Scariest Places to Visit for Your Next Family Vacation

Does your family love the spookiness and frights that Halloween brings? Do you all love creepy experiences and haunted destinations? If you do, then you will love the scariest places to visit that I have discovered. Your entire family can make bone-chilling memories, as you learn about local legends and haunted history. Keep reading and get inspired for your next family vacation.

Scariest Places to Visit for Your Next Family Vacation

Bell Witch Cave in Adams, Tennessee

Visiting the Bell Witch Cave, as well as the Bell cabin, will have you getting close to the spirit of a witch. The witch is known as Katie, or the Bell Witch. This witch has been haunting the property, as well as the Bell family, since the early 19th century. The Bell family heard noises inside their home. They also had unexplained scratches on their bodies. I recommend taking a tour of both the cabin and cave to see if you can feel the spirit of this witch during your visit. Just don’t be surprised if you have a few scratches at the end.

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado

The Stanley Hotel is the location Stephen King used as inspiration when he wrote his book, The Shining. King stayed in this hotel and the creepy experiences he had inspired his book. Spirits are everywhere inside this hotel. However, the most activity can be found on a staircase area called The Vortex, as well as in room 217.

Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois

Back in the 1920s and 1930s, organized crime groups dumped bodies in this local cemetery. There are approximately one hundred people buried in this cemetery. It is unusual for a cemetery to have that few plots. However, the spirits wandering around make it feel like many more people are buried there. If you visit, keep an eye open for spirits. You may even spot phantom cars driving out the gates.

Stull Cemetery in Kansas

According to local legend, Stull Cemetery was where satanic cults and people practicing witchcraft spent their time. There is a story that Lucifer used a church on this property to transfer himself from hell to the land of the living. That church is no longer standing. However, people still believe there is a hidden stairway that descends to where Lucifer came from. People are discouraged from visiting after dark. So, your time here will need to be spent during daylight hours.

Island of the Dolls in Mexico

When Julian Santana Barrera constructed his home in the gardens of Xochimilco, he discovered a young girl and her doll in one of the canals. He hung the doll in a tree to honor the girl. However, that is when Barrera started to hear footsteps and loud crying all night long. Barrera chose to hang other dolls from the trees. If you want to see these hanging dolls, I can arrange for a ride on the canal from Mexico City. The tour is two hours long and there will be plenty of time for you to see the dolls with their blank stares hanging there. It is definitely an eerie sight.

Pluckley Village in England

The little village of Pluckley contains quite a few small cottages and a pub. If you were to wander into Pluckley without being aware of its history, you would think it was a quaint village. However, it has quite the spooky past. There are supposedly between twelve and sixteen ghosts haunting this small village in England. One of those ghosts was a schoolmaster who was hung. Another is a highwayman who was pinned by a sword on a tree. The ghost that is the most interesting though is the Watercress Woman. Gin was splashed onto her pipe causing flames that allowed her to burn to death as she stood on the Pinnock Bridge.

Nagoro in Japan

Replica dolls of residents who have died or moved to other cities for work are displayed in Nagoro. Tsukimi Ayano has created these dolls and poses them to reenact scenes of everyday life. There are only approximately forty residents in Nagoro. So, to see more than three hundred dolls posed in this way is slightly unnerving.

Capuchin Catacombs in Italy

The Capuchin Catacombs in Italy have eight thousand corpses hung on the walls. These catacombs are considered one of the most unusual burial sites in the entire world. The Capuchin Catacombs were created back in the 16th century. You can’t help but be slightly disturbed, as you walk through the corridors.

Aokigahara Forest in Japan

Aokigahara Forest has a deadly nickname, Suicide Forest. This forest sits at the bottom of Mount Fuji. It is the second most popular location for suicides. As you wander around, you may discover articles of clothing or long-lost last letters from people who entered the forest with no intention of leaving. The silence within this park is eerie. And you never know what spirits you may feel all around you during your visit.

Bhangarh Fort in India

Bhangarh Fort is considered the most haunted fort in India. This fort was constructed during the 17th century. According to the legend, a tantric priest fell in love with Princess Ratnavati. He tried to use a love potion to get her attention but failed. The princess threw the bottle of love potion at the priest. The bottle hit a huge rock, which then fell and crushed the priest to death. The following year, the princess died during a battle between the Ajabgarh and Bhangarh armies. The fort is currently in ruins, but you can visit it during the day. No one is allowed to visit at night, due to all the paranormal activity.

Sedlec Ossuary in the Czech Republic

The Sedlec Ossuary is a Roman Catholic chapel in Kutna Hora. It is one of the most coveted burial sites in Bohemia. More than forty thousand bodies were buried there at one point. There were so many bodies that the church hired František Rint to start using the skeletons in ornate items. During your visit, you will see how human bones were turned into candelabras, chandeliers, and even bone chalices.

Poveglia Island in Italy

One of the scariest places in the world is a destination you will not be able to visit for your next family vacation. Poveglia Island is only located approximately a half mile from Venice. However, no one is allowed to visit the island, thanks to its spooky and haunted history. In the beginning, this island was used by Napoleon to store weapons. There were a few battles on the island as well. During the Black Plague, too many people to count were burned and buried on Poveglia Island. And in 1922, a mental hospital was being operated on the island. The maniacal doctor who was in charge spent his days butchering his patients. That is until he chose to jump from the top of the bell tower. It really isn’t surprising why no one is allowed on this haunted island. I know I wouldn’t want to go!

These are some of the scariest places to visit for your next family vacation. There are many other haunted destinations around the world. I can help you find the one your family will love if you have no interest in visiting these destinations.

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