Halloween is a time for frightening fun and cities across the U.S. have brewed up a cauldron of events. The travel experts at GOWIthUs.com, formerly GO Airport Shuttle, has conjured this list of scary-good Halloween events to raise your spirits!
While no longer host to witch hunts, Salem, Mass. still boasts eerie historic sites, tours and a Witch Museum year-round, but plan on a scheduling a trip in the fall for an extra spooky adventure. Explore death’s macabre customs, mysteries and rituals during the annual Festival of the Dead during the entire month of October. Events include the Salem Psychic Fair and Witches Market; authentic séances with authentic mediums who deliver messages from departed loved ones; an official Halloween Ball to celebrate the afterlife with food, dancing, music and free readings plus various haunted houses, and ghost tours. The month wraps up on Oct. 31 with the Salem Witches Magic Circle featuring performances by the Dragon Ritual Drummers, where participants and attendees can reconnect with the spirits of the dead.
Located less than 30 miles from Manhattan, Sleepy Hollow, NY is home to one of the most famous legends in the U.S. While it is unlikely visitors will catch a glimpse of the headless horseman, they might espy someone reenacting his famous stunt. Throughout October, the small town hosts a series of Halloween festivals including street fairs, a parade, spooky hayrides, cemetery tours and a treasured haunted walk. A highlight is the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze which features more than 7,000 hand-carved, illuminated pumpkins set against the backdrop of Van Cortland Manor’s 18th century buildings and riverside landscape. Synchronized lighting and an original soundtrack make this a don’t miss event!
After a two-year hiatus the Historic Irvington Halloween Festival in Indianapolis is back! The 70-year-old event kicks off Oct. 22 with the Halloween Ball. Themed “Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun,” guests are encouraged to wear 80s style clothing with prizes awarded or best costumes. Other festivities during the weeklong celebration include a street fair, zombie bike ride, a vampire run, a séance, a “Fright seeing” tour and various street vendors for fun for the entire family.
Those with braver constitutions will want to head to Indy’s Hanna Haunted Acres, a monster-sized theme park featuring six separate attractions on one site. Don’t miss the Haunted Hay Ride; a Haunted Tour through of the famous Acres Manor; Descension, which takes through pitch black underground caves; a Freakshow with marauding crazy carnies; a tour though Mr. Leather’s Cornfield complete with chainsaws and screaming victims and the grisly Cannibal Chaos Barn.
No one can deny the eerie allure of New Orleans as one of the US’s most historic and haunted cities. Magic and Voodoo enthusiasts and ghost chasers can feed their cravings with haunted tours through the French Quarter and the Garden Districts, cemetery tours, and multiple Voodoo and creepy costumer shops. Partiers will love the costumed revelers, music and lavish nightlife. Family friendly events include the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, Boo at the Zoo, and the New Orleans Vampire Ball and more.
Head northwest to Seattle where on Oct. 29 the Museum of Flight turns into the Museum of Fright! The entire family can enjoy activities such as scary story tellings, face painting, ghost parachutes, monster bowling, spooky arts and crafts and more. Costumed kids get in free!
The city’s famous Freemont Troll celebrates his birthday on Oct.31 with Trolloween featuring live music and a pageant. If these events are too tame, take one of Haunted History Ghost Tours of Seattle through unique, historic neighborhoods and examine mysterious phenomena in Seattle.
Start your trip to Arizona with a guided walking tour thought the spirit laden streets of Phoenix to learn about the eerie tales of the Hotel San Carlos and more. Attend the city’s famous 13th Floor Haunted House, voted Arizona’s best, featuring Midnight Mania during which a masked slasher stalks house invaders while looking for fresh sacrifices. Or meet the vampire Daywalker who is seeking his next gory meal. Don’t panic during Phobia, where visitors have to enter a maze in pitch black and rely on senses other than sight to make their way through various physical challenges.
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