The death-themed board game that outsold Monopoly
By Maureen O’Hare, CNN
(CNN) — In our travel news round-up this week: Nevada’s haunted clown motel, Rome’s crypt adorned with the bones of 4,000 friars, plus Seoul’s legendary honky-tonk bar.
Ouija boards explained
Back in 1967, commercial Ouija boards were so popular that they outsold Monopoly in the United States. But what is the history of these alphabet-marked panels which some believe can open a portal to the valley of death?
CNN visited the world’s first Ouija board museum in 2023 – in the fittingly witchy location of Salem, Massachusetts – to talk to owner John Kozik about the history of the paranormal parlor game and what drew people to it.
“The spiritualist movement in America really starts in the mid-1800s, and that’s because so many people have been affected by death because of the Civil War,” says Kozik, who opened a second Witch Board Museum location in Baltimore last year.
Ghosts from the conflict between Union and Confederate forces are said to haunt McRaven House, an antebellum home in Vicksburg, Mississippi, which was once the scene of a grisly 43-day siege. CNN visited for an overnight ghost-watch.
Clowns, aliens and the mysteries of Denver Airport
Nevada’s Extraterrestrial Highway – yes, it’s officially called that – runs through one of the most remote and desolate stretches of the United States. The road’s famous for its reported UFO sightings, not least because it’s near Area 51, the highly classified US Air Force facility officially called the Nevada Test and Training Range, which is famous for the alien lore surrounding it.
After an unsettling drive along the highway’s spooky meanderings, gluttons for punishment can attempt to rest for the night at the famously haunted Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada. “This might be the worst night’s sleep of my life,” said CNN’s reporter when he lay down in clown town.
Airports aren’t generally known for hauntings and terrifying mystery, but Colorado’s Denver International is plagued by rumors of all sorts of creepy phenomena, not least of which is the awe-inspiring “Blucifer.” This 32-foot-tall sculpture with flaming red eyes has alarmed travelers for decades, but the story of its creation is even more chilling. Watch here.
British pubs and a Korean honky-tonk
Fifty years ago, a fortune teller told Mama Kim to open a country and western bar in Seoul. She did as fate suggested and, half a century later, the legendary Grand Ole Opry honky-tonk is still going strong. CNN Travel’s Lilit Marcus visited to find out the secret of its success.
For a more traditional bar experience, take a look at our etiquette guide to British pubs. From learning how to order a pint to the unspoken rules of sharing your snacks, Britain’s pub culture is full of charming traditions and surprising customs. Watch here.
Another uniquely English adventure that’s often combined with a trip to the pub is a football match (or soccer, as you won’t hear locals call it). A Premier League game is just one of the 25 must-do experiences and 25 must-visit destinations highlighted by travel publisher Lonely Planet in its Best in Travel 2026 list, which was announced earlier this week.
The magazine National Geographic also revealed its Best of the World 2026 list on Tuesday. Its recommended destinations for the year ahead include Dominica, Fiji and Pittsburgh.
Bone church
The remains of more than 4,000 Capuchin friars adorn the walls and ceiling of the crypt under the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini in Rome. The bones offer a stark warning to all those who choose to enter.
In case you missed it
Saying “screw you” through architecture.
America’s “spite houses” are designed to deliver a stark message.
A woman let ChatGPT decide where she should live.
It sent her to a medieval town in France.
Inside Mongolia’s “Mars camp.”
The extreme adventure that wants to turn tourists into astronauts.
Two billion dollars were spent on this airport.
Now it just needs visitors.
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