A different kind of Trick-or-Treating map...
Happy Halloween!
Halloween is a lovely time of year. The leaves start to die, a creeping chill is in the air, and the nights get longer and darker. Not your cup of tea? It's not really mine, either! But one thing that keeps me going as the weather changes are the holidays from October to December. After that, I become dormant till spring.
October is also one of the cheapest months of the year to travel! It's part of what we call "shoulder season" -- when the tourist summer season comes to a close and prices drop like crazy. So, why not take advantage and celebrate Halloween in a spooktacular way?
One thing about me: I'm all for spooky stories, scary movies, costumes and candy. And when it comes to travel, I can't get enough of a Ghost Tour or visiting an abandoned castle in the Scottish highlands.
So, consider this your ultimate spooky travel guide.
Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
Scotland, like Ireland, has strong ties to Halloween's past. The name Halloween comes from the Scottish shortening of "All Hallows' Eve." While you can certainly attend any number of events to honor the day, for a longer journey, try exploring the Ghost Trail around the nation that are said to be some of the most haunted spots on the planet! End the tour at the Samhuinn Fire Festival in Edinburgh for a delightful conclusion.
The 11th-century fortress of Edinburgh Castle has seen a lot of action over the years. Many different eerie experiences have been reported, including unexplained music echoing through the halls. Some guests believe the music is from the ghost of a piper who died in the castle. The castle itself sits high up on a hill, overlooking the rocky face of the mountains it looms over. And visiting in the wet season of October only adds to the ambiance, with fog swirling around its base and a glimmer of light emanating from its narrow windows...
Château de Brissac, Brissac-Quincé, France
France has many mysteries with a dark history, and a visit to the capital of Paris has many an opportunity for a haunted tour. But take a journey outside the city to neighboring villages and castles for even more spooky delight!
The towering building of Brissac is famously known as the place where Charlotte de Brézé was cruelly murdered. According to legend, Charlotte, the illegitimate daughter of King Charles VII, was killed by her husband after discovering she was having an affair.
Visitors claim to have seen a "Green Lady," named for the color of her dress, roaming the halls. You can visit the stately castle to try to spot her yourself, but honestly, the stunning architecture alone is worth the trip.
Tower of London, England
Of course this is on the list. The city of London boasts many haunted places with chilling histories, but perhaps none are as famous as the Tower of London.
Many people throughout history have claimed the Tower of London as their final resting place. The infamous fortress has been steeped in tragedy for over 900 years, and it's home to many ghostly sightings of English royalty, including Anne Boleyn and Arbella Stuart, cousin to Elizabeth I. This tower is a must for anyone visiting London, but true ghost hunters will also want to look out for any apparitions during their visit...
Dock Street Theatre, Charleston, South Carolina
The construction of the original Dock Street is believed to have commenced in the year of 1735, with the grand opening taking place on the 12th of February in the year of 1736. It’s location was not far from the current address of the theatre. The theatre first incarnation was short lived, the exact cause of its demise is not clear, but most believe that it burned down in the Charleston Fire of 1740. While the Dock Street burned down, it was replaced with another theatre, which remained opened for over 40 years, when it closed down in the 1780s.
This French Quarter site continues to stage musicals and plays today. The theater also has a bit of horror lurking behind its walls: Patrons have claimed to see ghosts up in the rafters and apparitions on the stage. Many are left to wonder just who these ghosts were. Were they failed actors? Were they long time admirers of the theatre? Or, is it possible that something more tragic occurred at the building? While there have been numerous sightings throughout the building’s long history, there are two particular spirits that have been seen more than any of the others.
One of these two specters is believed to be Junius Brutus Booth the father of the infamous presidential assassin. No one is quite sure why his ghost is haunting the Dock Street Theatre, as he was not even in Charleston at the time of his passing. The most frequently spotted ghost at Dock Street Theatre is Nettie. Nettie lived in Charleston during the 1800s. The ghost of Nettie can be seen gliding around throughout the Dock Street Theatre. Some of those who have caught a glimpse of Nettie, claim that she wore a tattered yet vibrantly colored, red dress.
Tao Dan Park, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Over 24 acres of gardens make Tao Dan Park look like a paradise, but at night, locals have reported that the space takes on a different feel. Rumors say that the ghost of a young man who was killed in an attack still wanders the park, looking for his lost love.
As the story goes, over 10 years ago, this man was enjoying some time in the park with his girlfriend when the young couple was attacked by a faceless man. However, Tao Dan Park managers have stated that there was absolutely no such murder.
Akershus Fortress, Norway
This medieval castle served as a defensive stronghold for the city of Oslo, and it is rumored to be the most haunted place in Norway.
For 700 years, the castle has guarded the capital’s inner harbour, and never in its history has it been breached by a foreign hostile force. This, however, does not mean that blood hasn’t been shed in its dim corridors and beyond the high walls. For many years, parts of the castle served as a prison for some of Norway's most notorious criminals. The sentence often involved gruelling physical labour, and the prison was infamous for using irons, chains, and prisoner isolation as disciplinary techniques.
Over the years, there’s been several reports of whispers and scratching along the fortress hallways, and many guards have noticed weird anomalies – like the sensation of being pushed – while alone on duty. The prison at the castle was closed down in 1950.
The most popular sightings include a demon dog named Malcanisen, who is said to guard the gates to the castle, and the ghost of a woman with no facial features.
Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town, South Africa
During the Second Boer War (1899–1902), part of the castle was used as a prison, and the former cells remain to this day. The Castle acted as local headquarters for the South African Army in the Western Cape, and today houses the Castle Military Museum and ceremonial facilities for the traditional Cape Regiments.
One of the oldest and largest of South Africa’s remaining colonial buildings, Cape Town's Castle of Good Hope once sported a windowless dungeon where convicts drowned while chained to its walls—they are said to haunt the place today.
