The spookiest and scariest holiday is almost upon us, and instead of discussing costume ideas or witches brews to concoct, I wanted to touch on another topic: How the small, preppy town of Savannah, Ga. is actually the closest thing to a real-life Halloween town—and why you need to visit Savannah for your next spooky season trip. The city of Savannah is a small town located near the beaches of Ga. The perfect example of a city with southern charm, Savannah is known for its architecture, outdoorsiness, horse-drawn carriages, and southern hospitality. Its brightly colored row houses, mossy-covered streets and preppy population seem like the exact opposite of the dark colors and ghoulish Jack O’Lanterns and skeletons of Halloweentown.
Surprisingly enough, however, Savannah is a haunted city full of history, and you can find many Halloween-themed attractions there year-round. You may attribute Savannah’s haunted scene to historical battles, such as American Civil War battles, yellow fever victims to the setting of mystery murder novels. Because of this, Savannah is known to be the most paranormal city in all of the United States. This makes it the most perfect spot to plan a mini-vacation getaway for Halloween. There are many fun things to do there, including:
When you plan your spooky trip, make sure to book a hotel that’s haunted. The Hamilton-Turner Inn is a historic hotel located in the heart of the Landmark District of Savannah. The Inn is not only known for its beautiful decor and timeless furniture but it’s also known for its inhabitants, who are said to roam the hotel. This includes various ghosts who stayed at the hotel years prior.
You may hear footsteps walking across the floor above your room, even if the room isn’t occupied, or ghosts playing billiards in the lobby. As well as welcoming guests to spend the night, the hotel gives tours during the day. Recently, my parents visited Savannah and stayed in this exact inn. There are three specific rooms, one on top of another, that are considered the most haunted, and my parents were lucky enough to have been placed in one of those rooms during their stay.
If you buy tickets, you will be able to go on a haunted bar and pub tour. This tour will lead you all around Savannah, and yes, some of the bars are haunted by ghosts! The city has an open container policy, so yes, you will be able to carry your drink from bar to bar as you brave the ghosts. When venturing in new bars and pubs, you may experience mostly unexplainable events like faucets turning on and off by themselves, or even may see a shadow of a ghost on a staircase. As charming as Savannah appears on the outside, it has some important history that makes it the city most closely related to Halloween. Remember Savannah when booking your next Halloween trip!