Where can you go to investigate haunted towns and even join a spooky tour? When the air cools and the leaves turn, certain towns seem to hum a little louder. The veil feels thinner. Shadows stretch longer. Some towns lean right into it—embracing their ghosts, their legends, and their haunted histories. And ghostly tours and extraterrestrial sightings are available in some places during other months, so keep your antennae up.

Spooky Season in Haunted Towns

This season, let’s go ghost chasing through towns that don’t just tell ghost stories—they live them. From Conway’s witchy streets to the lantern-lit lanes of Corning, from Washington’s haunted halls of power to ghostly figures in the foggy South Carolina Lowcountry to the carnival thrills of California’s Knott’s Scary Farm—each stop shares its own eerie tale.

Buena Park, California — Ghosts with a Theme Park Twist

The West Coast does Halloween differently. You are given the option of fear-factor or ghostly charm (think Casper) when you visit Knott’s in Buena Park.

For families, Knott’s Spooky Farm keeps the charm without the chills. Kids wander through pumpkin patches and meet “friendly ghosts” during daylight hours.  Still, there’s a sense of old California history here—rumors persist of real hauntings around Ghost Town and the park’s original buildings.

Knott’s Scary Farm turns fright into an art form—an entire amusement park transformed into a haunted world each fall. There are elaborate mazes, live actors, and heart-stopping surprises. It is part-theater, part-nightmare, and all adrenaline.

Whether it’s a jump-out-of-your-skin-scare or a true haunting, Knott’s proves that fear, in the right hands, can be pure joy.

And just a mile up the road, you can enjoy wickedly delicious drinks and spooky snacks at The Cauldron. The Cauldron serves French-inspired potions in a mysterious atmosphere, complete with talking mirrors and concealed rooms. One visit here will serve only to whet your appetite.

Charleston, South Carolina — Southern Gothic in Full Color

Charleston’s ghosts are old, and they don’t mind company. After all, they’ve been rattling around alone for a few centuries.

I joined a late-night walk through the haunted French Quarter with Charleston Ghost Tours.  We walked where moss-draped oaks hid centuries of scandal. At the Dock Street Theatre, the spirit of a heartbroken actress reportedly lingers, appearing on the balcony before shows. The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon tell stories of revolution and imprisonment—some claim the prisoners never really left.

Down by the Battery, I paused by flickering streetlights and could almost hear the shuffle of soldiers’ boots amongst the hoofbeats. In Charleston, the ghosts feel woven into the rhythm of the city—resilient, proud, and just a little dramatic.

Conway, South Carolina — Whispered Tales by the River in the City of Halloween

Conway’s ghosts aren’t loud. They’re more like a murmur under the cypress trees. The historic downtown streets, lined with live oaks draped with hanging moss, feel frozen in time in the soft glow of twinkling lights.

Locals tell stories during the annual Conway Ghost Walk—actors in period dress step out from the shadows to share true, eerie tales. The nearby riverwalk wraps you into a quiet kind of haunting, the kind that doesn’t shout but lingers. But be warned, the yearly event is only four nights and sells out quickly.

The City of Halloween embraces the spooky and the unusual. After a day and night walking every inch with my friends (a bit over five miles, in case you’re wondering), I asked them each what they liked most. Jan was quick to say she loved the riverwalk. Dottie immediately said, “The witches’ garden!” and Brenda says, “The Wizard of Oz house was so cool!”    My favorite part of the town’s décor are all the pumpkin trees. Even in daylight, as you top the bridge over the Waccamaw River you spot the bright orange of the jack-o-lanterns bobbing from every limb in this haunted town.

Restaurants along the city sidewalks join in the fun with spooky-themed menu and bar items.

Many of the locals appear in costume, especially as it draws closer to October 31. Sometimes the best ghost stories are found in the pauses, not the punchlines. Conway knows that balance.

Corning, New York — Days of Incandescence

The town of Corning glows a little brighter in October. Well-known for glass art and innovation, this small Finger Lakes town transforms into a ghostly haven in its own quiet way during the Days of Incandescence. Instead of heart-thumping scares or creaking floorboards, the effect is more peaceful. Hundreds of replicas of Edison’s hand-blown incandescent lamps glow in the dark, casting light across walkways and buildings. Reflections shift as people move, giving the town a fleeting, Victorian-era feel.

It isn’t a dark, haunted house; it’s an invitation to walk among light. Corning Glass was a pioneer in lighting and glass and a fixture in the Corning community. The park is used for the celebration each year. For one weekend, the paths fill with light and sound. Colored bulbs flicker along the walkways, and low music drifts through the space. As you move through the park, shadows slide across the walls, and installations focus on the history of glassmaking—starting with sand and ending with finished pieces lit from within.

The Days of Incandescence highlights the “spirit in the glass.” Actors in costume move through the crowd. They stop to speak with visitors or pose for photographs. Nothing jumps out at you or startles you, but the experience stays with you. It’s quieter than most Halloween events, and the glow of the lights has a way of lingering long after you leave.

