The Open Road Travel

8 Best Halloween Travel Destinations For A Ghost Tour 2025

Salem, Massachusetts

When it comes to the best places to spend Halloween in the United States, Salem, Massachusetts, is going to be at or near the top of most people’s lists, including the one that we previously published here.

A wonderful city at any time of year, but especially around spooky season, Salem sits on the north coast of Massachusetts, around 40 minutes north of Boston. A port city founded in 1626, it’s one of the oldest settlements in the nation, and it rose to infamy as, from 1692 to 1693, more than 200 people were accused, and twenty innocent locals subsequently executed, for allegedly practising witchcraft.

As morbid as its past may be, tourism in the city simply wouldn’t come close to the levels it reaches today without it. That’s why the residents of Salem have, perhaps unsurprisingly, leant into it. This means there is plenty of great stuff to do in Salem around Halloween, such as:

·        Attending the Hawthorne Hotel’s annual Halloween Ball

·        Visiting the Salem Witch Trials Memorial

·        Exploring the Witch House or House Of The Seven Gables

·        Getting a history lesson in the Witch Dungeon Museum & Salem Witch Museum

·        Taking part in the legendary Salem Halloween street festivities

For those interested in ghost tours, Salem Ghosts offers many fantastic tours that cover the city’s historic witches and warlocks, as well as various other ghosts and haunted destinations. For those who want a ghost tour with a bit of a party vibe, they even offer a haunted pub crawl, where you can use a stiff drink or two to harden your nerves as the scares ramp up.

Best Hotel To Stay At In Salem – Hampton Inn Salem

Hampton Inn Salem is a wonderful, 3-star hotel within walking distance of attractions like the Salem Witch Museum, Witch Trials Memorial, and House Of The Seven Gables.



Its comfortable rooms all boast air conditioning, a flat-screen TV with cable channels, a microwave, a minifridge, and a coffee machine, while free Wi-Fi is present throughout the property. The hotel also offers a heated indoor pool and a large fitness centre for all guests to use. It even provides services like luggage storage space, a 24-hour front desk, a secure parking garage, a concierge, and a free hot breakfast buffet each morning. 

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the capital, second oldest, and most populous city in Rhode Island, as well as the 3^rd most populous city in New England, behind only Boston and Worcester in Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 by author and minister Roger Williams as one of the original Thirteen Colonies, it sits at the mouth of the Providence River, on the Narragansett Bay.

Providence is well-known for its love of coffee and doughnuts, thriving LGBT community, and abundance of performance art centres and groups. In fact, it has so much to offer tourists that we dedicated an entire article to the city, which you can read here.

For those visiting around Halloween, Providence has an abundance of spooky attractions to offer. This includes:

·        Flickers’ Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Film Festival

·        Walking tours to the grave of H.P. Lovecraft

·        The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo

·        Corn mazes, pumpkin patches, haunted houses, and other themed, seasonal activities

·        Haunted boat and walking tours

While the city of Providence itself has plenty to offer around Halloween, the best attraction for ghost hunters lies immediately across the state line, in Fall River, Massachusetts. The location of the infamous Lizzie Borden house, where Abby and Andrew Borden were brutally murdered with an axe in 1892, ghost hunters and fans of the macabre have long flocked to the site.

From being at the centre of one of the first major trials to grip the nation, when Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the double murder, to widespread rumours of it being one of the most haunted buildings in the United States, this is truly not something recreational ghost hunters will want to miss.

As a very popular trip, anyone wanting to tour the Lizzie Borden House (or stay in it overnight) is recommended to head to the US Ghost Adventures site and reserve their spot as soon as possible, as spaces fill up very fast.

Best Hotel To Stay At In Providence, Rhode Island – Renaissance Providence Downtown Hotel

Renaissance Providence Downtown Hotel is a stunning, 4-star, 1920s hotel in the city centre that’s known for its rich history, architecture, and décor. Each of its rooms is spacious and offers amazing views, luxury furniture, modern amenities, and access to room service, while the communal areas boast a bar, 24-hour fitness centre, ATM, business and meeting facilities, restaurant, and dry cleaning, ironing, laundry, and bicycle rental services.



Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the property, and private parking is available for an additional fee.

