Whether you prefer tricks over treats or vice versa, it’s hard not to love Halloween. After all, what’s better than stuffing your face with candy while scaring yourself silly? Not much in our book! Even the scaredy-cats among us can enjoy the milder chills and thrills of the season, with pumpkin carving, spine-tingling stories and, um, did we mention buckets of candy?
Halloween is creeping closer, but don’t worry—there’s still plenty of time for all sorts of spooky shenanigans to celebrate the holiday. Not sure where to start? Not a problem! We rounded up the coolest haunts around the country, so there’s bound to be one semi-close to you. (Hello, road trip!) Whether you’re into ghost sightings, haunted houses, charming small towns or over-the-top parades where you can show off your clever Halloween costume, we’ve got the perfect spot for you.
Read on for our top picks to do Halloween right, and grab your best ghoul-friends and little goblins for the most fun this side of the earthly plane.
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Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is, of course, best known for its waterfalls, but it’s also apparently overflowing with ghosts! The county is home to more than 90 haunted spots, many of which you can explore on the Haunted History Trail of New York State. On this spooky trail, you’ll find a collection of haunted inns and other historic sites, including the Van Horn Mansion, where Malinda Niles Van Horn, who died in 1836, reportedly makes her paranormal presence known by slamming doors and appearing in shadows in the attic. There’s also the Red Coach Inn, occupied by some guests who never leave, including a doomed bride and groom. Guests have reported jewelry moving on its own and the sound of people dancing above them.
You can also hike to the Cave of Evil Spirits in Devil’s Hole State Park, which earned its name in the aftermath of a bloody 18th-century battle between British soldiers and a Seneca tribe. Listen closely—you just might hear the echoes of the souls that remain trapped in the cave all these years later.
Don’t miss: A guided walking ghost tour of Oakwood Cemetery, the final resting place for notable Niagara folks, including Annie Edson Taylor, the first person to ever go over the falls in a barrel and live to tell the tale.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
When you think of Myrtle Beach, you likely imagine sunny oceanside days and summer vacations, but the city takes an entirely different turn when the fall rolls around. Conway, just a few miles inland, becomes—quite literally—the City of Halloween during the month of October. For the city’s spooky glow-up, visitors are treated to more than 200 Halloween-themed events that range from mildly spooky for kids to downright scary for the brave souls among you. Check out immersive themed alleyways like Squeal Alley and Shiverwalk, ghost tours through historic districts, coffin races and parades filled with creatively decorated golf carts.
Kids will particularly love plundering the Sea Gypsy, docked downtown. They’ll get to search for hidden treasure aboard the “pirate ship” while dressed in their costumes.
Don’t miss: Murrell’s Inlet Ghost Cruise, which delves into the hair-raising history of South Carolina’s hauntings. Maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of infamous pirate Drunken Jack, stranded on an island with only rum, or Alice Flagg, who’s still searching the marshes for her lost engagement ring.
Tonopah, Nevada
There’s a whole lot more to Nevada than just Area 51, and you can see it all via the Paranormal Passport, a digital guide of more than 50 eerie and intriguing spots across the state. One town, in particular—Tonopah, Nevada—is home to multiple destinations that appear on the Paranormal Passport, including the Clown Motel, which is pretty much guaranteed to give you nightmares from now until forever. And yes, that’s a good thing, at least around Halloween. Aside from its creepy and unsettling clown decor, the Clown Motel is just steps from the historic Tonopah Cemetery. Take a walking tour of the cemetery, and see more than 300 mysterious-looking graves scattered across the site, many with small iron headstones.
Don’t miss: While you’re in Tonopah, check out the Mizpah Hotel, one of the most haunted hotels in the country and home to the Lady in Red, who roams the building’s fifth floor. According to local lore, she was killed by an ex-lover in a fit of jealous rage, and her soul remains trapped in the hotel to this day.
Salem, Massachusetts
It’s hard to imagine a better place to get into the Halloween spirit than Salem, Massachusetts, a city best known for the 1692 witch trials and plenty of spooky occurrences thereafter. Every year, more than a million people flock to this New England town during the Halloween season for Salem Haunted Happenings, the biggest celebration of Halloween in the world.
