Scream tourism, an exhilarating blend of travel and thrill, is gaining momentum and drawing millions of daring explorers to the country’s eeriest hotspots. A new report by the Haunted Attraction Association shows that the U.S. brings in an estimated $300 million from the haunted house industry annually. For about $20 a person, most haunted houses allow visitors to walk in and experience the terror.

Thrill-seekers and scare enthusiasts are packing their bags for the chance to embrace over 4,000 commercial haunted attractions nationwide. These scary places include abandoned asylums and ghostly tours through historic cities that offer a spook your body won’t soon forget. Read on to discover 12 America’s most spooktacular, yet captivating, destinations.

Salem, Massachusetts

Each year, Salem, the town made infamous for its 1692 witch trials, attracts more than 500,000 visitors. There are ghost tours of the haunted cobblestone streets and Salem witch museum, that is a visual treat of the weird town’s past.

The annual Haunted Happenings festival includes a parade, psychic fair, and ghost tours that are guaranteed to raise the hair on your neck.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Nearly 10 million tourists visit New Orleans each year for a mix of voodoo legends and ghostly lore. The enslaved West Africans brought their religious practices with them to New Orleans in the early 1700s, beginning the voodoo practiced in the Crescent City.

Visit the atmospheric French Quarter, take a spooky ghost tour, and learn about the history of the city’s paranormal activities. Always make sure to stop by the Voodoo Museum to get an up-close look at this mysterious tradition.

Passaic, New Jersey

Brighton Asylum, a former psychiatric hospital turned haunted attraction, is located in Passaic, New Jersey. It had been shut down in 1952 due to the disappearance of staff and patients. The hospital has appeared on the Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures” and pulls in tens of thousands of visitors a year.

Enjoy the asylum’s dark halls and meet some terrifying actors and visual effects. They are spookier during their Halloween events for an even creepier experience.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

The Civil War battle of Gettysburg, for instance, attracts over one million visitors a year, people seeking ghostly encounters. It’s said the Battlefield is haunted by soldiers that never left.

Sign up for a candlelight ghost tour to experience bone-chilling supernatural sightings and stories.

Savannah, Georgia

Ghostly tales find a perfect setting in Savannah, with its cobblestone streets and historic mansions. Many people come for the ghost tours, which receive more than 14 million visitors a year.

They search for haunted locales in towns like Colonial Park Cemetery and Sorrel-Weed House, haunted pubs and taverns. The acreages of Bonaventure Cemetery provide truly haunting results.

San Diego, California

America’s Most Haunted House – the Whaley House in San Diego – is one that you must check out if you’re a ghost seeker. Yankee Jim Robinson hanged himself on the property, as did members of the Whaley family, who had also seen ghost sightings in the house.

About 35 million tourists visit the city in a year, many coming for the Halloween parties at the San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld. Spectral sightings at the Hotel Del Coronado stay spooky.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is one of America’s oldest cities and as such there are plenty of ghost stories and spooky landmarks to speak of. Former inhabitants of the Eastern State Penitentiary are said to be haunting the site.

Take a tour of the prison and hear how visitors and staff have had some weird experiences. Of course, no trip to Philadelphia is complete without visiting Independence Hall, where the ghosts of the founding fathers are likely to still roam.

Sleepy Hollow, New York

This village draws in around 100,000 visitors a year during the Halloween season, becoming famous due to Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses will give you a spooky vibe. Visit the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery to explore Irving, who is, of course, buried there.

Chicago, Illinois

Considering Chicago’s crime and corruption history, it’s no wonder ghost tours stay so popular here. The city draws 57 million visitors a year, and haunted excursions are offered to Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery and the Congress Plaza Hotel.

Get an eerie lesson on the ghostly appearances Al Capone made.

Estes Park, Colorado

The Stanley Hotel was built in 1909 by Freelan Oscar Stanley. Stephen King drew inspiration from the hotel to write ‘The Shining,’ and room 217 was infamous for ghost activity. Around 4 million tourists come to Estes Park per year.

Experience a haunted history tour that takes you through the mysteries of who is responsible for the piano keys playing themselves.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Eureka Springs has Victorian architecture, and is a hot spot for paranormal activity with a history of ghosts. Each year nearly 750,000 visitors come here for a visit, with many staying at the Crescent Hotel. It does host ghost tours and serves as the ground zero for overnight ghost package stays in haunted rooms — known as America’s Most Haunted Hotel.

Known for when Norman Baker ran an experimental hospital in the hotel, promising to cure cancer. That time was full of many deaths, and their spirits are said to haunt this hotel.

San Jose, California

San Jose’s Winchester Mystery House is a strange house, with a maze of bizarre architecture, and said to be haunted. It was built in 1884 by Sarah Winchester, the widow of firearms magnate William Winchester. She thought that ‘spirits that were slain by Winchester rifles’ haunted her and built the famous house to appease them.

The house welcomes some 1 million visitors a year. Visit the mansion and hear about its mysterious design and reputedly haunting halls.

Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.

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