The Halloween season is upon us! While I wouldn’t go as far as saying I’m a horror fanatic, I do enjoy a good scare from time to time, especially around Halloween.

Photo 149284424 © Sooth Sayre | Dreamstime.com

When I was younger, I loved going on local haunted hayrides and to haunted houses. Over the last several years, I prefer a good haunted walking tour, particularly when traveling. New Orleans is a great place for a spooky walking tour, thanks to the city’s haunted history. During my visits I did a few ghost tours, a voodoo tour and a cemetery tour. Each tour offered a different glimpse into the macabre stories that make up the city’s history. On a recent visit to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, my group and I went on a ghost tour. It was a chilly night, which made the scene feel even more eerie. There are plenty of ghosts that supposedly haunt the city and its battlefield sites, and we enjoyed the sampling of stories we experienced during the tour. Less scary than the others, we did a “weird Portland” tour when visiting the city in Oregon. In addition to quirky stories, our guide also discussed the Shanghai Tunnels, a haunted landmark.

Whether you’re traveling this month or staying home, haunted walking tours are a great opportunity for an informative and socially distanced activity.

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director