America’s spookiest sightseeing experiences

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With ghoulish ghost tours, secret specters and tales of witchcraft, America’s cities offer visitors plenty of opportunities to get into the Halloween spirit all year round.

Travel experts have recommended five of the most spine-tingling city break experiences available – get ready to get spooked!

New York City: what lurks beneath?

Descend into the depths of the Basilica of St Patrick’s Old Cathedral. Tread carefully through New York’s underground tunnels and passageways as you explore the crypts of the old cathedral and discover the faithfully departed’s final resting place on this 1-hour, atmospheric candle-lit guided tour. Prominent bishops, US Army officers, newspaper editors and even a US Presidential candidate are among the figures who may not rest quite so quietly in the catacombs.

New Orleans: Voodoo Queens and malevolent specters

Visitors to New Orleans can discover the haunting truths of the ‘Big Easy’, also known as the Voodoo heart of the South, with the New Orleans Haunted History Walking Tour. Take a French Quarter Ghost & Legends Tour and join expert guides on the trail of ghastly criminals and malevolent specters who still haunt the Quarter – or choose the Cities of the Dead Cemetery Tour, which tells the spooky tale of St. Louis Cemetery, Louisiana’s oldest, site of the last resting place of Marie Laveau, the ‘Voodoo Queen’ of New Orleans.

Philadelphia: brave the darkened streets of America’s most haunted city

Philadelphia visitors can embark on one of the oldest ghost tours in the country this Halloween. The Ghost Tour of Philadelphia – Candlelight Walking Tour is a 75-90 minute tour of Independence Park and Society Hill led by a guide who recounts historically documented sightings of the ghoulish kind. From accounts of ghostly spirits to haunted houses and eerie graveyard omens, pass holders will learn about the darkest secrets hidden in the shadows of America’s most historic (and most haunted) city.

Boston: do you believe in witchcraft?

Relive the fear and hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials with a visit to The Salem Witch Museum, included with the Go Boston Card. A short train ride from the city, visitors are transported back to Salem village as it existed in 1692 when the mere whisper of witchcraft struck terror into the hearts of the townspeople. Visitors can learn about the word “witch” and the phenomenon of the witch hunt which led to 180 women being imprisoned for witchcraft. Salem is arguably the most popular Halloween destination in the United States and even the town’s name brings to mind the haunting scenes described in works of popular fiction and literature such as The Crucible.

San Antonio: will you accept an invitation from the undead?

Visitors can brave the #1 Haunted House in San Antonio. Scares lurk behind every corner of the creepy renovated mansion at Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, complete with live (or are they?) actors and spooktacular special effects. Are you brave enough to accept an invitation from the undead?

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Chief Assignment Editor

Chief Assignment editor is Oleg Siziakov

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