While there are bound to be crowds, especially on weekends, it’s totally worth the trip. The festival includes countless parties, parades, walking tours and attractions every night leading up to Halloween. Spend an evening at the Salem Night Faire, where vendors sell all sorts of spooky goodies and local performers put on shows and tell ghost stories. Or hop on the Ghosts and Legends Trolley for a haunting journey through Salem as your tour guide recounts the town’s sinister history. Kids can unleash their inner magic at a Slime Potion Brewing class or attend the annual Kids Fun Fest.
Even in the off-season, Salem is just as bewitching. You’ll still be able to check out broom-making workshops, history museums and many of the locations where Hocus Pocus was filmed.
Don’t miss: Guilty! A Salem Witch Trial is a live performance that gives you the chance to experience a witch trial as you might have in the late 1600s. The conceit? The audience is on trial for witchcraft, and you’ll have a chance to plead your case.
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore doesn’t mess around when it comes to Halloween. Known as Charm City for most of the year, it turns into something more like Scare Central when Halloween starts creeping closer. There are loads of haunted houses (including Bennett’s Curse, Markoff’s Haunted Forest and the Nevermore Haunt), the reportedly haunted B&O Railroad Museum and the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum. Speaking of Poe, he is buried at the Westminster Hall and Burying Ground, and you can pay your respects and even hear a graveside reading of The Tell-Tale Heart on Halloween. Legend has it that his ghost roams the cemetery and his other former haunts—and may even tap you on the shoulder at his home.
Other ghosts roam the halls of the Lord Baltimore Hotel—specifically, the ghost of a little girl named Molly, who carries a red ball and is looking for her parents—and Fort McHenry National Monument, where you might hear or see long-departed soldiers (and even smell gunpowder) from the War of 1812.
Don’t miss: Baltimore’s ghost walks, including the one through Fells Point, with its tales of missing sailors and its plethora of haunted buildings that date back to the 1700s. If you’re traveling without kids, check out the pub-crawl versions of this haunted tour. Yes, you read that right! After all, a few rounds of spirits may steel your spirits if you encounter the other types of spirits on your walk!
Portland, Oregon
There’s a lot of talk about what’s going on—and not going on—in Portland these days. One more thing to add to the list? Ghosts, and lots of them! The city is beloved by ghost-hunters and Halloween enthusiasts alike, and every year, the city goes all-in on the spookiest season, from corn mazes to scarecrow contests to the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta on Tualatin Commons Lake, where costumed sailors race to the finish.
But if you ask us, the truly haunted spots are where it’s at—not just around Halloween but all year long. Check out the Shanghai Tunnels, where the ghosts of those who were kidnapped and sold into servitude now make their eternal homes, on either the Portland Ghost Tour or the Portland Underground Tour. And hike on over to the Witch’s Hut in Forest Park (pictured above), where the ghosts of a romance gone wrong lurk among the shadows.
Don’t miss: The Skeleton Key Odditorium, which is as quirkily curated as it sounds. You’ll find creepy art, vampire tales, Victorian mourning, tarot cards, circus sideshows and loads more. Yes, it’s here all year round, but what better time to check it out than on Halloween?
New Orleans, Louisiana
Mystical, magical and haunted—welcome to New Orleans! You can enjoy guided ghost tours, nighttime cemetery tours and assorted haunted spots year-round thanks to New Orleans’s full-time spooky vibes. But if you have your heart set on ghost hunting, you might as well meet some of the more famous phantoms: the ghost of William Faulkner at Faulkner House Books, and Gen. Andrew Jackson, voodoo queen Marie Laveau and infamous pirate Jean Lafitte at the 200-year-old Old Absinthe House. Of course, that’s just the start—you just might run into an old-timey ghost around every corner.
Other New Orleans treats include tales of vampires at the Ursaline Convent, a peek at Anne Rice’s former homes and the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum … not to mention actual treats like beignets at Café du Monde, pralines and so much more.
Don’t miss: If you happen to be in the Big Easy on Oct. 25 this year, check out the annual Krewe of BOO!, the city’s unique Halloween parade. A stroll down Bourbon Street is all it takes to find plenty of people dressed to the nines in over-the-top Halloween costumes. Boos and Brews, an event with a DJ and unlimited beer held at Carousel Gardens amusement park in City Park, is also worth a visit on Oct. 24.
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