Around the world of scary!
No point in hiding behind the bush – if you want to experience the world’s scariest destinations and have a truly ‘hauntingly’ memorable experience, come with us!
Spooky Visit 1: Clown Motel, Nevada, USA
If you have coulrophobia (fear of clowns), read no further. Enroute to Las Vegas is the old mining town of Tonopah, home of the world’s creepiest Clown-themed motel. There are clowns everywhere you look, with some dangling over the beds, and even more in the lobby, where there’s a super-scary and intimidating life-sized clown doll. And just to confirm the spooky factor, the motel is situated right next door to an old graveyard full of gold miners.The motel offers guests a choice of themed rooms, such as Exorcist, IT, the concept of Halloween, and Friday the 13th. The Clown Museum is said to ‘educate’ with over 3000 clowns on exhibit. It’s become a go-to destination for Ghost Hunters, Paranormal Investigators, Spooky Fun lovers, Youtubers, Horror Filmmakers, Clown Lovers, and more. There’s even a Gazebo next to the historic cemetery for fun parties, birthdays, and wedding celebrations – well, each to his own, of course.
Spooky Visit 2: The Winchester Mystery House® USA is an architectural wonder and historic landmark in San Jose, California that was once the personal residence of Sarah Lockwood Pardee Winchester, the widow of William Wirt Winchester and heiress to a large portion of the Winchester® Repeating Arms fortune.
Tragedy befell Sarah – her infant daughter died of a childhood illness and a few years later her husband was taken from her by tuberculosis. There’s a lot to this story – you can read more HERE.
Spooky Visit 1: Clown Motel, Nevada, USA
If you have coulrophobia (fear of clowns), read no further. Enroute to Las Vegas is the old mining town of Tonopah, home of the world’s creepiest Clown-themed motel. There are clowns everywhere you look, with some dangling over the beds, and even more in the lobby, where there’s a super-scary and intimidating life-sized clown doll. And just to confirm the spooky factor, the motel is situated right next door to an old graveyard full of gold miners.The motel offers guests a choice of themed rooms, such as Exorcist, IT, the concept of Halloween, and Friday the 13th. The Clown Museum is said to ‘educate’ with over 3000 clowns on exhibit. It’s become a go-to destination for Ghost Hunters, Paranormal Investigators, Spooky Fun lovers, Youtubers, Horror Filmmakers, Clown Lovers, and more. There’s even a Gazebo next to the historic cemetery for fun parties, birthdays, and wedding celebrations – well, each to his own, of course.
Spooky Visit 2: The Winchester Mystery House® USA is an architectural wonder and historic landmark in San Jose, California that was once the personal residence of Sarah Lockwood Pardee Winchester, the widow of William Wirt Winchester and heiress to a large portion of the Winchester® Repeating Arms fortune.
Tragedy befell Sarah – her infant daughter died of a childhood illness and a few years later her husband was taken from her by tuberculosis. There’s a lot to this story – you can read more HERE.
Spooky Visit 3: The Hoia Baciu Forest
It's located on the outskirts of Cluj Napoca, on the northern border of Romania. It spans across 250 hectares of Transylvania and is considered one of the most haunted places on the planet because of strange paranormal phenomena that is consistently reported.
Often referred to as the "Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania", it is said to be inhabited by the devil in person, by ghosts and perhaps even aliens. The forest gained notoriety around the 1960s, when biologist Alexandru Sift photographed a flying object in the sky above the forest. After this incident, other inexplicable events soon followed, including the disappearance of a shepherd and his 200 sheep which were never found again; and the disappearance of a five-year-old girl who later reappeared five years later wearing the same clothes and without having aged even one day. There have also been many first-hand reports from people who have entered the forest, only to come out with burns, severe rashes, headaches, and high fever which they did not have before. Some studies have revealed higher than usual radioactivity.
You can hike through the mysterious green surroundings and camp under the stars – if you’re game! Go cycling along the forest’s bike paths and see the infamous circle where no trees grow. It is called Poiana Rotunda, the round meadow. Among the wildlife you may see rabbits, foxes, wild hogs, and deer. There are numerous picnic sites, four-wheel drive expeditions and campsites. Admission to the forest is free.
Spooky Visit 4: Island of Dolls, Mexico
Child's play — or the stuff of nightmares? A boat trip through the Xomichimilco channels south of Mexico City leads to Xochimilco island — better known as la isla de las muñecas — or the Island of Dolls.
On shore, visitors are greeted by thousands of dolls: some big, some small, some gigantic. No humans live here anymore — only dolls. They hang from ceilings, trees, boats moored on the shore.
There is no electricity or running water. Concrete constructions are forbidden — the only buildings are shops made from wood.