The lights fade as you step back into current-day downtown Corning, but the glow lingers in your eyes. The shop windows, the river, even the chill in the air seem touched by it. There are actor-led tours that take you walking the streets of historic Corning, where you learn about local life in the past. You will enjoy learning history from these costumed guides. But beware—these tours sell out quickly.

Georgetown & Pawleys Island, South Carolina — Haunted Lowcountry Legends

Here, ghost stories float like fog off the marsh. Pawleys Island’s most famous resident, The Gray Man, appears on the beach before hurricanes, warning locals to flee. Those who heed his warning often find their homes spared.

Then there’s Alice Flagg, a young woman who defied her wealthy family for love. When she died, her engagement ring was discovered hidden under her dress, hanging from a satin ribbon. Today, people leave rings at her grave in Murrells Inlet, asking her blessing. Locals say her spirit tugs at fingers with jewelry, still searching for the ring she lost.

During his lifetime, the Ghost of Litchfield was a physician who cared for everyone in the community. Some claim to see the apparition of this devoted doctor in the house where he once lived and at the gate of the plantation.

What is referred to by some as the Ghost Murderer tells the story of the most sinister scheme ever carried out in Murrells Inlet’s history. Superstition and reality intertwined to circumvent a murder conviction at the expense of an innocent woman’s life.

Paige Sawyer of Old Georgetown Walking Tours naturally weaves stories of ghostly happenings and hauntings into his history talks. He has a talent for bringing history and mystery to life.

And somewhere out by the Murrells Inlet shoals Drunken Jack lurks. The pirate was left on shore guarding stolen rum, but died before his comrades returned to find only a skeleton and empty rum barrels. On still nights, fishermen swear they can hear laughter rolling across the waves.

The Lowcountry’s hauntings aren’t about terror—they’re about memory, heartbreak, and the stubbornness of spirit. Local tour guide Kathryn Hedgepath, with Myrtle Beach History Tours, will spin tall tales and share legends as you ride along in a comfortable trolley car.

Gettysburg, PA — The Cashtown Inn

If walls could talk, the peaceful Cashtown Inn would tell stories that would keep you awake all night. The small community is located in the countryside just outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (so many more ghostly visitors in that town). The charming Inn is full of history and legends. It’s the kind of place where you step back into the past, and even if you don’t quite believe, you’ll keep one eye open as you sleep.

The Cashtown Inn is undisputedly one of Gettysburg’s most haunted places—quite a boast in an area well-known for its ghosts. Several inn guests (and staff members) have reported hearing voices, footsteps, and doors opening and closing.

A frequently reported apparition seen in the hall is a Confederate soldier, sometimes peeking into rooms. A surgeon lingers in the basement operating room, carrying out grim jobs. The Inn’s longevity—and role as a hospital during the Civil War—creates a breeding ground for otherworldly possibilities.

Even if you don’t sense anything extraordinary, the atmosphere is tangible. It isn’t fear-inducing, but it is palpable—especially in the basement. Maybe I felt it more deeply because of my Southern roots and the loss of two great-great-grandfathers at Gettysburg.

And yes, I’ll admit it: when the lamp flickered late at night, I paused for a minute. The Inn does have a reputation, after all.

Cashtown Inn and the surrounding area are interesting and rich in history. I share even more details in Discover Gettysburg’s Haunting and Historic Cashtown Inn, found on Food, Wine, Travel Magazine.

Houma, Louisiana — The Rougarou Runs at Midnight

Down in the Louisiana bayou, the supernatural isn’t a theme—it’s a tradition. In Houma, the annual Rougarou Fest celebrates the legend of a werewolf-like swamp creature said to roam the bayous. The Rougarou, locals say, punishes those who break Lent or stay out too late, but during the festival, he’s more mascot than menace.

The Rougarou Fest in Houma, Louisiana, has been held in late October for 23 years. It is a free, family-friendly festival with a spooky flair. Just what is a Rougarou, you ask? Rougarous are found in the folklore of Southeastern Louisiana bayou. Most parents use the threat of the Rougarou “getting you”—like Santa is watching—to keep children behaving. The original French word “loup-garou” is used interchangeably to describe a creature with a wolf’s head and a human body (similar to a werewolf).

I had to fly home early from this adventure due to an emergency eye surgery. Fortunately, friend and fellow travel writer, Debbra Brouillette, filled me in on the Festival and shared a picture of the elusive Rougarou. You can read more of Debbra’s work at Tropical Travel Girl.

The Festival’s opening event, appropriately, is a Wolf Howling Contest, and three days later it concludes with a parade and fireworks. With lots of local food booths and musical entertainment, it’s no wonder the the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals named the Rougarou Festival of the Year in 2024.

