Top 10 Spookiest Towns to Visit for Halloween
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Sleepy Hollow, New York tops the list, but most famous is Salem, Massachusetts.
Sleepy Hollow, New York tops the list for spookiest towns to visit for Halloween, according to Travelmarket Report. Sleepy Hollow, featured in Washington Irving’s short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” is a quaint small town that boasts about its iconic unofficial mascot, the Headless Horseman.
Following Sleepy Hollow as the spookiest towns are:
- Salem, Massachusetts
- New Orleans
- Dallas
- Orlando, Florida
- Independence, Kansas
- New York City
- Long Beach, California
- Estes Park, Colorado
- Philadelphia
Possibly the most famous Halloween town in the U.S., Salem is most notable for its infamous 1692 witch trials, according to Travelmarket Report, a daily publication for retail travel sellers.
According to History.com, the Salem witch trials began after a group of girls in Salem Village claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft.
As panic spread throughout colonial Massachusetts, a special court was created in Salem to hear the cases. The first convicted witch, Bridget Bishop, was hung that June. Eighteen others were hung, while approximately 150 more men, women and children were accused over the next several months, according to the educational network.
Visitors can sign up for a walking tour of the city or immerse themselves in the Halloween spirit by attending the Festival of the Dead to experience psychic readings, talks with the dead and paranormal experts, according to Travelmarket Report. They will also find plenty of haunted houses, costume parties, fireworks and parades in Salem to keep busy.
While Dallas is not traditionally a city known for Halloween, it is the site of the Screams Halloween Theme Park, the largest Halloween Park in the U.S., according to the Travelmarket Report. The park has five haunted houses, live entertainment and other attractions.
In Independence, Kansas, Halloween doesn’t last for just one night. Instead, the town hosts a nine-day event known as the Neewollah Festival (Halloween spelled backward), according to the publication. Neewollah is the largest annual event in the state, drawing up to 75,000 visitors. The party includes dozens of activities like parades, food, festivals, carnivals and more.
For more information on the spookiest towns click here.
Andre Claudio is an assistant editor at Route Fifty.
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