castles
14 Real Places That Haunt the Pages of Literature
Tour the real-world locations that gave iconic horror books their nightmares.
Explore the world’s scariest and most mysterious places.
Spooky season is the perfect time for planning unusual trips, and if you’re looking for ideas, there’s no better place to start than here. For more than a decade, we’ve been collecting inspiration to help you plan your perfect Halloween trip, with Atlas entries, travel guides, and in-depth features about haunted places, local monsters, and paranormal sightings around the world. So go ahead, dive into our archive of ghostly destinations: ancient cryptids, haunted hotels, cursed objects, strange cemeteries, and the real places and happenings that inspired your favorite ghost stories. Consider this your map through the darkness. Grab a candle, dim the lights, and consider this your official invitation to plan a Halloween trip unlike any other. If you dare…
Guides and Itineraries for a Haunted Halloween Trip
Sometimes the best way to celebrate Halloween is to hit the road and stand in the actual places where a legend originated, where history took a dark turn, or where fact and folklore became indistinguishable. We’ve got you covered with guides and itineraries that cover the world’s strangest, spookiest, and most historically haunted corners, from a New England road trip with witchy monuments and haunted mansions, to a deep dive into Illinois’s lesser-known cemeteries and cursed estates. If you prefer your horror on the page, we’ve also traced the real-world castles, houses, and ruins that inspired literature’s most enduring nightmares. Buckle up: Your next haunted destination awaits.
murder
The Best Haunted Hotels to Book for a Spooky Getaway
From an inn with secret cellars to a clown motel next to a graveyard, these 12 hotels don’t just have history — they have houseguests who never checked out.
cemeteries
Atlas Obscura’s Guide to America’s Most Haunted Cemeteries
Not all the dead rest easy. These 13 American cemeteries have the ghost stories to prove it.
Itinerary
A Haunted Road Trip Through New England
New England’s most macabre history—in driving distance.
Itinerary
Ghosts From Mississippi: Unearthing the Magnolia State’s Hidden Haunts
Eerie estates, legendary hauntings, and the burial site of one vengeful witch.
Halloween Places Worth Visiting Anytime
Our Atlas contains hundreds of supernatural, haunted, and mysterious places, making it the ultimate map of Halloween destinations. So go ahead, indulge in the thrill of exploring a catacomb, visiting a cursed shrine, or toasting in the Baltimore bar where Edgar Allan Poe had his final drink. You won’t run out of places to see in this life or the next …
Estes Park, Colorado
The Stanley Hotel
Paranormal experiences in this hotel's room 217 led Stephen King to write "The Shining."
Fall River, Massachusetts
Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast and Museum
Enjoy an overnight at an old haunted B&B site of the Borden family murders.
Bangor, Maine
International Cryptozoology Museum
The world's only international cryptozoology museum is host to an unrivaled collection of mysterious objects.
Mexico City, Mexico
Mask of the Bat God
This ancient jade mask depicting the Zapotec bat god was found in the ruins of the pyramids of Monte Alban.
London, England
Highgate Cemetery
London's creepiest cemetery was once the site of dueling magicians and mobs of stake-carrying vampire hunters.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Museum of Death
A collection of oddities including Dr. Kevorkian's suicide device, the Thanatron.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo
A museum and shop on Bourbon Street located in the French Quarter.
Halloween Events Around the World
Make the most of Halloween season by celebrating with fellow horror enthusiasts. This time of year, theme parks transform with costumed characters and seasonal rides, historic dance halls host masquerade balls, zoos stay open after dark, and towns host horror movie screenings and markets brimming with oddities and curiosities. Add in Día de los Muertos festivals that honor the dead with color, music, and altars, and there’s no shortage of opportunities to don your costume long before trick or treaters knock at your door.
Scary Stories for Embracing the Spirit of Halloween
There’s a reason scary stories never go out of style: They let us flirt with fear from a safe distance, turning dread into delight. Something about a good fright taps into a very old, very human curiosity about the things that go bump in the night. Join us as we dive into the history, science, and folklore behind what frightens us, from the psychology of horror films to the obsession with cryptid creatures that remains alive and well to this day.
horror
The Twisty Tale of the BBC Show Supposedly So Terrifying That It Was Destroyed
"Late Night Horror" was weird, innovative, and—mostly—will never be seen again.
On the Trail of the Mothman
A mysterious creature, an abandoned munitions site, and a deadly bridge collapse intertwine in the folklore of Point Pleasant.
vampires
Mexico's Vampire Witch Has a Twisted Origin Story
The terrifying teyollohcuani is a shape-shifter of ancient indigenous lore, dark colonial history, and pop culture.
abandoned
Is Alton, Illinois America’s Most Haunted Small Town?
With haunted mansions, churches, hotels, and parking lots, this small port town on the Mississippi River has become a pilgrimage site for fans of all things paranormal.
horror
The Science of Fighting Our Nightmares
Researchers around the world are working on ways to regain control of our minds during sleep and battle the monsters that torment us.
cemeteries
A Cemetery's Immortal Residents and the Scientist Who Studies Them
Lichens growing on gravestones appear immune to aging. What does their life cycle teach us about death?
floods
Appalachia’s Ugliest Cryptid Drowns In Its Own Tears
A new festival looks to draw out and soothe the squonk in all of us.
horror
The Startling History of the Jump Scare
From 1942's Cat People to cerebral jolts in Hereditary and Get Out, this cinematic scare tactic still shocks.
objects of intrigue
The Story Behind the World's Most Terrifying Haunted Doll
Robert the Doll is Key West's most cursed object.
Posts From The Community: Posts are written by curious people like you. Share your recommendations, travel stories, discoveries, and more with the Atlas Obscura community.
Detention Never Ends:
The Haunted Halls of Farrar School
A Night in America's Most Luxurious Haunted Hotel
Adventures with Ghost Kate at the Hotel Del Coronado
Birds, Beasts, and Big Old Skeletons
My first (and potentially last) trip to the Academy of Natural Sciences
Excavate the Archives
Our Halloween archives go back years, with stories on everything from cursed objects and real-life hauntings to costume history, corn maze origins, and the cryptids that have haunted American folklore for generations. Whether you’re looking to keep the spooky season going a little longer or just fell down a rabbit hole you didn’t expect, there’s plenty more stories waiting below.
Scroll down at your own risk
Still hungry for more mischief and mayhem?
Satisfy your appetite for all things Halloween, from tasty treats to unsolved mysteries, with these classics from years past.
Explore now