Inside, dolls cover the walls and all surfaces — all old, mutilated, some just lone heads, some even burnt — all creepy. There's no way back, it's said, from the Island of Dolls.
The dolls have made this island their home since 1950 when, according to local folklore, a child fell into the water from a chinampa — an artificial island built on fresh water for agricultural purposes. A local man known as Don Julián Santana jumped in to save her, but the child died from drowning. He tried to help but unfortunately, all he did was witness to the death of this person in this place and marked the spot where the child died with a white crucifix.
Something strange and dark started to happen on the island and Santana claimed he began seeing shadows and hearing cries — a soul, he believed, that was deep in sorrow. He looked to protect himself and the island from what he believed were evil entities by collecting dolls from trash cans and dumpsters and hanging them all around the island and the chinampas.
A doll wearing a straw hat decorated with sunflowers is the first one Santana is said to have found floating in the Xochimilco channels. Today there are about four thousand dolls on the island.
After Barrera's death in 2001, his family opened the island to the public as a tourist attraction – well everyone to their own taste, of course. The island is accessible by gondola-like boats referred to as trajineras.
It's located on the outskirts of Cluj Napoca, on the northern border of Romania. It spans across 250 hectares of Transylvania and is considered one of the most haunted places on the planet because of strange paranormal phenomena that is consistently reported.
Often referred to as the "Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania", it is said to be inhabited by the devil in person, by ghosts and perhaps even aliens. The forest gained notoriety around the 1960s, when biologist Alexandru Sift photographed a flying object in the sky above the forest. After this incident, other inexplicable events soon followed, including the disappearance of a shepherd and his 200 sheep which were never found again; and the disappearance of a five-year-old girl who later reappeared five years later wearing the same clothes and without having aged even one day. There have also been many first-hand reports from people who have entered the forest, only to come out with burns, severe rashes, headaches, and high fever which they did not have before. Some studies have revealed higher than usual radioactivity.
You can hike through the mysterious green surroundings and camp under the stars – if you’re game! Go cycling along the forest’s bike paths and see the infamous circle where no trees grow. It is called Poiana Rotunda, the round meadow. Among the wildlife you may see rabbits, foxes, wild hogs, and deer. There are numerous picnic sites, four-wheel drive expeditions and campsites. Admission to the forest is free.
Spooky Visit 4: Island of Dolls, Mexico
Child's play — or the stuff of nightmares? A boat trip through the Xomichimilco channels south of Mexico City leads to Xochimilco island — better known as la isla de las muñecas — or the Island of Dolls.
On shore, visitors are greeted by thousands of dolls: some big, some small, some gigantic. No humans live here anymore — only dolls. They hang from ceilings, trees, boats moored on the shore.
There is no electricity or running water. Concrete constructions are forbidden — the only buildings are shops made from wood.
Inside, dolls cover the walls and all surfaces — all old, mutilated, some just lone heads, some even burnt — all creepy. There's no way back, it's said, from the Island of Dolls.
The dolls have made this island their home since 1950 when, according to local folklore, a child fell into the water from a chinampa — an artificial island built on fresh water for agricultural purposes. A local man known as Don Julián Santana jumped in to save her, but the child died from drowning. He tried to help but unfortunately, all he did was witness to the death of this person in this place and marked the spot where the child died with a white crucifix.
Something strange and dark started to happen on the island and Santana claimed he began seeing shadows and hearing cries — a soul, he believed, that was deep in sorrow. He looked to protect himself and the island from what he believed were evil entities by collecting dolls from trash cans and dumpsters and hanging them all around the island and the chinampas.
A doll wearing a straw hat decorated with sunflowers is the first one Santana is said to have found floating in the Xochimilco channels. Today there are about four thousand dolls on the island.
After Barrera's death in 2001, his family opened the island to the public as a tourist attraction – well everyone to their own taste, of course. The island is accessible by gondola-like boats referred to as trajineras.
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Spooky Visit 5: Tower of London
The Tower of London is an historic castle built on the River Thames in the city’s centre. It was founded in 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. Like other places with a past filled with skulduggery and fear, the Tower is said to be haunted. Most of the ghosts are unfortunate souls who met an untimely–and many times unjust–death. (Including death by grizzly bear.) On your London vacation, visiting the Tower, regardless of questionable spooks, is a must. See our list of the 12 spirits said to haunt the Tower.
Spooky Visit 6: The Stanley Hotel, USA
If you’ve ever watched the movie The Shining, then you’ve seen the hotel that inspired Stephen King! Opening in 1907, the huge, remote Colorado resort has long been considered haunted by everything/body from a former housekeep badly hurt in gas explosion in room 217 to the original founder and his wife who often pass through the lobby on their way to play the piano in the music room. Dare you to stay in room 217‼!