Tombstone, Arizona

Tombstone is a very different destination from our last two entries in almost every way possible. Located in southern Arizona, Tombstone was founded in 1877 by prospector Ed Schieffelin and is the largest wild west town still in existence. While its heyday as a silver mining boomtown was relatively short, as it was largely a ghost town by 1892, just 15 years after its founding, it left a massive reputation that lives on to this day.

Today, visitors flock to Tombstone in droves seeking a genuine Wild West experience, with authentic saloons, recreated gunfights, and historic locations available on almost every corner. With so much to do and see, western enthusiasts will have the time of their lives exploring all there is to do and see in Tombstone.

For visitors arriving around Halloween, attractions like the Boothill Graveyard & Bird Cage Theatre both have a spooky feel to them. However, those seeking a ghost tour will love what Tombstone Terrors has to offer.

From walking tours covering haunted buildings and detailing the many deaths and murders that occurred in Tombstone, to the slightly more light-hearted haunted pub crawl, you can get your supernatural fix in this historic destination, however you choose.

Best Hotel To Stay At In Tombstone – Sagebrush Inn

Sagebrush Inn is the most iconic hotel in Tombstone. Not only does its aesthetic perfectly fit the town, but it also has rooms named after the many iconic names who’ve stayed here through the years, from famous former residents of Tombstone like Doc Holiday, to iconic Western movie stars, such as John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara.



Conveniently located in the heart of Tombstone, each of its comfortable, stylish rooms boasts amenities like air conditioning, Wi-Fi, tea and coffee making facilities, a patio, a refrigerator, and satellite TV. Some rooms have a hot tub, and the property is pet-friendly and has ample free on-site parking.

Reno, Nevada

Reno was founded in 1868 and is the largest city in Nevada outside of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Affectionately known as “The Biggest Little City In The World”, it is best known for its casino and gambling industry, with multiple establishments providing a wide range of gaming and entertainment options that closely resemble Downtown Las Vegas (as opposed to the strip).

A popular road trip destination from Las Vegas, its proximity to the Old West town of Virginia City makes Reno a great place to visit around Halloween, as does the variety of events and attractions it has to offer during spooky season. This includes:

·        Dark Corner Haunted House

·        Reno Fright Fest

·        The Reno Zombie Crawl bar crawl

·        Fall festivals and haunted mazes

In the neighbouring towns, you then also have:

·        Scary Way, and Haunted House and Haunted Mini-Golf attractions in Sparks

·        Haunted Train Rides and Haunted Sleepovers in Virginia City

Reno then also has some fantastic ghost tours run by Reno Ghosts for you to enjoy

This nightly tour will take you to some of the most haunted locations in the city, including The Lake Mansion, The Levy Mansion, and the Washoe County Courthouse. Along the way, the experienced guides will regale you with lessons on the history of these and other spooky locations in Reno, so you can learn about the dark past of what you are seeing while trying to spot a ghost for yourself.

Best Hotel To Stay At In Reno – Eldorado Resort Casino At The ROW

The Eldorado Resort Casino at THE ROW is an iconic, 4-star casino hotel. One of the three resorts in The Row, along with Silver Legacy and Circus Circus, it is located right at the heart of Downtown Reno, in its entertainment hub, and is just a short walk from the meeting point for Reno’s premier ghost tour.

Guests can enjoy a lively casino floor with slot machines, table games, and sports betting, as well as 9 restaurants covering everything from fine dining to casual eateries and buffets, venues hosting live music and Broadway-style shows, an outdoor swimming pool, a spa, wellness and fitness centres, and a bar.



Its rooms are all stylishly decorated and furnished, offer incredible views of Reno and the Sierra Nevada mountains, and are kitted out with amenities like a flat-screen cable TV, a safety deposit box, a work desk, a coffee machine, air conditioning, and Wi-Fi, which is also present throughout the resort. All guests receive access to disabled facilities, free parking, and a free airport shuttle. 

Sacramento, California

Sacramento was first established in 1839 in a valley surrounded by grapevines and rivers. It quickly transformed into a thriving city as the California Gold Rush descended on the area, to the point it was designated the state capital of California in 1854, a title which it still holds today. Now home to a population of around 525,000 people, it is the sixth most populous city in the state, and continues to grow faster than any other in California.

The main draws that drive tourists to the city are the Sacramento Old Town by the riverfront and the California State Capitol building. With the two in easy walking distance of one another, it makes for a great place to see the rapid evolution of the western United States firsthand, from an Old West frontier town to the political centre of one of the most booming economies in the world.