Other spooky stuff? A large black dog that leaps at visitors before disappearing, a bell that rings by itself (thought to be rung by a guard who once hung himself with the bell rope), and lights in the Buren bastion, switched on—and off—without any human assistance.
Forbidden City, Beijing, China
With six centuries of history, it is no wonder these walls, which served as the Imperial Palace to both the Ming and Qing Dynasty’s, has many daunting secrets. In a time when execution for betrayal or disobedience was a frequent and normal occurrence, anyone who went against the imperial rule was subject to death.
Also housed in the palace were hundreds of concubines, guards, servants and an army and murder was often times committed by a jealous concubine or envious guard or servant who would take another’s life to be closer to the Emperor; many deaths that occurred within these walls and the marks of the violent past still exist today.
Even today as a tourist museum, guards have confessed to witnessing odd animals running quickly about the grounds, but only late at night. Others have observed crying women in the concubine quarters of the palace. One young man even confessed to seeing a woman, dressed in white, walking about the grounds. And when he spoke to her from behind, she never heard him or turned around. Some people even say, that the Forbidden City’s haunted activities at night is the very reason why it never stays open to the public late at night.
Hoia Baciu Forest, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
This spot in northwestern Romania is considered the most haunted forest in the world. The Hoia Baciu Forest is often referred to as the "Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania" as it is said to be inhabited by the devil itself, by ghosts and perhaps even aliens.
The forest gained notoriety around the 1960s, when biologist Alexandru Sift photographed a flying object in the sky above the forest. After this incident, other inexplicable events soon followed, including the disappearance of a shepherd and his 200 sheep which were never found again; and the disappearance of a girl who later reappeared five years later wearing the same clothes and without having aged even one day.
There have also been many first-hand reports form people who have entered the forest, only to come out with burns, severe rashes, headaches and high fever which they did not have before. Some studies have revealed higher than usual radioactivity, produced by natural uranium present in the subsoil. Wow sounds so fun! Pack your bags!
Lawang Sewu, Semarang, Indonesia
This former railway building and World War II prison is believed to be the most haunted place in Indonesia. Lawang Sewu is the Javanese word for “thousand doors”. There might not be a 1000, but there are many doors, arcs and about 600 huge windows. The labyrinth-like building seems mysterious to many.
Among the many ghosts that have been reported here, the most popular include a Dutch woman, headless spirits, and a kuntilanak (a female vampiric ghost in Malaysian and Indonesian mythology). Even after construction, the basement still is a creepy place. People feel uneasy and there are claims of headless ghouls that are unable to find peace.
There is also an urban legend connected to the place. A Kuntilanak or Pontianak is said to haunt the building. This is a vampiric manifestation of a woman who died during childbirth. These creatures look like pale-skinned women with long black hair. Kuntilanak ghosts have red eyes and wear white dresses which are smeared with blood. Legend says they are able to change themselves into beautiful humans and prey on men and helpless people. Girl Boss!
Leap Castle, Ireland
Built somewhere between the 13th and late 15th century, this Irish castle has seen more gruesome deaths than a Game of Thrones wedding.
As legend has it, during a struggle for power within the O'Carroll clan (which had a fondness for poisoning dinner guests), one brother plunged a sword into another, a priest, as he was holding mass in the castle's chapel. The room is now called “The Bloody Chapel,” and the priest is said to haunt the church at night. And the horror doesn't end there. During castle renovations in the early 1900s, workmen found a secret dungeon in the Bloody Chapel with so many human skeletons, they filled three cartloads when hauled away. The dungeon was designed so that prisoners would fall through a trap door, have their lungs punctured by wooded spikes on the ground, and die a slow, horrific death within earshot of the sinister clan members above.
Burg Eltz, Germany
Burg Eltz dates back to 1157, and the list of myths surrounding the castle is nearly as long.
Of the few rooms in the castle open to tourists, supposedly one of the most haunted, is the bedroom of the Countess Agnes. Her bed, breastplate, and battle axe remain in the room, and legend has it that she died defending the castle from an undesirable suitor. The most haunted room at Burg Eltz is the Countess Room. According to the staff, Agnes haunts the hallways as well, switching lights on and off and opens and closes doors. Is she still protecting the castle against attacks? Whispers are heard in the hallways as well as a child's laughter. The castle’s staff sometimes find all doors unlocked by the morning, even though they locked them at night. There are claims of a phantom medieval knight on horseback at the gate. Some believe this is the Knight of Braunsberg looking for Agnes’ forgiveness.
Moosham Castle, Austria
During the Salzburg Witch Trials between 1675 and 1690, Moosham played host to many of the executions, imprisonments, and torturing of hundreds of men and women accused of being witches.
Later, in the 1800s, so many deer and cattle within the castle’s proximity were found dead that residents were tried—and killed—for being werewolves. Today, staff and visitors have reported banging sounds, footprints, seeing white mists, and feeling someone breathe on them. Don't these ghosts know anything about personal space?
Bhangarh Fort, India
Deep in the state of Rajasthan, at the foot of the Aravali mountain range, lies an abandoned 17th-century ruined fort city.
One piece of local lore says a sadhu who lived atop the nearest hill permitted the fort to be built under the condition that it not cast a shadow on his own home. Once his mandate was disobeyed, he cursed the city. Considered the most haunted place in India, entry to the popular tourist destination is strictly forbidden after sunset.
Nearby villagers whisper of paranormal activity, but skeptics say the after-dark ban’s true intent is to protect people from the dwellers of an adjacent tiger reserve. I mean, whatever works, right? The gloomy aura and negative vibrations of Bhangarh Fort, however, are agreed upon by believers and nonbelievers alike.
