There are plenty of creepy travel destinations, from hotels that inspired Stephen King’s novel The Shining to Harry Houdini’s house where he died, that will add thrills and chills to your travel bucket list.
From Rolling Hills Asylum (featured on TV’s Ghost Adventures) to a New Orleans plantation where moans of slaves still echo through its halls, here are 13 terrifyingly entertaining haunted spots you should visit this Halloween.
Kings Park Psychiatric Facility
Kings Park Psychiatric Facility, commonly referred to as King’s Park Lunatic Asylum, opened its doors in 1885 as an attempt to alleviate overcrowding in Brooklyn (then Kings County). Intended as an innovative change from urban hospitals’ abusive conditions, its aim was to give patients space for growing crops and animals as therapy while being cared for by medical doctors who were present on site.
At its height, this facility spanned 150 buildings and housed thousands of patients. Farming activities eventually gave way to frontal lobotomies and electroshock; with time, as the medications proved more effective, overcrowding gradually lessened.
Today, the hospital remains an eerie yet stunning sight to visit, making it a favorite spot among thrill-seekers who have reported hearing haunting screams, witnessing ghost-like figures appear and witness doors opening and closing without their control. Although trespassing on property is illegal, explorers sneaking onto abandoned buildings have reported feeling dizziness, fear and abandonment while visiting it; additionally it has been the scene of mysterious fires, multiple arrests for trespassing and graffiti art use as well as MS-13 members using it as a hideout!
Queen Mary
At its launch, RMS Queen Mary became a symbol of luxury and hope. For three decades it crossed the Atlantic, outliving multiple wars and narrowly escaping Titanic’s fate – but she may also have ghostly presences! But this magnificent ocean liner boasts more than its impressive history; according to legend she may even be haunted by ghostly spirits!
Screams and whispers, drastic temperature shifts, slamming doors and flickering lights have been reported aboard this renowned cruise liner as haunting experiences. One particularly unnerving area on board may be its first class swimming pool which may be haunted by ghosts of two women who drowned during the 1930s.
The boiler room on board the ship is another disquieting place, as reports of wet footprints appearing when no one is present have surfaced. Furthermore, guests have reported seeing someone wearing blue coveralls – possibly an engineer who died there – run after them asking if they have found his wrench.
Waterfront Station
The beautiful 1914 Waterfront Station, originally built for CP Rail, in downtown Vancouver has long been known to be haunted. While most commuters pass through this busy hub without giving ghosts a thought during their day commutes, paranormal activity has been reported after nightfall once all eyes have closed and city sleep has settled on this busy hub.
Security guards have reported seeing the ghost of a decapitated brakeman wandering the multiple railway tracks outside their station. Legend has it that while working on these tracks he was struck down and decapitated by a train which later ran along them and decapitated him further; sometimes on rainy nights this ghost can be seen holding a lantern and searching for its missing head.
Documenting the Waterfront Station hauntings has been made easy thanks to Exit Thru the Gift Shop on YouTube, a channel which features videos about haunted locations from all across North America and has even been highlighted in National Post articles.
Kingston Penitentiary
No matter your motives for visiting Kingston Penitentiary – history buff or thrill seeker alike – will come away impressed by what they experience during a tour of Canada’s most notorious maximum security prison. Home to violent riots, fires and deaths over its long history; legend claims George Hewell (killed by guards in 1897) haunts it even today!
Undertake a self-guided tour to explore Kingston’s oldest maximum security prison’s cell range, former segregation wing and hospital – this medium-level spook tour may not be suitable for children due to following an established path without having the option to cut short your journey.