Beyond this, there are plenty of other attractions in Sacramento that you can check out here in a dedicated article we wrote on the subject.

Sacramento is also a city that has plenty to offer for those seeking a good scare around Halloween. The Old Town transforms into Halloween Town, where you will find decorated scarecrow displays and a pumpkin patch where you can paint pumpkins, and get the opportunity to go on hayrides, watch scary movies under the stars, and indulge in the harvest menus and seasonal treats that many of the local establishments offer.

Elsewhere in the city, there are multiple, fantastic haunted house attractions in Sacramento Scream Park, Heartstoppers Haunts, and Corbett’s House of Horrors, events like a candlelit night at the California State Railroad Museum and an Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy, and walking and biking ghost tours.

The king of these ghost tours is run by Sacramento Ghosts. Their primary tour will take you to some of the most haunted destinations in Sacramento, such as the Delta King Hotel, Eagle Theater, and Old Railroad Tunnel Entrance, while you hear stories about the famous ghosts and horrifying events linked to these locations. They then also offer the slightly more laid-back haunted pub crawl, for those who like to combine chilling with spine-chilling.

Best Hotel To Stay At In Sacramento – Delta King Hotel

What better way is there to finish a ghost tour than by staying in the most iconic and haunted hotel in Sacramento?

Delta King Hotel is housed within a historic boathouse on the Sacramento River, in the heart of Sacramento's Old Town. It leans into its historic surroundings with vintage décor and quaint period features. Its covered dining terrace offers stunning views of the river itself, as well as local sights like River Walk Park, Tower Bridge, and the Ziggurat, while its location offers easy access to most of the city’s top attractions.



Each of its cabin rooms is spacious, air-conditioned, and equipped with flat screen televisions and coffee machines, while free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel.

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans was founded in 1718 and is the largest city in Louisiana. Sitting on marshlands on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River, it is among the most popular tourist destinations in the southern United States. It is infamous for the variety of unique cultures and history that can be found here, from the Cajun and Creole people and the voodoo religion to the iconic bayous and above-ground cemeteries.

Known as a checkerboard city, almost every neighbourhood in New Orleans has a unique style and atmosphere. This makes knowing the best areas to stay in New Orleans based on your wants and needs incredibly important. That is why we published an article dedicated to helping you determine just that here.

Plenty of the city’s year-round attractions are perfect for Halloween. Destinations like haunted mansions, voodoo shops, the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum, and St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 are sure to all fit your spooky desires perfectly.

You then have dedicated Halloween attractions like:

·        The Krewe Of Boo! Parade

·        The Mortuary and New Orleans Nightmare haunted house attractions

·        Elaborately decorated buildings

·        Zombie-themed paintball

·        Various family-friendly attractions.

Virtually the whole city and all of its bars transform into a Halloween hellscape that is a dream (or nightmare?) for fans of the macabre.

As for ghost tours, New Orleans Ghosts offers a fantastic range of options to choose from. From tours of the most haunted locations in The French Quarter and trips dedicated to the city’s Voodoo and vampire lore, to haunted pub crawls and bar and restaurant events, there is something for ghost hunters of all types.

Best Hotel To Stay At In New Orleans – Bourbon Orleans Hotel

Located in the heart of the French Quarter, just a short walk from some of New Orleans’ most haunted locations, this stunning 4-star hotel provides traditional rooms with views of either a beautiful courtyard or the French Quarter itself. Each room features a flat-screen TV, iPod docks, free bottled water, tea and coffee makers, and free Wi-Fi, which is present throughout the hotel. Some rooms also boast a balcony with outdoor seating.



The hotel also features a gym, heated outdoor pool, tranquil communal courtyard, restaurant serving Creole and American cuisine for breakfast and dinner, which can also be enjoyed as room service, and a bar where you can enjoy a drink or some live jazz music of an evening. 

Deadwood, South Dakota

Deadwood is another of the biggest and best Wild West towns still in existence, behind only Tombstone, which we saw earlier. Located in the iconic Black Hills of South Dakota, Deadwood was founded in 1876 as a boomtown during the Black Hills Gold Rush. Named after the dead trees in the gulch surrounding it, Deadwood was home to many of the famous faces of the Old West, including Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok, and Wyatt Earp.

