Through horror films and popular media, Halloween has become more and more popular in recent years. With this costume-wearing, pumpkin-carving holiday we all know and love just around the corner, we have collated the best spooky experiences worldwide. From Halloween themed events and tours to family fun and haunted hotels, here are the 13 places we dare you to travel to.
Spooky events
The Shining Ball at The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado
A landmark property in Estes Park, The Stanley Hotel is home to newly renovated rooms, an array of unique dining options and a luxurious spa. The hotel was said to have inspired Stephen King to write his world-famous novel The Shining after he stayed in 1974. In tribute, The Stanley holds regular guided ghost tours as well as the annual The Shining Ball, this year taking place on 22 October. Guests are encouraged to dress in costumes whilst enjoying tasty food, flowing drinks and dancing the night away to live music. www.colorado.com
Halloween festivities – West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood is no stranger to Halloween celebrations, with an annual Halloween Carnaval taking place since 1987. Unfortunately, the famed carnaval won’t be taking place in 2022, although the city is still promoting an alternative celebratory experience by encouraging businesses, restaurants, venues and locals to band together for this years’ frightening festivities. Taking place on the evening of 31 October, experience Halloween in the iconic city with costumes, decor, events, themed meals and drinks, trivia and more to be expected. www.visitwesthollywood.com
Queen of the Carnavale competition – Greater Palm Springs, California
Arenas Road in Palm Springs, a hub for the LGBTQ+ community, will host its annual street party and costume contest this Halloween. Taking place on 30 October, Arenas Road will close to traffic in the late afternoon ready for a street party, a throwback dance and latin music DJ, and the much loved costume competition crowning the most extravagant party goer the ‘Queen of the Carnavale’. The Halloween street party will go on late into the night with drag performances and live acts. www.visitgreaterpalmsprings.
Ghost tours
Pioneer Square Ghost Tour – Seattle, Washington
Discover Seattle’s spooky history after dark with the Pioneer Square Ghost Tour. Guided by paranormal investigators who have gathered stories and evidence in Seattle for over 30 years, visitors will explore Seattle’s oldest neighbourhood and learn about its haunted history. Both believers and sceptics are welcome, with guides guaranteeing that all visitors will discover something which shocks or excites them. www.visitseattle.org
Old Sacramento Living History’s Ghost Tours – Sacramento, California
With a theme of murders, mayhem and tragedies this year, the eerie and ever-popular one-hour Ghost Tours provide Old Sacramento Waterfront guests with the opportunity to relive 19th century lore. This year, the tours will take place at the riverfront, inside and relatively close to the Sacramento History Museum, as daring and inquisitive guests revisit stories of pestilence, mayhem, quacks and fraud through the darker side of Sacramento’s fascinating history. Along the way, tour guests may encounter wayward miners, murder victims and other Gold Rush characters. Tickets are £23 per person. They are not recommended for children ages 8 and under. Tours depart from the Sacramento History Museum every half-hour. www.visitsacramento.com
Family fun
Halloween at Tremblant – Quebec
On 30 October, Tremblant ski resort will transform its pedestrian village into a Halloween wonderland that’s fun for all the family. Little ones are encouraged to dress up in costumes and visit each of the activity stations, where there’ll be live music, sweets, face painting and more. The event is free for all ages to attend. www.tremblant.ca
Halloween Science Kids Cruise – Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades, Florida’s Paradise Coast
In the run up to Halloween, this family friendly cruise and show will combine Halloween-themed science fun with scenic views of the Gulf of Mexico. On 22 October, Naples-based tour company, Pure Florida, is offering this unforgettable experience for children to wear their scariest costumes and get involved with the show’s interactive fun and science experiments. After the show, enjoy a 90-minute open air boat ride around the coast and Marco Island. The Spooky Fun Halloween Science Show & Cruise aboard the M/V Double Sunshine take place at historic Tin City, Naples. Admission for children is £20 (3yo – 12yo) and for adults is £40. Florida’s Paradise Coast
Halloween in Yosemite’s Tuolumne County – California
Halloween makes for the perfect time to visit Yosemite’s Tuolumne County. With the leaves turning red, gold and copper, the county is not only perfect for leaf-peeping, but full of fun events for the whole family. Kids will love the Halloween-themed train ride at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park and ghost tours at Columbia State Historic Park, while adults can sample seasonal treats at Indigeny Reserve and Covers Apple Ranch. www.visittuolumne.com
Haunted hotels and places
Hearst Castle – SLO CAL, California
One of California’s most spectacular properties, Hearst Castle is a sight to be seen year round. Designed and built by art collector and newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst, the meticulously preserved hilltop estate was once an enchanted escape for the rich and famous, with impressive parties held on a regular basis. Today, some would say the property is haunted, as estate caretakers claim to still hear footsteps, music and laughter, as if the party still goes on. Starting again this October, experience the historic property illuminated at night on a seasonal evening tour, as a guide will take you throughout the main rooms of the property, passing docents in period dress as they move silently through the glamorous rooms of Casa Grande. Evening tours last 1 hour 40 minutes and tickets start from £18.50 for a child and £38 for an adult. www.slocal.com
The Ahwahnee Hotel – Yosemite Mariposa County – California
The Ahwahnee was designed and built in the 1920s by American architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood with the specific goal of attracting well-to-do clientele. In the following century, The Ahwahnee has more than fulfilled that ambition, hosting presidents, royalty and a few ghosts. If guests have seen the film The Shining they might get a familiar feeling when they step inside. While the Stanley Hotel was the inspiration for Stephen King’s bestselling book, the recognisable interior sets of the movie hotel, The Overlook was heavily influenced by Yosemite’s Ahwahnee Hotel. Inside the lobby, visitors will find the cavernous ceilings, Native American-inspired patterns, and even the frightening red-doored elevators from the movie. www.yosemite.com
Hyatt Santa Barbara – Santa Barbara, California
Now considered as one of California’s most haunted hotels, the beachfront Hyatt Santa Barbara was once a WWII hospital. Employees and guests have witnessed various paranormal activities in the hotel including sightings of grey shadows, flying objects, lights flickering on and off, and ghostly footsteps. www.visitcalifornia.com
Bodie Ghost Town – Mammoth Lakes, California
Bodie State Historic Park, located close to the mountain town of Mammoth Lakes, is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town and one of America’s most atmospheric. People flocked to Bodie in 1875 and transformed it from a town of a few dozen to a lawless wild west, where brothels, shootouts and killings were rife. Winter used to bring 100 mph gusts, 20-foot snow drifts and single-digit temperatures, which only adds to its eerie image. Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods. Designated as a National Historic Site and a State Historic Park in 1962, the remains of Bodie are being preserved in a state of “arrested decay”. Today this once thriving mining camp is visited by tourists, howling winds and an occasional ghost… Bodie visitors will want to leave every nail, rock, and stick exactly as they see it. People have been known to experience a string of nightmare events after helping themselves to Bodie souvenirs! www.visitmammoth.com
Maroka Castle – Fukui prefecture, Japan
Maruoka Castle in Japan’s Fukui prefecture is an ancient three storey castle surrounded by 400 beautiful yoshino cherry trees blossoming each year. However, the castle has a deeply dark history. The lord of Maruoka tried to build a new castle on this site in the 16th century, yet the story goes that every time the stone walls were built, they would collapse. Eventually, a human sacrifice was decided as the fix to this, and a local widow came forward asking for her son to be elevated to the samurai rank in return. The widow was buried alive under the central pillar of the castle and construction went ahead smoothly. However, the lord did not keep his promise to the widow, and each April the castle moat flooding is said to be the widow’s tears. www.japan.travel/en/uk/
