Estes Park’s Stanley Hotel has been identified as one of seven “bewitching destinations” that feel “straight out of a Halloween movie,” according to rankings from SpinBlitz, via Yahoo! Creators. This ranking utilized data from TripAdvisor, considering ratings, reviews, and local legends to highlight supernatural locations across the world. The historic hotel, situated in Estes Park, Colorado, stands out as a prominent spot for travelers seeking spooky experiences both during the Halloween season and year-round.
The Stanley Hotel is widely known for inspiring author Stephen King to write *The Shining*. King reportedly stayed in Room 217 while the hotel was almost empty, a room that carries its own tales. Rumors suggest it was the same room where a chambermaid for the hotel survived a gas explosion in 1911. Beyond specific rooms, the hotel is also associated with talk of supposed piano-playing ghosts and phantom parties. For guests interested in exploring these legends, the Stanley Hotel offers ghost tours, allowing visitors to see if they can find any specters themselves. These tours provide an “extra spooky experience” for those looking to delve into the hotel's haunted reputation.
The Stanley Hotel joins a curated list of international spots recognized for their spine-tingling potential. For instance, Salem, Massachusetts, leans into its late 1600s history with the witch trials, during which more than 200 people were accused of being witches and 20 were executed. For Halloween, Salem offers visits to the Salem Witch Museum, the Witch House—the only building still standing from that time—and night ghost tours. The town also features spooky-themed shops, restaurants, and other quirky stops, with some exterior shots for the film *Hocus Pocus* filmed there, including Allison’s house.
Another destination on the list is Hunedoara, home to Corvin Castle. This medieval fortress, started in the 1400s, was once occupied by a prisoner known as Vlad the Impaler, better known today as a possible inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. The castle includes a five-story tower and a drawbridge for visitors. Similarly, Edinburgh, Scotland, boasts Edinburgh Castle, which sits atop Castle Rock overlooking the city. This historic site is believed to house several apparitions, including the Headless Drummer, the Lost Piper Boy, and the Grey Lady. The city of Edinburgh itself is thought to be home to other ghosts, such as the Mackenzie Poltergeist, with spirits reportedly haunting Edinburgh's Victoria Street.
Canada also features on the list with the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel, situated in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. This building is considered both breathtaking and potentially haunted, supposedly hosting the Ghost Bride and Sam the Bellman. Fairmont Banff Springs also has rooms that are allegedly haunted or have purportedly disappeared, such as Room 873, where a family was supposedly murdered.
Further afield, Derry in Northern Ireland hosts Europe’s largest four-day Halloween festival, with Halloween tracing some of its origins back to the Celtic festival of Samhain. The city is also supposedly home to spirits like the Headless Coachman that rides down the road and into the cemetery, and a demon bride reportedly exorcised from a home in the 1940s. Finally, on the Atlantic shore of Georgia, Savannah, founded in 1733, has accumulated its own ghost stories. These include the supposed haunting of Marshall House, where wounded Civil War soldiers were treated. The Mercer House in Savannah was also made famous by the 1994 book *Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil*, which chronicled local characters, including Jim Williams, who lived in the house and was acquitted after four murder trials for shooting a man there.
These locations, including Estes Park’s own Stanley Hotel, offer year-round opportunities for travelers to explore supernatural spots, providing an alternative to traditional Halloween celebrations or simply a unique travel experience.
