America's Most Haunted Sites
What better way to celebrate Halloween than to visit a bona fide haunted
place? America has plenty of ghoulish spots, with appropriately creepy
histories. Here's a roundup of the half-dozen most haunted locales, compiled
by Hampton Inns & Suites:
1. New Orleans, La. The Big Easy is filled with spine-tingling voodoo lore. Visit Laveau House, the haunted home of the voodoo queen, Marie Laveau. You may even spot her apparition practicing voodoo rituals or strolling down St. Ann Street. Afterward, pay your respects at St. Louis Cemetery, where Laveau is reportedly buried. Knock three times on the tombstone to summon her spirit if you see a big black crow or a black dog near the grave, that's her. FYI: Greater New Orleans Tourist & Convention Commission, (504) 566-5011.
2. Tarrytown, N.Y. This was the setting of Washington Irving's spooky classic, ''The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.'' Visit the same tree-shaded stretch of road where Ichabod Crane saw the ghost of the Headless Horseman. Feeling brave? Walk down the road at night, when the moon casts shadows on the tombstones of the roadside graveyard. Or just enjoy the Halloween festivities at the ''Legend Weekend,'' Oct. 24-26. FYI: Sleepy Hollow Chamber of Commerce, (914) 631-1705.
3. Arizona's Ghost Town Trail. Start out in Tombstone, Ariz., home of the O.K. Corral and Boot Hill Cemetery, then follow the Ghost Town Trail highway to the ruins of three abandoned mining towns: Gleeson, Courtland and Pearce. Unlike Tombstone, which has regularly scheduled gunfights and tours led by costumed staff, no living soul inhabits these forgotten hamlets. FYI: Tombstone Office of Tourism, (520) 457-3421.
4. Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, Baltimore, Md. Visit the home and burial site of this 19th century master of scary prose and poetry. Halloween events are scheduled for Oct. 23-25 and Oct. 30 - Nov. 1, including tours of Poe's allegedly haunted house and the Westminster Burying Grounds and Catacombs. FYI: Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, (215) 597-8780.
5. Mammoth Cave National Park, Ky. Huge Mammoth Cave is one of the country's most haunted spots. There have been more than 150 ghost sightings in the cave. The most famous poltergeist is Floyd Collins, who died after being trapped for 16 days in nearby Crystal Cave in the 1920s. His body was exhumed from the family plot and displayed at the entrance of the cave. As if that's not ghoulish enough, the corpse was stolen and later returned without its left leg. FYI: Mammoth Cave Visitor Center, (502) 758-2328.
6. Salem, Mass. What list of haunted places is complete without the site of the Salem Witch Trails of 1692? Learn the real story behind this frightening chapter in American history at the Salem Witch Village, the Salem Witch Museum and the grave sites of the 20 people who were tried, condemned and executed as witches. Catch a chilling re-enactment of the trials at the Witch Dungeon Museum. Get into the spirit of the holiday with Salem's month-long ''Haunted Happenings'' festival. FYI: Salem Chamber of Commerce, (978) 744-0004.
