For many Americans, Halloween is a cause for celebration that stretches well beyond a few hours of trick or treating. In fact, October 31 is often the busiest check-in day of the season for hotels in the “spookiest” towns in our nation. If you’re planning a trip this year, the time is now to pick the spot and book your arrangements – including any tours or special activities you might like to partake in while you’re there.
Top 10 Halloween Towns to Visit in America
- Salem, Massachusetts
- Estes Park, Colorado
- Sleepy Hollow, New York
- Anoka, Minnesota
- Long Beach, California
- Savannah, Georgia
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Romeo, Michigan
- St. Helens’, Oregon
- Franklin, Tennessee
1. Salem, Massachusetts
You simply can’t have a Top 10 list of Halloween destinations without putting Salem at or near number one. 2022 is the 40th anniversary of the Salem Haunted Happenings multi-day event, which is set to welcome 500,000 visitors to parties, parades, fairs, tours, attractions and museums. Grab your witchiest costumes out of your climate-controlled self-storage unit and hop in the car – or on the plane. This one is extremely popular with folks from all over and will book up quickly.
2. Estes Park, Colorado
Home to the Stanley Hotel, the historic haunted inspiration for Stephen King’s The Shining– and, perhaps most mysteriously, the filming locale for Dumb & Dumber – Estes Park is a quaint mountain town with a lot of supernatural elements to it. Take guided ghost tours (both at the hotel and beyond), bring the kids trick or treating at businesses on Elkhorn Avenue, or simply book a room on the extra-haunted top floor of the Stanley and watch The Shining on loop all night on the TV, which the hotel graciously provides for free.
3. Sleepy Hollow, New York
Located just a 30-mile drive north of Manhattan, Sleepy Hollow is best known as the setting of Washington Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Halloween is when the village springs to life, with activities for every age, including haunted hayrides, mansion and cemetery tours, farmers markets, live music, street fairs, parades and runs, and visits from the Headless Horseman himself. For a real thrill, check out the Great Jack o’ Lantern Blaze – featuring 7,000 lit pumpkins!
4. Anoka, Minnesota
Billed as “The Halloween Capital of the World,” this town has been setting the standard of small-town Halloween celebrations for nearly 100 years! The events go on all month, and include fun runs, scavenger hunts, flea markets, pumpkin contests, movie nights, costume parades, historical tours, you name it. Anoka is perfect for a family-friendly, multi-day celebration of the more wholesome aspects of the season – but don’t worry, it’s got some (pumpkin?) spice to it too!
5. Long Beach, California
Home to the Queen Mary luxury cruise ship, Long Beach is also where you’ll find Dark Harbor: the Queen Mary’s “intense and scary” Halloween event. Featuring multiple haunted mazes, rides, and more than 200 monsters, ghouls and mummies – along with cocktails and food – this is one to do with your friends rather than your kids. Bonus: you can dress up for the experience but only on specific nights (LGBTQ+ on Sunday, 10/27, Halloween itself, and Dia de los Muertos on 11/1). Check out the FAQs linked to above for costume requirements.
6. Savannah, Georgia
Savannah has long been considered one of the most haunted locations in the U.S. – and it’s got the creeeeeepy factor to back up those claims. From gothic mansions and haunted cemeteries to hanging moss and cobblestone streets, Savannah is spooky to the max. Throw in haunted tours taken in actual hearses or sleepless nights at The Marshall House and your Halloween trip just took a turn to the terrifying.
7. New Orleans, Louisiana
No top Halloween destinations list is complete without New Orleans! Second only to Mardi Gras in terms of celebratory vibes, Halloween is a great time to visit New Orleans and enjoy the bonhomie the city specializes in. From haunted tours of the French Quarter to a massive parade on Frenchmen Street to shopping at the town’s legendary costume shops to the zombie run, there really is something for everyone in your group. Turn up the spookiness as high or as low as you wish.
8. Romeo, Michigan
Romeo is home to Terror on Tillson Street – a neighborhood-funded Halloween spectacular that has grown to host thousands of trick-or-treaters a year. If you’re looking for inspiration for your own home’s Halloween decor – this might be the perfect spot to hit. There’s no admission fee, and visitors can be seen enjoying the homes for the last two weeks of October (though the actual trick or treating event is only for two hours on October 31).
9. St. Helens’, Oregon
Less than an hour from Portland, St. Helens’ was the filming location of the 1998 Disney Channel classic Halloweentown – and each year since, the town has transformed part of its riverfront into a multi-week celebration of the holiday. Weekends are the best time to visit because all the rides and attractions are staffed, so be sure to check the calendar of events before purchasing tickets.
10. Franklin, Tennessee
Last on the list is Franklin, Tennesee – a mere 30 minutes from Nashville, and home to a series of fun events throughout October, Franklin is a place to prioritize if you’re nearby or living with the freedom of a digital nomad this fall season. Choose between a haunted city tour, a killers & cocktails tour, a street-closing beer garden, or its annual Pumpkinfest and fall festival (or any combination of the above) to ensure your trip hits all the right notes.
Halloween is always a favorite season at CubeSmart because we get to see so many customers picking up interesting costumes and decorations from storage (and dropping them back off in November).
