 and immediately encountered a host of paranormal activity. Levitation, moving objects, foul odors, dark stains, and demonic apparitions were among the unexplained activities within the home. Jay Anson authored the controversial "The Amityville Horror: A True Story" in 1977. The home has been bought and sold multiple times in the following decades. It is currently for sale with a list price of $850,000.
Palace Hotel: Port Township, Washington
Guests reportedly have been touched and/or had objects moved around in this three story brick hotel. Between 1925 and 1933 the hotel housed a brothel with the house madame occupying a corner room on the second level. The brothel closed down after a sheriff's raid in 1933. Apparitions of females are the most common sightings.
Abandoned Hero's Water World: Odessa, Texas
Though this doesn't enjoy the paranormal experiences as other locations on this list, the abandoned Hero's Water World remains an eerie destination. Opened in 1980, the short-lived amusement park was shuttered after a series of accidents and discrimination lawsuits. Nature has slowly reclaimed the park, now a monument to urban decay besieged by graffiti and vandalism.
Claremont Hotel and Spa: Berkeley, California
The ghost of a girl who died on the property is said to inhabit room 422. The claim received renewed interest in 2014, when Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs stayed lodged there while in town to play the Golden State Warriors.
“I heard a baby in his room. There was somebody or something in his room, yeah. I definitely heard something. It wasn’t creepy, because I assumed it was really somebody in the room, and they gave him the wrong room," Duncan said. “But when they told me the story the next day about calling up there and no one in the room, it’s at that point you get chills. I totally agreed with him. There was a baby there, absolutely. I heard about the history of the place, and I’d rather not (stay there again).”
Alcatraz Island: San Francisco, California:
Formerly home to a federal penitentiary, Alcatraz Island sits between the Bay and Golden Gate bridges in San Francisco. Now a tourist destination, guests and guides alike report hearing screams, banjo music, slamming cell doors, and footsteps. Night tours are also available at the prison that housed notorious criminals like Al Capone, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, and the first "Public Enemy No. 1" Alvin Karpis.
Burying Point and Salem Witch Trials: Salem, Massachusetts
Sixteen women and four men were executed on suspicion of practicing witchcraft here in Salem, Massachusetts. Five others (including two infants) died in prison awaiting judgement. Today the site of the 17th century trials hosts a museum and archeological site with names of the accused carved in stone. The trials are why Salem is nicknamed "Witch City" and why a number of local institutions--Salem Jail, the House of Seven Gables, and Danvers State Hospital--are all rumored to be haunted.