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DEL.ICIO.USTreat yourself to Halloween travel
It’s no trick: Halloween destinations to scare (and share with) your family
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Halloween is around the corner, and All Hallow’s Eve is no longer just a day of candy and costumes. For many, Halloween has grown from an evening walk with a flashlight and goody-bag to a month-long celebration of ghosts, ghouls, pumpkins and parties.
Depending on your age and your scare tolerance, the Halloween “season” offers a wide range of spooky options. And the South is a region tailor-made for this haunted time of year.
There’s something haunting about a region that has hundreds of Civil and Revolutionary War battlefields dotting its landscape. While our country’s “most haunted” battlefield lies a few miles north of the Mason-Dixon Line in Gettysburg, Penn., many bloody Civil War battles took place within a short drive of Atlanta. Chickamauga Battlefield near Chattanooga, Tenn. has been ranked the third most-haunted battle site in the U.S. A spooky late-night train ride through that hallowed ground might scare the pants off of anyone!
Entire Southern cities like Savannah, Charleston, Key West and New Orleans are known for their haunts and haints. Travelers looking for a scare will find tours in abundance in these paranormal hot spots. And in our nation’s capital, the country’s most famous home - the White House - is said to harbor the ghosts of former Presidents and First Ladies, including Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Dolley Madison and Abigail Adams.
Many small towns are also haunted by their past. You probably remember the house (or street) in your hometown where no one dared to go. In Adams, Tenn., you can take a candlelight tour of the farm once owned by John Bell and his family. In the early 1800s, the family was haunted by the sights, sounds and physical abuse of the Bell Witch, whose goal it seemed was to kill John Bell. (She succeeded three years later.) Some still attribute strange goings-on in the county today to the witch that haunted the Bell family years ago.
All of this might be a little too much for the kiddies, who aren’t going to give up the candy hunt any time soon. While parents will be spending the night of Halloween trolling the neighborhood for sweets with their children, families can indulge in some alternative - and kid-friendly - Halloween activities in the run-up to the big night.
Find a pumpkin to carve and take an autumnal hayride at one of the area’s pumpkin farms this October. Many of the evening hayrides end with a bonfire and hot chocolate or a marshmallow roast.
Or check out spooky - and just plain confusing - corn mazes and haunted trails throughout the region. One haunted trail (at Uncle Shuck’s Corn Maze in Dawsonville) is navigable only by moonlight. Last night was the last full moon before Halloween, so if you wait much longer, your chances of “seeing the trail through to the end” diminishes. For a list of more one-tank, family-friendly trips, check out the AJC’s holiday guide here.
Are you looking for a scary Halloween destination? Do you know of other haunted sites not listed above? What are your favorite pumpkin farms or corn mazes? Do you celebrate Halloween all month long, or do you reserve your frights for the actual night?
(Need proof of hauntings? Check out these reader tales of otherworldly visitors.)
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Southeast travel
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By A reader
October 15, 2008 8:24 AM | Link to this
Ghosts of Marietta is an amazing, family-friendly ghost walk through the historic district of Marietta. The tour is about 90 minutes long & an easy 1 mile walk. Definitely worth checking out!
By A reader
October 15, 2008 8:26 AM | Link to this
Ghosts of Marietta is an amazing, family-friendly ghost walk through the historic district of Marietta. The tour is about 90 minutes long & an easy 1 mile walk. Definitely worth checking out!
By Mike
October 15, 2008 10:04 AM | Link to this
Halloween is my favorite time of the year. We always go to Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando, FL. I loved trick or treating as a kid and it’s still a big deal to my family. We start celebrating on October 1st and continue all month.