Spooky Visit 7: Sedlec Ossuary, Czech Republic
Why would you want to holiday near a church made entirely of human bones? Called – somewhat obviously – as the ‘Bone Church’, it was deemed as the best place in town to be buried in the 13th century and over time, folks got quite creative, creating some of today’s most macabre art including a bone chandelier, two large bone chalices and four baroque bone candelabras. Heavens knows what’s tops in the souvenir shop‼!
The Tower of London is an historic castle built on the River Thames in the city’s centre. It was founded in 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. Like other places with a past filled with skulduggery and fear, the Tower is said to be haunted. Most of the ghosts are unfortunate souls who met an untimely–and many times unjust–death. (Including death by grizzly bear.) On your London vacation, visiting the Tower, regardless of questionable spooks, is a must. See our list of the 12 spirits said to haunt the Tower.
Spooky Visit 6: The Stanley Hotel, USA
If you’ve ever watched the movie The Shining, then you’ve seen the hotel that inspired Stephen King! Opening in 1907, the huge, remote Colorado resort has long been considered haunted by everything/body from a former housekeep badly hurt in gas explosion in room 217 to the original founder and his wife who often pass through the lobby on their way to play the piano in the music room. Dare you to stay in room 217‼!
Spooky Visit 7: Sedlec Ossuary, Czech Republic
Why would you want to holiday near a church made entirely of human bones? Called – somewhat obviously – as the ‘Bone Church’, it was deemed as the best place in town to be buried in the 13th century and over time, folks got quite creative, creating some of today’s most macabre art including a bone chandelier, two large bone chalices and four baroque bone candelabras. Heavens knows what’s tops in the souvenir shop‼!
Spooky Visit 8: Veijo Rönkkönen, Finland
The Veijo Rönkkönen Sculpture Gardens as described in many travel guides is ‘a little bit strange and a lot creepy’. Veijo was a recluse who spent years living in a Finnish forest creating sculptures. By the time of his death in 2010, he had covered his land with around 550. Nearly all depict human figures of all ages – some are even decorated with real human teeth.
Spooky Visit 9: Monte Cristo Homestead, NSW
Considered Australia’s most haunted house, the Monte Cristo Homestead - built in 1884 - has had its share of weird, There have been sightings of a woman in a period dress walking along the verandah to bloodstained steps - apparently where a former housemaid once fell. You can sleep in the house – you’ll receive a small gift if you make it through the night!
Spooky Visit 10: City of the Dead, Russia
Despite its picturesque location and quaint houses, the village of Dargavs, known as the ‘City of the Dead’ is considered one of the creepiest places in Russia. It stands on the graves of 10,000 bodies, believed be people buried there during the 14-18th centuries. According to legend, some corpses are so well preserved, the flesh is still attached to their bones.
The Veijo Rönkkönen Sculpture Gardens as described in many travel guides is ‘a little bit strange and a lot creepy’. Veijo was a recluse who spent years living in a Finnish forest creating sculptures. By the time of his death in 2010, he had covered his land with around 550. Nearly all depict human figures of all ages – some are even decorated with real human teeth.
Spooky Visit 9: Monte Cristo Homestead, NSW
Considered Australia’s most haunted house, the Monte Cristo Homestead - built in 1884 - has had its share of weird, There have been sightings of a woman in a period dress walking along the verandah to bloodstained steps - apparently where a former housemaid once fell. You can sleep in the house – you’ll receive a small gift if you make it through the night!
Spooky Visit 10: City of the Dead, Russia
Despite its picturesque location and quaint houses, the village of Dargavs, known as the ‘City of the Dead’ is considered one of the creepiest places in Russia. It stands on the graves of 10,000 bodies, believed be people buried there during the 14-18th centuries. According to legend, some corpses are so well preserved, the flesh is still attached to their bones.
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Spooky Visit 11: Door to Hell, Turkmenistan
A gaping hole filled with flickering flames is said to be a portal to hell. Apparently, it’s just a sinkhole, but its origins are unclear. It’s believed that Soviet scientists intentionally set it ablaze to burn off noxious gases emanating from its core. Sounds very Raiders of the Lost Ark to us. Spooky Visit 12: Valley of the Kings, Egypt This major tourism destination has been the subject of many books, TV series and Hollywood movies. The Valley of the Kings is the burial place of Egypt’s highest nobility, including that of King Tutankhamun and it’s said the tombs are all cursed. The highest-profile death is believed to be George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, a British aristocrat and amateur Egyptologist who helped finance King Tutt’s tomb search. He died on March 25, 1923 – a year after the tomb was opened. And if that list isn’t spooky enough for you, there’s:
Bon Spooky Voyage !!! |
