Every October, visitors flock by the thousands to U.S. cities well-known for their haunted reputations: most famously New Orleans, Salem, and Sleepy Hollow, to name a few. But these aren’t the only places where revelers can soak up the spirit of the season. Although lesser-known on the spooky circuit, these U.S. destinations offer seasonal parties, parades, ghost walks, and chilling local folklore—with a fraction of the crowds. Here’s where to go for a ghoulish getaway, just in time for Halloween.
Alton, Illinois
This historic Mississippi River town about 25 miles north of St. Louis enjoys plenty of creepy cred among paranormal enthusiasts—one of whom, historian and prolific paranormal author Troy Taylor, calls Alton home. Taylor’s American Oddities Museum (open on weekends) makes an ideal starting point for a spooky tour. Along with a wide array of allegedly haunted objects and creepy curios like vintage Ouija boards and silverware from Lizzie Borden’s house in Massachusetts, the museum provides a deeper dive into Alton’s darker history, which spans Civil War–era epidemics, floods, and murders.
Hair-raising hot spots around town include the abandoned McPike Mansion, a Victorian-era property where shadowy figures and bizarre lights and sounds are often reported, and the Alton Military Prison, where thousands of Civil War prisoners died of smallpox.
Atlanta, Georgia
At this time of year, Atlanta turns up its events and its hauntings.
Photo by Structural Photography/Unsplash (L); photo by Brandon Amato (R)
This Southern capital takes Halloween seriously, with loads of spooky fun for families and adults-only crowds.
Zoo Atlanta’s Boo at the Zoo is a guaranteed hit for littles, with spirited—not scary—activities like trick-or-treating, crafts, and games. (Bonus: entry is free with general zoo admission.) Another family-friendly pick is Stone Mountain Park’s Pumpkin Festival, featuring elaborate pumpkin displays and rides on a vintage 1940s train.
Meanwhile, serious thrill-seekers flock to Netherworld, a highly rated haunted attraction now in its 30th year that’s bursting with jump scares. Elsewhere across Atlanta, other spirited shindigs span a Midtown block party, an Atlanta Beltline bar crawl, and elaborate, Halloween-themed takeovers at restaurants including Amore e Amore and Tin Lizzy’s. Don’t miss strolling through the 48-acre Oakland Cemetery: Founded in 1850, it’s the final resting place of 70,000 Atlantans, including author Margaret Mitchell and golf legend Bobby Jones—as well as a few resident phantoms.
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore’s Green Mountain Cemetery holds many famously creepy residents.
Photo by photosounds/Shutterstock
This port city is awash in eeriness—especially during fall, as it leans into its legacies around hometown horror writer Edgar Allan Poe and as the birthplace of the Ouija board. Poe landmarks abound here: his former residence, the graveyard where he’s buried, and the Pratt Library, where one collection includes macabre memorabilia like letters regarding Poe’s mysterious death in 1849, a lock of his hair, and a piece of his coffin. A variety of Poe-themed seasonal events also add a local literary twist to the holiday.
Baltimore’s mysterious vibe continues at the fascinating Salem Witch Board Museum, which chronicles the history of the mysterious talking board—conceived by a small group of people at a former boarding house that’s now the site of a 7-Eleven (look for the plaque inside). Be sure to visit Green Mount Cemetery, where co-inventor Elijah Bond, who patented the board in 1891, is buried. His granite headstone depicts—what else?—a Ouija board design.
Columbus, Ohio
Goosebumps are all but guaranteed during a visit to this bewitching capital city, which is the birthplace and childhood home of R.L. Stine, author of the spooky children’s series by the same name. Fans shouldn’t miss exploring former haunts like the Bexley Public Library (pay homage at the R.L. Stine Wall of Fame), where the writer discovered a love for Ray Bradbury novels.
Columbus has a thoroughly creepy side, too. Fear Columbus, a top-ranked haunted attraction with several new exhibits in 2026, promises to test the mettle of even the bravest patrons. A less-scary option is Haunted Hops, a partnership with Columbus Ghost Tours in which patrons pedal a wheeled vehicle to the city’s most haunted landmarks. And join the cult following at Bite This, a bakery with a Gothic, year-round Halloween vibe and scary good treats like pastries and cakes shaped like skulls and coffins.
Macon, Georgia
Hear ghostly music from the past and look for actual ghosts at the Big House.
Courtesy of Visit Macon Georgia
With a rich musical heritage that helped launch legends like Otis Redding, Little Richard, and the Allman Brothers, this charming city boasts the tagline “Where Soul Lives.” But some long-deceased souls may still be lurking around Macon’s many historical buildings, a host of which claim to be haunted. From 1970 through 1973, the Allman Brothers lived and worked in a Tudor-style property known as the Big House (now a museum). But they weren’t the only residents: Reports of chilling phenomena have persisted for decades, most believed to be due to the spirit of a young girl who died in the house after falling down the stairs.
At the 160-year-old Hay House, a National Historic Landmark since 1974, visitors have reported an elderly woman in mid-1800s dress roaming the hallways, as well as phantom footsteps and doors slamming on their own. The 1904 Grand Opera House can hold 1,030 patrons—but the historic property also is believed to house at least two resident spirits, including a soprano-singing lady in white and the ghost of a former director who died on site.
For more local haunts—music-related and otherwise—check out the 1.5-hour Macabre Macon walking tour.
Manitou Springs, Colorado
A macabre mishap in this Front Range town inspired its most popular festival: a coffin sliding down a mountainside.
It belonged to a woman named Emma Crawford, who, like many others, relocated to town hoping its naturally carbonated mineral springs and mountain air might cure her tuberculosis. Crawford’s condition never improved, but she found solace in Red Mountain and requested burial under a pine tree on its peak—which townspeople honored after her death on December 4, 1891, by hauling her casket to the 7,200-foot summit. But it didn’t stay put: The coffin eventually slipped down the mountainside, and in 1929, its nameplate and handles, along with some of Crawford’s bones, were discovered at the mountain’s base.
Crawford’s memory is kept alive through the annual Emma Crawford Coffin Races: Started in 1995, this spirited competition draws teams of “mourners” who push coffin-like vehicles for the fastest time. Revelers also can enjoy ghost tours of Manitou Springs—and may even catch a glimpse of Crawford, whose spirit is rumored to still lurk around town.