McMinnville, Oregon — Wine, Spirits & UFO capital of the Pacific Northwest

While well-known for its mid-May UFO Festival, McMinnville is certainly better known for Pinot Noir, but come October, it earns a place among Oregon’s most quietly haunted towns. McMenamin’s Hotel Oregon, sitting right in the heart of downtown, is where most of the ghost stories seem to converge, and it gives an entirely new meaning to the words wine and spirits.

Locals talk about flickering lights and footsteps in empty hallways, a woman in vintage clothes who appears on the upper floors, and an energy that settles in after midnight when the guests have gone quiet. Some say she’s a former housekeeper from the building’s early years; others believe she’s tied to the Prohibition-era bar that once occupied the ground floor. The staff will smile when you ask—they’ve all heard something strange, even if they don’t admit it outright.

I stayed there one windy night, in one of the upper rooms overlooking Third Street. Sometime past two, I woke to faint piano notes—slow, steady, and drifting through the air like smoke. The rooftop bar had been closed for hours. When I asked about it the next morning, the bartender just grinned and said, “She likes the old songs.”

Beyond the hotel, McMinnville’s fall nights have their own mystery. The air smells of rain and fermenting grapes, the Willamette Valley mist rolling in like a stage curtain. The town’s UFO Festival each spring celebrates the famous 1950 Trent sighting—photographs of a supposed flying saucer that put McMinnville on the paranormal map—but autumn belongs to the ghosts.

Locals say you can feel them in the old buildings downtown, the ones that have seen a century’s worth of laughter, bar fights, and secrets. Step into the basement speakeasy, or linger too long in the stairwell of the Hotel Oregon, and you might catch a whisper of that otherworldly energy that keeps this town just a little strange.

McMinnville doesn’t need haunted houses or costumed actors—it already feels touched by something unseen. Maybe it’s the fog. Maybe it’s the wine. Or maybe it’s just Oregon doing what it does best—keeping a few mysteries alive.

St. Augustine, Florida — Ghosts Beneath the Spanish Moss

America’s oldest city has layers of life stacked like the shells in its coquina walls. Spanish explorers, pirates, Civil War soldiers—all left something behind. And the Ghosts and Gravestones tour is easy on your feet if you spend your days walking. When the ghost hunter cries, “All Aboard,” jump on! At the Huguenot Cemetery, guides told stories of restless spirits who never found peace.  

I joined a two-hour nighttime Haunted Pub Crawl through St. Augustine’s historic quarter. Lanterns flickered, and the air smelled of salt and oak. The tour combined stories of local haunts and ghosts, and tasty libations.

St. Augustine tour guides are ready to lead you on an adventure. You may find yourself standing in front of the Old Jail—cold, imposing, and inhabited by prisoners who never left (or so they say.) Another option is to join the Ripley’s Castle ghost tour for a spine-tingling evening.

At the Castillo de San Marcos, I stood at the ramparts while the tide whispered below. Footsteps sounded on the stones behind me. No one was there. In St. Augustine, history doesn’t feel like the past—it feels like company.

Washington, DC — Ghosts of Power and Tragedy

The District of Columbia has seen it all:  duels, assassinations, conspiracies, and scandals. It’s no wonder so many say its corridors are still occupied after dark. And it is clear why there are so many ghost tours available in the Washington and Georgetown area. You can find a complete list on the Washington.org website.

On a White House tour, a guide mentioned that Lincoln’s ghost has been seen—or at least sensed—by former presidents, first ladies, and even Winston Churchill. At Ford’s Theatre, workers on the night shift talk about floorboards creaking above the stage after hours. There’s also the matter of a cat said to wander the halls of the Capitol Building, appearing and disappearing without explanation.

In Lafayette Square, the air feels charged. It’s said that every house around the park has its own story—murder, betrayal, or heartbreak. The square’s ghosts don’t frighten; they remind us of the past. DC’s past isn’t buried—it’s layered right under your feet, waiting to be noticed.

Why We Chase Ghosts and Look for Haunted Places

Every ghost tour I’ve taken has reminded me that the past doesn’t just live in books—it lingers in the air. Ghost stories are how we talk about loss, guilt, love, and wonder.

When a guide tells you about a child who still calls for her mother from a 300-year-old window, or a president who can’t put down his unfinished work, it connects you to something universal—the ache of being remembered. Those are the the stories that have haunted us.

Maybe that’s why I love ghost tours. They’re not about proof; they’re about presence. About learning how deeply history can settle into a place—and how, sometimes, it refuses to leave.

Podcast about the Best Haunted Towns and Spooky Tours In The U.S.

Listen to the Jo Goes Everywhere! Best Haunted Towns and Spooky Tours podcast to learn all about haunted towns and ghostly spaces.

Planning A Beach Trip

For more exciting beach trips, take a drive to one of these locations: Cannon Beach, Myrtle Beach, or Georgetown County, and check into haunted places and spooky tours while you’re there.