Like Tombstone, Deadwood’s peak years were legendary yet short-lived, with its heyday lasting just three years before a fire destroyed much of the original town in September 1879. Having been rebuilt in the years following the fire, the entire town of Deadwood was listed as a National Historic Landmark District in 1961, thanks to the countless historic buildings and attractions it offers, which you can read about in greater detail here.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Black Hills are bursting with incredible attractions, such as Badlands National Park, Black Hills National Forest, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave National Park, Wall Drug, and the unfinished Crazy Horse Memorial. This makes it a great option for those looking to make it a slightly longer trip.

Similarly, Deadwood has plenty of dead-icated attractions for people to enjoy at Halloween. This includes:

·        Deadwierd Festival, which includes a Monster’s Ball and an adult costume party with prizes for the best outfits

·        KidWierd Festival, with candy giveaways, costume contests, and a haunted house

·        Trunk Or Treat trick or treating for all ages

·        An actual gold mine that is converted into a haunted house experience

·        Walking tours of the legendary Mount Moriah Cemetery and its famous residents

As for ghost tours in the city, Deadwood Ghosts offers a walking tour through Deadwood’s most haunted buildings, including Adams House, The Fairmont Hotel, and the Wild Bill Bar, during which you will be given a history lesson on the city’s morbid past and the many, many ghost encounters that people have had here.

Best Hotel To Stay At In Deadwood – Historic Franklin Hotel

The Historic Franklin Hotel is a stunning, 4-star hotel that is among the most iconic buildings in Deadwood. Perfectly situated on Main Street, it boasts a fabulous collection of spacious, air-conditioned rooms that all feature a private bathroom and a seating area with a TV, and many even offer amazing views of Historic Downtown Deadwood.



The property also has a casino, bar, steakhouse restaurant, and 24-hour front desk, while free Wi-Fi is available in all communal areas, and free parking is available for all guests.

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah was established in 1733 and is one of the oldest cities in Georgia, as well as its 5^th most populous. The capital of the Province of Georgia during British colonial times and the original capital of the state of Georgia, it played a vital role during both the American Civil War and the American Revolution, and was a vital Atlantic seaport.

A city brimming with American history and southern culture, it is a destination filled with historical attractions. This includes everything from its cobblestone streets to historic buildings like the Georgia Historical Society, Georgia State Railway Museum, First African Baptist Church, Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, and Temple Mickve Israel.

As you can imagine, in a town with such a rich history, many of its top attractions around Halloween are the buildings themselves, as their festive makeovers only make learning about some of the darker aspects of their past even more haunting. As a result, Savannah has more ghost tours than possibly anywhere else you are likely to find. One tour company stands head and shoulders above the rest, though, and that is Savannah Ghosts.

Their selection of ghost tours includes tours of the Savannah Historic District and Bonaventure Cemetery, tours dedicated to the city’s black history, tours covering the most horrific events and diseases that the city has faced throughout its existence, and even spooky bar and restaurant tours where you can sample local drinks and delicacies as you learn about the city’s dark past.

Other than ghost tours, the Halloween attractions you will find in Savannah include:

·        A candlelight showing of Halloween classics

·        Wag-O-Ween trick or treating for dogs and their owners

·        Family-friendly trick or treating on River Street

·        SCAD’s Masquerade Ball

·        The many events and activities at Halloween On The Squares

Best Hotel To Stay At In Savannah – The DeSoto

The DeSoto is a historic, stylish, 4-star hotel in the heart of Savannah’s Historic District. Its spacious rooms and suites blend Southern elegance with modern comfort. They all boast luxury furnishings and modern amenities like air conditioning, Wi-Fi, cable TV, a work desk, a private bathroom, and ironing facilities, and many also offer private balconies with sweeping views of Savannah’s tree-lined streets, squares, and historic architecture.



Guests can enjoy amenities like a rooftop pool, fitness center, and business centre, the 1540 Room restaurant and its farm-to-table Southern cuisine, the Edgar’s Proof & Provision gastropub and cocktail bar, and a 24/7 concierge service. Private parking is also available for an additional fee, as is a substantial breakfast each morning.

Conclusion

That concludes our guide to the 8 best Halloween travel destinations for a ghost tour 2025. You should now hopefully have a good idea of exactly where you want to go ghost hunting this spooky season to get the most bang for your buck. All you have left to do now is start getting everything booked. You don’t want to hang around either, as many of these places are known Halloween hotspots, so they can get booked up well in advance.