HAPPY FALL!!!!
This week marks the official start of fall, aka the best season. In preparation for cozy sweaters, warm pumpkin coffees by the fire and brilliant displays of changing leaves, I have decided to place myself in the fall spirit by researching some of the best places to visit for the season’s star event. You still have well over a month before Halloween to plan a spooky vacation, so here are some of my recommendations!
Salem, MA
Salem is the place to be to celebrate Halloween. As much as other “monster towns” have their legends, none play it out as well as the Boston suburb.
Witches, pumpkins and fall leaves are all screaming for your attention at the site of the historic Salem Witch Trials. The dark story of this misuse of judicial power has become infamous. People were rounded up, unfairly tried and killed for being “witches.” The period literally spawned the term ‘witch-hunt’ as neighbors turned on each other in a desperate attempt to eradicate nonexistent witchcraft from the town. Whether or not there were witches, no one should have been killed.
The smaller city is very walkable and quite charming outside of the dark history. There are quite a few museums and memorials to the trials around the waterside.
Point Pleasant, WV
Who doesn’t love the mothman? I’ve been obsessed with the cryptid after I spent weeks researching this beast for a school project in third grade!
Point Pleasant sits on the border of Ohio and West Virginia. Back in the sixties, a number of people reported seeing a strange flying beast with glowing red eyes. The creature was first spotted around an old WW2 weapons base. Immediately, some speculation linked the creature to a military mishap on the plant. Sightings around the small town grew as the creature made his rounds. The mayor calmed fears by attributing the sightings to a large heron; a biologist from West Virginia University called it a large sandhill crane. In my experience with birds, neither has had glowing red eyes — a consistency in every report from around town. After year of sightings, the bridge into town collapsed, killing 46 people. Naturally the citizens blamed the mothman, and the creature vanished into folklore… until this photo in 2016:
Now I’m not here to debate the validity of the story, but it’s obviously true. Maybe you too could see mothman on your trip.
You HAVE to visit the old WWII weapons area on your trip. Outside of hosting the first mothman sighting, you can meander around the abandoned bunkers and other military resources. It’s a large natural area, so also a great place to hike/bike/look at leaves/whatever you want to do. In town, be sure to take a picture with the iconic mothman statue, and see the re-built bridge that mothman prophesied. Finally, don’t miss the Mothman Museum! The “world’s only mothman museum,” they even have MOTHMAN TOURS! The museum portion holds a ton of mothman “artifacts.” Across the street from the museum is the historic Lowe Hotel, which some claim to be haunted.
The city also holds a mothman festival every year, usually around September. I will be in attendance at an upcoming one.
Clifton, VA
I HAD to throw in a Northern Virginia connection! Outside of DC, we have a local legend about the Bunny Man and his namesake bridge.
Let me set the scene. It’s a rainy evening in 1970. A bus wreck set an axe-wielding convict freely into the woods dressed in a bunny suit. He spread chaos, hurling hatchets into car windows and leaving half-eaten bunnies around town. His reign of terror climaxed when local kids were strung up under the bridge, murdered. Legend shares that the spirit of this deranged man returns every year on Halloween night.
Unfortunately, the popularity of this spooky site has overgrown its accessibility and police now block traffic every year. Visiting the bridge off-season, it still has a very unsettling vibe. I parked under the officially titled Colchester Overpass and immediately zoomed out after we all agreed something felt off.
Since you can’t see the bridge on Halloween, nearby Cox Farms holds the quintessential fall festival. It’s complete with pumpkin patches, slides, a corn maze and a hay ride. While the farm is primarily aimed toward children, it takes a spooky twist at night with Fields of Fear. The corn maze and hayride become sinister and filled with monsters.
Roswell, NM
Probably the most synonymous site with extraterrestrial activity, Roswell has been the hub of extraterrestrial activity since 1947. Strange debris was found around town and locals were quick to blame alien spacecraft. The government has since shut down this chatter, blaming the debris on a military balloon, but that doesn’t stop people from believing.
Presently, the town has a number of nods to the extraterrestrial creatures in the form of alien motifs, gift shops and more. The International UFO Museum and Research Center is quintessential roadside kitsch, so be sure not to miss it.
Savannah, GA
Savannah is consistently ranked as one of the country’s most haunted cities. With history dating back to colonial times, it’s hard to escape the paranormal haunts from the past few decades. Choose from one of the numerous ghost tours offered around, or use this article to take yourself on one! Another benefit from visiting south Georgia in the fall is relief from the oppressive heat in the summer.
Philadelphia, PA
Going through a scare maze is always a fun time, but imagine one set inside an old penitentiary! Eastern State Penitentiary’s Halloween Nights sees the old jail turned into just that. Several themed mazes utilize the old hallways to scare guests. The building itself is also rumored to be haunted which is literally so scary. In what other haunted maze can you be unsure if the scares were intentional or not?!
Orlando, FL
I’m well aware that Florida doesn’t scream “fall,” but the theme parks have some of the country’s best Halloween events. Universal Orlando has the excellent Halloween Horror Nights. Every year brings ten new incredibly themed scare houses, fall food and drinks, and access to the park’s roller coasters.
Walt Disney World has the more family-oriented Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. With all of Magic Kingdom’s rides open, the park celebrates with trick-or-treating, unique food, a parade, special fireworks and more.
Outside of the theme parks, the festive city has several events, such as brewery movie nights, ghost tours and Halloween trivia.
Mount Washington, NH
This one’s for the lesser of the monster-seekers. Mount Washington and the surrounding White Mountains have some of the prettiest fall colors in the US. Can there be anything more autumnal than renting a little cabin in the mountains and spending the weekend hiking and sitting by the fireplace; all under the guise of multi-colored leaves blanketing the canopy?
North Cascades National Park, Washington
Everyone knows Bigfoot, but what better time to search for the elusive beast than during spooky season?! Visit this gorgeous national park and keep your eyes peeled for the creature roaming around the brush. There have been over 700 documented sightings of the creature in the state. The Cascade Mountains were home to the Yakima Native American tribe and tribal members also reported encounters with Bigfoot-esque creatures over generations
These should be a great base point to launch your Halloween adventures! Enjoy the spooky vibes and have a great autumn!
Turquoise Skies 