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The 5 Haunted Hotel Destinations You’ll Want to Seek Out This Halloween

The 5 Haunted Hotel Destinations You’ll Want to Seek Out This Halloween

Although most of us would shudder at the thought of encountering a real, live ghostly apparition, there’s an entire population who relish the idea and travel the country seeking out the country’s most haunted locales. They carry copper dowsing rods and ghost boxes or spirit boxes, also known as EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) machines, which capture ghostly voices unheard within the normal hearing range. Perhaps you’ve seen them used on programs like TV’s Ghost Adventures. If you’re a ghost-hunting enthusiast, we’ve identified the top five haunted hotels you’ll want to check out.

  1. Hotel Del Coronado – Located just minutes from San Diego in Coronado, California, Hotel Del Coronado boasts a beautiful ocean front location and glittering, sandy beaches. What’s only slightly lesser known about the hotel are the rumors of its ethereal inhabitant. According to legend the hotel is haunted by the spirit of Kate Morgan, otherwise known as “the beautiful stranger.” At the age of 24, Kate checked into the hotel, never to check out. She was rumored to be visiting the hotel for a romantic rendezvous when, at the last minute, she was jilted by her lover. Distraught over her unrequited love, Kate took her own life with a single, self-inflicted, gunshot. According to the hotel’s website, most supernatural phenomena “…have to do with Kate’s original third-floor guestroom, where visitors have experienced flickering lights, a television that turns itself on and off, breezes coming from nowhere, inexplicable scents and sounds, items moving of their own accord, doors that randomly open and close, abrupt changes in room temperature, and unexplained footsteps and voices.” If you happen to be in southern California this coming Halloween, the Hotel Del Coronado should be on your list of to-do’s (or do-nots). For room and rate information or to learn more about the dear, departed Kate Morgan, visit https://hoteldel.com/.
  2. The Stanley Hotel – Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Estes Park, Colorado, the Stanley Hotel is, perhaps, one of the most famous haunted hotels in America. Serving as the inspiration and backdrop for novelist Stephen King’s 1977 bestseller The Shining, the Stanley Hotel is rumored to be haunted by its namesake, Freelan Oscar Stanley, founder of Stanley Steamer, who built the hotel and opened it to the public on July 4th of 1909. By the 1970s, the hotel was in disrepair and on the verge of closing, if not for a fortuitous overnight visit by none other than Stephen and Tabitha King who found themselves to be the only guests of the hotel on that particular evening. The long, empty hotel corridors and deserted dining room inspired King to pen The Shining, which catapulted the Stanley Hotel back into the limelight. Today, the Stanley is a vision of its former self, truly a destination for luxury seeking travelers and ghost hunters alike, who routinely photograph orbs on their digital cameras. To learn more, visit http://www.stanleyhotel.com/.
  3. The Logan Inn – Originally built as a tavern in 1722 in the town of New Hope, Pennsylvania, the Logan Inn is legendary in the area as a top destination for supernatural encounters. It is strongly recommended that newcomers to ghost hunting stay in Room 6, otherwise known as “Emily’s Room.” Emily was the mother of the former inn owner; it is said that her soft crying can be heard at night as the scent of her lavender perfume permeates the room. To learn more about this ghostly destination visit https://loganinn.com/.
  4. The Myrtles Plantation – Said to be one of the most haunted houses in the United States, the Myrtles Plantation, located smack-dab in the heart of Louisiana’s Voodoo land of St. Francisville, Louisiana is rumored to be the home to more than 12 restless spirits. As a former working plantation built atop an ancient Tunican Indian burial ground, it is widely rumored that the home was the stage for more than 10 murders throughout its history, although historical records can only confirm one. The home, which now serves as a bed and breakfast, has been featured on television shows such as Unsolved Mysteries, Ghost Hunters, as well as Ghost Adventures, where television crews repeatedly reported technical difficulties while attempting to document the house’s strange goings on. To learn more or to reserve your room, visit http://www.myrtlesplantation.com/.
  5. Hotel Provincial – If a plantation built atop ancient Indian burial grounds wasn’t enough to get your neck hairs standing on end, perhaps the former Confederate hospital now known as the Hotel Provincial located in the heart of New Orleans, Louisiana will do the trick. Visitors to this haunted hotel have reported visions of wounded Confederate soldiers and doctors walking the halls as well as unexplained blood stains that appear and then disappear on the hotel’s bedding. It has been reported that a séance held in the hotel resulted in the physical manifestation of a highly decorated Confederate officer who attempted to communicate with participants. As the final earthly stop for many Confederate soldiers, it is possible that hundreds of spirits roam the halls and grounds of the Hotel Provincial. If this sounds like the type of Halloween treat you’re craving, visit https://www.hotelprovincial.com/.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of more reportedly haunted destinations in America that only the bravest of hearts dare to visit deliberately. For more information, or to schedule your own “Ghost Adventure,” contact the professionals at AmTrav.

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