Halloween Travel Ideas 2016: 9 Spooky Destinations For October Trips And Vacations

Halloween may not be a holiday known for travel, but if your idea of fun is spooky destinations rather than candy, this is for you. With HomeAway’s list of the best Halloween vacation spots, we’ve compiled nine spooky destinations around the world using the creepiest of data.

New Orleans

Widely credited as being the most haunted city in the United States, New Orleans packs a punch with its reputation for voodoo, world famous cemeteries and all around spooky Southern charm. Take a guided walking tour in the French Quarter then head to Frenchmen Street where you’ll find the biggest Halloween street parties.

Transylvania, Romania

Dracula’s birthplace attracts visitors year round with its storied history. The most iconic landmark is Bran Castle, where you can book a Halloween tour and learn the truth behind the terrifying legends.

Salem, Massachusetts

Known as the historic site of the Salem Witch Trials, Salem is still a delightfully spooky place to visit for Halloween. All October the city holds the Festival of the Dead, an annual festival that explores death’s macabre customs, heretical histories, and strange rituals.

Sleepy Hollow, New York

This Hudson Valley town known as the setting of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” hosts visitors looking to get a glimpse into the classic literary tale. Don’t miss the 300 year old Phillipsburg Manor, which is transformed every Halloween into one of the creepiest haunted houses ever.

Mexico City

In Mexico, celebrate the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), a three day festival honoring the dead. Cities like Oaxaca and Mexico City hold raucous celebrations in the street with flowers, skulls, and skeletons.

Savannah, Georgia

This southern belle is rightfully enchanting and beguiling with its moss-covered wisteria and Victorian mansions. Every year, the city holds haunted tours of its many homes and cemeteries including the bone chilling Moose Lodge Haunted Forest.

London

Home of Jack the Ripper and Sweeney Todd, London has produced some of the scariest fictional and nonfictional characters of all time. Take a midnight tour through Ripper’s old haunts in East London or visit the London Dungeon, an immersive tourist attraction giving panic attacks to visitors for 40 years.

Anoka, Minnesota​

This small Minnesota town north of Minneapolis was the first city in America to celebrate Halloween in 1920, giving it the title of Halloween Capital of the World. Expect lots of family friendly activities like a Pumpkin Bowl and ghostly 5K run.

Derry, Ireland

Halloween wasn’t always called Halloween. In Ireland, Halloween is known as Samhain, the pagan festival marking the beginning of the harvest and a time when the spirits returned to the living. Derry in Northern Ireland holds the biggest Samhain celebration with more than 30,000 revelers gathering in the streets.