Top Ten: Haunts Around the World
It’s Halloween Eve my friends! What better time than today to talk about the best places to take your student groups to give them a little scare. Here’s The Student Travel Hub’s top ten haunted, creepy, and/or spooky places to take your kids.
1. Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is rich in history and worth a visit any time of the year simply to experience the people, the food, and the architecture. A perfect stop for Girl Scout tours, as it’s where the organization was founded, Savannah is also one of the most haunted places in the world. While there are many ways to experience the spooky history here, one of the best is a walking tour. Your guide will take you through the squares, telling your students about the history of the city, the squares themselves, and often specific homes, while weaving in stories of the ghosts who still inhabit these places.
2. The Queen Mary (Long Beach, California)
The Queen Mary is regularly listed as one of the top ten most haunted places in the US. The ship no longer sails across the sea, but lives on as a hotel and tourist attraction. In addition to regular tours, the Queen Mary offers haunted tours during the day, and if you’re really brave, at night. Your group will have a chance to learn about the multitude of spirits that haunt the ship’s halls, including the famous “white lady”.
3. Tower of London (London, England)
With a history dating back over 1,000 years, it’s not a question of if the place is haunted, but by how many ghosts. The Tower of London has seen its share of executions, murder, and torture. The most famous of these is probably the beheading of Anne Boleyn, who is often spotted walking the grounds carrying her own head.
4. Catacombs (Paris, France)
Certainly one of the creepier places on the list, the Paris Catacombs is home to the remains of over six million people. Making the site even creepier is the labyrinth of underground tunnels you’ll need to navigate during the tour.
5. Ancient Ram Inn (Wotton-Under-Edge, England)
Supposedly the most haunted building in England, The Ancient Ram Inn was built on a 5,000 year old Pagan burial ground and at the intersection of two Ley Lines (places that are believed to contain very high paranormal activity). It’s sole inhabitant bought the home in the 1960s and has numerous violent experiences with the spirits in the inn.
6. Winchester Mystery House (San Jose, California)
Built by Sarah Winchester after the death of her husband, the Winchester Mystery House definitely ranks on the creepy list. With doors that open to 15-foot drops into bushes and staircases that lead to nowhere, the house is worth a visit. It makes a nice break if your tour is making the trek between San Francisco to Los Angeles.
7. Culloden Battlefield (Scotland)
The site of the final Jacobite defeat, Culloden Battlefield is said to be haunted by the souls of those who perished on the field that day. Reports of visitors hearing gunfire and and screams are numerous and one lone soldier wanders the battlefield whispering “defeated” repeatedly.
8. Salem, Massachusetts
Double, double, toil and trouble! The Salem witch trials are covered in most history classes and a visit to the site where they happened is a definite must. Many educational tours will build in a visit to the town and include a ghost tour to round out the evening. Students are often eager to hear about the 20 innocent people who were accused of practicing witchcraft and subsequently executed.
9. Jack the Ripper Tour (London, England)
Another staple in the student travel world and for groups visiting London, the Jack the Ripper Tour is often a highlight. This walking tour will take your group to visit various sites in London’s East End, where the Ripper murdered his victims. Who was Jack the Ripper? It’s a mystery to this day.
10. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
A bit closer to home and already a hot stop for many East Coast student tours, a Gettysburg ghost tour will give your students a different view beyond just the battlefields. Visit the Haunted Orphanage, or perhaps Jennie Wade House where the Battle’s only civilian died.
Disclaimer! Many sites, venues and activities are closed, have limited hours or other various restrictions due to Covid-19. Be sure to check with your tour company and/or the sites themselves for more detailed information.
