Trip or Treat

Halloween is approaching. It is time for us all to engage our imaginations in the spooky, the scary, the chilling, and the downright frightening. Even if you are doubter or a skeptic, you may remain a lover of tales and mystery. As such, the possibility of haunted cities and towns may intrigue you. 

To maximize the effect you should actually go to the places that are reputed to be places in which spirits, ghosts, and other paranormal phenomena make regular visits. Here is a list of the 4 such places to visit this Halloween. 

1. Gettysburg 
The number one most haunted place in America is Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the site of the bloodiest single battle during the Civil War. It was also the place in which Abraham Lincoln, America's most beloved president, made his most famous speech. It is said that the ghosts of both Union and Confederate soldiers haunt the field. And that sometimes the soft but steady voice of Mr. Lincoln himself can be heard.

2. Key West 
If you are in southern Florida, a trip to Key West may be worth your while. It is the sight of many shipwrecks. It is also a place that has been ravaged again and again by hurricanes and other tropical storms. The voices of the dead can sometimes be heard in the empty caverns along the shore. 

3. New Orleans 
New Orleans was the most important and most prosperous French outpost in the New World. It was once of the few places in the country in which the rituals, religions, and cultures of Spain, France, Africa, and England fused together. One significant import was Voodoo. The French Quarter of the city still bears the effects of this interesting religion and cult. New Orleans was also one of the premiere ports for the importation of slaves. In fact, it possessed one of the largest outdoor markets for the buying and selling of slaves. And the spirits of those held in bondage is said to haunt the old slave market. 

4. Salem Salem, Massachusetts is another place with a dark past. It is known historically as the place in which the Salem witch trials took place. Snuggled deep in the forests of the state, it is an especially beautiful place to visit in autumn. But do not allow the charmed setting fool you. Unspeakable repression and torture occurred in the city some centuries ago, and it is said that the spirits of the many dead women who suffered under this pogrom still haunts the area.