Who you gonna call? 10 US towns where you might actually need the Ghostbusters on speed dial
EchoFree // Shutterstock
Who you gonna call? 10 US towns where you might actually need the Ghostbusters on speed dial
Cooler weather, orange leaves—there’s a lot to love about fall. Many people’s favorite part of the season is Halloween, when there’s no shortage of pumpkins, scary costumes, haunted houses, and other spooky harbingers.
Most U.S. towns celebrate Halloween in some capacity, but a few places make the holiday extra special. From macabre history to decked-out festivals and parades, find out why the 10 cities below landed on Find a Neighborhood’s list of some of America’s most Halloween-centric locales.
1. Salem, Massachusetts
No list of Halloween-centric U.S. towns would be complete without the site of the famed (and notorious) Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The New England town has leaned into its spooky and macabre history, as evidenced by permanent fixtures like the Salem Witch Museum, Witch Dungeon Museum, Spirits of Salem Museum, and Salem Museum of Torture.
Many of the town’s attractions sit within a one-mile radius of historic downtown Salem. Book a visit to one of the numerous historic inns and hotels, and don’t forget to schedule a spooky walking tour during October’s Haunted Happenings Festival.
2. Sleepy Hollow, New York
Less than an hour’s drive from New York City lies the village of Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County, the setting of Washington Irving’s 1820 short story that started the Headless Horseman craze. Countless adaptations and derivative works have followed.
You’d need to stay in the area for weeks at a time to visit all the notable attractions, including the Old Dutch Church, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (where Irving is buried), Philipsburg Manor House, and Headless Horseman Bridge.
3. New Orleans, Louisiana
The hard-partying city of New Orleans also holds plenty of spooky and haunted attractions for Halloween fans. Its historical relationship with Voodoo, brought to the city by enslaved Haitians and West Africans, has given rise to countless attractions and landmarks that come alive when the moon rises high in the sky.
A must-see landmark is the St. Louis Cemetery, where local legends like voodoo queen Marie Laveau rest their bones. Due to the city’s low elevation, which places it below sea level, the majority of New Orleans’ graveyards feature above-ground mausolea—adding to the mystique. Don’t forget the Krewe of Boo Parade through the French Quarter.
4. Savannah, Georgia
Another southern port city that offers up a fair share of frights is Savannah, which is believed to be Georgia’s oldest settlement.
Like many antebellum cities south of the Mason-Dixon Line, Savannah’s history is impossible to tell without the specter of slavery. Legends tell of a French slave ship known as the Grietely that sank while exiting the harbor; 71 escaped enslaved persons were purportedly on their way to the Southern Hemisphere when they rose up and took down the boat. Some say you can hear shouting in French and Bantu if you venture near the bay late at night.
More recently, Savannah served as the setting for the uber-popular nonfiction book “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” which told of the 1981 murder of Danny Hansford by Jim Williams, his boss and sometimes-lover. Clint Eastwood produced and directed a 1997 movie adaptation starring John Cusack and Kevin Spacey.
Getting in on the spooky action isn’t difficult at all, considering the city’s dozens of ghost tours. If you’re looking for a more lighthearted time, check for Halloween-themed bar crawls in and around the city’s Historic District.
5. Anoka, Minnesota
Having billed itself the “Halloween Capital of the World,” Anoka has a lot of pressure to live up to its name. Fortunately for spooky stans, it delivers. The Minnesota city offers something (everything, really) for children and adults who don’t have the stomach for extreme frights.
Anoka’s 1920 Halloween parade helped launch the holiday’s popularity and make it what it’s known for today—trick or treating, mainly. Anoka now features several Halloween-themed parades, including a glow-in-the-dark nighttime parade and a daytime romp through Main Street featuring local schoolchildren. Residents can also drop off their used pumpkins during the first week of November for composting.
6. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The site of the deadliest battle in U.S. history has more than a few spirits lurking around, unsurprisingly. The massive battlefield is enshrined as a military national park, and a nearby cemetery holds the remains of 6,000 veterans of the Civil War.
With more than 51,000 deaths during the pivotal three-day battle, though, more than a few soldiers are buried in shallow, unmarked graves—many of which have evaded formal discovery over the decades. Locals claim you can hear the trudging spirits of lost soldiers in the dead of night if you listen closely. The nighttime tour of the historic Farnsworth House Inn is not to be missed.
7. Williamsburg, Virginia
The second capital of the Virginia Colony, Williamsburg, has gone to great lengths to preserve and recognize its place in colonial history. Colonial Williamsburg contains 89 antebellum buildings and many recreations to immerse visitors in the late 1700s. The best way to experience spooky Williamsburg is to take the Colonial Ghost Tour, which tells of notable residents who long ago met untimely deaths.
One of only two Busch Gardens theme parks is also in Williamsburg. Visitors can enjoy the Howl O’ Scream that takes place during the fall. Frightening characters sneak through the park while attendees enjoy nighttime coaster rides and any one of the five haunted houses.
8. Galena, Illinois
The small town of Galena in northwest Illinois has an unmatched aura. While other cities on this list have largely built up attractions to fit with the spooky theme, Galena’s historic downtown feels like the real thing. Its 19th-century brick buildings are remarkably well-preserved, and the gas lamps dotting the cobblestone streets add further legitimacy.
For their part, the locals do offer an impressive array of Halloween events, highlighted by the nighttime parade festival. Plenty also goes on at Grant Park, a well-manicured green space named for Ulysses S. Grant, the country’s 18th president, who called Galena home during the Civil War.
9. St. Helens, Oregon
Fans of the iconic 1998 movie “Halloweentown” will recognize the Riverfront District in St. Helens, Oregon, a town not far from Portland but miles away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. St. Helens runs a weeklong Spirit of Halloweentown festival that pays homage to the Disney film that made it famous. Expect pumpkin carving and decoration contests, haunted houses, spooky nighttime tours, and, sometimes, appearances from Halloweentown actors.
10. Port Townsend, Washington
In the late 19th century, many people believed that Port Townsend would be the most significant trading port in the Pacific Northwest. Though Seattle would eventually claim that title, hordes of dreamers and ambitious individuals flocked to Port Townsend, banking on the American Dream.
A variety of factors prevented Port Townsend from reaching its full potential. An economic depression in the 1890s halted the creation of a railroad linking the town to other important cities. Many people in Port Townsend died penniless and unfulfilled, which is why it’s said the town is haunted by angsty spirits filling the numerous Victorian buildings.
How to Find Other Spooky Towns to Visit
The U.S. holds an estimated 5,000 professional and charity-run haunted houses and even more spooky attractions. If you’re a Halloween fan, you’ve got plenty of options for weekend getaways or, perhaps, a new home to be close to the eerie action.
Other resources to help plan your haunted getaway include:
- WalletHub’s roundup of the best Halloween cities
- This list of spooky travel destinations
- Top Halloween destinations from Detail—Oriented Traveler
- Viator’s 13 Spookiest Tours
- Family-friendly ghost tours
- Looking for somewhere to visit or live? Try something more in-depth, like a property search tool, to explore details about the spookiest neighborhoods and regions you’re interested in.
The scariest thing about Halloween is a missed opportunity to get your fright on, so don’t delay nailing down your plans.
This story was produced by Find a Neighborhood and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
