Halloween may look very different this year due to the pandemic. However, the restrictions put in place to keep the public safe won’t stop kids from eating candy corn, people from carving pumpkins, or ghosts from coming out to haunt. Whether you think ghosts do or do not exist, we can all agree there is something fun about visiting a supposedly haunted place, especially during spooky season. Was that just a gust of wind or a ghost sliding by? It’s up to you to decide. I’ll just be here to give you some of the places where people have sworn it was the latter.
Let’s start with our lovely campus. There is something a bit spooky about Florida State’s campus with our large hanging trees and red-brick buildings. It really should be no surprise to any of us that there have been whispers of haunts around the historical campus. One spot on campus with the strangest occurrences is Cawthon Hall. With several ghost stories surrounding this location on campus, the most popular is that of the first Dean of Student Affairs of Florida State College of Women, Sarah “Tissie” Landrum. She was often described as being quite unsettled by the shift in societal trends for women with the roaring twenties. They say her ghost moved into the hall to oversee the female students after the university, and the hall dedicated to her became co-ed.
Venturing outside the city of Tallahassee, Florida has many other haunted spots. Of the most popular is the St. Augustine Lighthouse. A popular tourist destination with a history of a few tragic deaths, visitors have reported seeing various forms of paranormal activity. The lighthouse itself is a must-see if you are a Florida resident and are looking for a fun weekend trip. Just make sure to look out for the lighthouse keeper who died tragically at the lighthouse, watching over the grounds.
If you want to take a little more of a road trip to one of the most supposed haunted cities in the United States, look no further than Savannah, Georgia. Spend your day checking out the city’s beautiful parks and quirky little shops, then spend your evening on one of their legendary ghost tours. A central point in many of these tours is the Moon River Brewing Company. A fair enough spot to grab a beverage or meal, the building’s history lies to be much more complicated. A hotel built in 1821, the building was converted to serve as a hospital for yellow fever victims during the Civil War. As a result, many ghosts are said to return to the now restaurant/bar. If you ever should stop by, look up at the top of the stairs to see if the ghost of a “Mrs. Johnson” is looking down at you.
Working our way further out into the country, another deeply “haunted” city is the historical New Orleans, Louisiana. There are various parts of the city dubbed the most haunted, but one in particular will stand out for our literary nerds. Faulkner House Books is a bookstore commemorating the famous author, William Faulkner, who had rented out a flat in the same building to write some of his most popular novels. His ghost is said to return to the little store in the heart of the French Quarter, bringing with him the overwhelming smell of cigar smoke into rooms with no cigars present.
Lastly is Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois. The nationally recognized zoo was originally built upon a cemetery. The bodies were eventually moved, but with that movement has been many murmurs of ghosts staying to haunt the now popular zoo. Rumors of ghost activity at this park have been around for over 100 years. Go see for yourself if the rumors are true, and see a lion and some monkeys while you’re at it.
There are many other popular locations further out west in California and as far as Alaska you might want to visit if you are really into the whole ghost hunting thing. Until then, stay on the watch while walking around campus this Halloween or on your next road trip this fall.
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