Halloween is about more than candy and costumes. For those of us who love to travel, it is the perfect excuse to visit a place with a genuinely eerie story behind it.
Using ratings, reviews, and local legends drawn from TripAdvisor data, SpinBlitz ranked seven destinations that deliver real history alongside a healthy dose of the supernatural. Here is a look at each one and what makes it worth the trip.
1. Salem, Massachusetts
Salem tops the list, and it is easy to see why. In the late 1600s, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft here. Twenty were executed. The town has leaned into that history ever since.
You can tour the Salem Witch Museum, step inside the Witch House (the only structure still standing from that era), or join a ghost tour after dark. The streets are lined with spooky-themed shops and restaurants. Fans of the film Hocus Pocus will recognize some exterior shots filmed right in Salem, including Allison’s house.
2. Hunedoara, Romania
You may not know the town of Hunedoara, but you likely know its most famous connection. Corvin Castle, built in the 1400s as a medieval fortress, once held a prisoner known as Vlad the Impaler, widely considered a possible inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
The castle features a five-story tower and a drawbridge. It is a remarkable piece of medieval history, even if you leave the vampire stories at home.
3. Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh Castle sits atop Castle Rock, overlooking the entire city. It is also reportedly home to several supernatural residents, including the Headless Drummer, the Lost Piper Boy, and the Grey Lady.
The city itself has its share of ghost stories, too. The Mackenzie Poltergeist is one well-known legend, and spirits are said to haunt the city’s famous Victoria Street.
4. Banff, Alberta
Deep in the Canadian Rocky Mountains stands the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel, stunning by any measure and reportedly haunted to boot. According to local lore, the hotel is home to the Ghost Bride and a former bellman named Sam.
Room 873 carries its own dark legend: a family was supposedly murdered there. The Fairmont has reportedly acknowledged that some rooms have either disappeared or carry haunted reputations.
5. Estes Park, Colorado
If you have read The Shining or seen the film, you already know the Stanley Hotel, even if you did not realize it. Stephen King stayed in Room 217 when the hotel was nearly empty, and that visit reportedly inspired his famous novel.
Room 217 also has its own legend: a chambermaid reportedly survived a gas explosion there in 1911. Guests today can book a ghost tour to explore the hotel’s rumored piano-playing spirits and phantom parties.
6. Derry, Northern Ireland
Halloween has roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, so it feels fitting that Derry hosts what is reportedly the largest Halloween festival in Europe, a four-day celebration every October.
The city also has its own ghost stories. The Headless Coachman is said to ride through the streets and into the cemetery. Local legend also tells of a demon bride that was reportedly exorcised from a home in the 1940s.
7. Savannah, Georgia
Founded in 1733, Savannah is one of America’s oldest cities and it has the ghost stories to match. The Marshall House reportedly treated wounded Civil War soldiers, and some say their spirits never left.
Savannah is also home to the Mercer House, made famous by the 1994 book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. The book chronicled antiques dealer Jim Williams, who lived in the Mercer House when he shot a man there and was acquitted after four murder trials.
Any of these seven spots would make a memorable trip, for Halloween or any time of year. History, atmosphere, and a good ghost story are available year-round.
