HAUNTINGS & SPIRITS THROUGHOUT the Mid-Atlantic

Visitors can decide if the stories are true, the stories of ghouls, goblins and witches…

(U.S. MID-ATLANTIC – September 29, 2011) - Boo! And we're not kidding...! The Mid-Atlantic is one of the most haunted places in America and if you get a thrill from things that go bump in the night this is the place for you. From a bevy of B&Bs/small inns and hotels, all with resident spirits, to ghost hosted tours and attractions, battlefields and unexplained mysteries, you'll find 30+ heart pumping destinations to haunt your 31 October days.

Delaware

Not afraid of getting spooked? With the First State’s distinctive history and heritage in the American Revolution, Civil War and Underground Railroad, Delaware has a host of historical haunts throughout the state. Visit the historic towns of New Castle, Dover and Lewes to experience an encounter of a ghostly kind! Delaware Tourism Office, Tina Madanat, Tina.Madanat@state.de.us, visitdelaware.com.
 
More than 30,000 Confederate soldiers were incarcerated in Fort Delaware, a moated prison on Pea Patch Island near Delaware City. Many of these unfortunates perished and their spirits have returned to haunt the fort. Join Delaware Ghost Hunters Inc. for paranormal investigations on select weekends in October. Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau, Lyn Lewis, lynlewis@visitwilmingtonde.com,visitwilmingtonde.com.


Maryland

As the moon waxes and wanes, the air crisps, and the leaves crinkle, communities across Maryland are preparing to welcome visitors with tales of ghastly creatures, stories of restless spirits who failed to depart our villages and legends of tragedy that felled unwary residents of yesteryear. See www.visitmaryland.org for listings. Maryland Office of Tourism, Connie Yingling, cyingling@visitmaryland.org 

Discover the ghosts of Annapolis during year-round ghost tours and haunted pub crawls that let you know who they are, where they haunt and why they are still here. In the fall, a colonial guide-led tour shares tales by candlelight of the spirits who dwell in the City’s 18th-century buildings. Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau, Susan Steckman, ssteckman@VisitAnnapolis.org, VisitAnnapolis.org. 

Carroll County’s Ghost Walk – a "spirited" self-guided walking tour brochure. Enjoy a light-hearted look at ghosts and goblins while viewing many architecturally interesting buildings and sites in Westminster. Several towns will also offer guided ghost tours – including Westminster, Sykesville and New Windsor. Carroll County Tourism, JoAnna Crone, jcrone@ccg.carr.org, carrollcountytourism.org.

Discover why some consider Frederick Maryland’s most haunted city. Candlelight Ghost Tours and Murder & Mayhem tours reveal the city’s secrets that are rooted in history, mystery and scandal. Walk through historic Frederick’s streets learn fascinating but true stories and tales of spirit activity that date to the Civil War. Tourism Council of Frederick County, Michelle Kershner, mkershner@fredco-md.net,FrederickTourism.org.

With the largest night-time Halloween Parade east of the Rockies (Alsatia Mummers Parade October 29, 2011), Hagerstown also has weekend ghost tours of the Historic Jonathan Hager House and the annual Ghost Walk at Fort Frederick State Park (October 22, 2011). Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Tom Riford, tomr@marylandmemories.com, marylandmemories.com.

Havre de Grace offers walking haunted history ghost tours of the historic downtown district, where true stories are relayed by lamplight. To encounter a truly frightful experience, visit Legends of the Fog in Aberdeen where you can take a haunted hay ride, tour Carsins Manor and see the Sinister Circus. Harford County, Kathleen Whitehead, kgwhitehead@harfordcountymd.gov, harfordmd.com.

Founded in 1772, Ellicott City’s devastating floods and fires, makes this charming mill and railroad town one of the most actively haunted in the U.S. Just ask local retailers, restaurateurs and residents who have all volunteered their recent eye-witness accounts of paranormal activity for the popular tour! Howard County Tourism & Promotion, Rachelina Bonacci, ghosts@visithowardcounty.com, VisitHowardCounty.com. 

Grave Matters await those who visit Historic St. Mary's City. The Gates of Summerseat open and so does one of America's most haunted lighthouses, Point Lookout Lighthouse. Sotterley Plantation comes alive in the evenings with tours based on residents who lived, or not, through the War of 1812. St. Mary's County, Rebecca Deprey, rebecca.deprey@stmarysmd.com, visitstmarysmd.com.


Pennsylvania

Do cemeteries thrill you? Then traipse through some of the most unique cemeteries in the Mid-Atlantic, including the one where the Night of the Living Dead was filmed as well as one with a revolving stone door. Also, see interesting tombstones and hear hair-raising ghost stories along the way. Butler County Convention & Visitor Bureau, Patti Jo Lambert, pjlambert@visitbutlercounty.com, visitbutlercounty.com. 

Visit Pennhurst Haunted Attractions in Chester County. Highlights include Dungeon of Lost Souls: a frightening labyrinth of old cells and halls; Tunnel of Terror: a 900-foot gauntlet of fear; and Ghost Hunt: a self-guided flashlight tour featured on SyFy channel’s Ghost Hunters. Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau, Nina Kelly, Nina@Brandywinevalley.com,  BrandywineValley.com.

Clearfield County has a popular new sport from spooky outdoor experiences. Visit the 30 cemeteries making up the Geo Trail, each with its own haunting history… ghosts from the 1800s whose untimely deaths left them with unfinished business, soldiers seeking loved ones and victims of an 1800s flu virus. Visit Clearfield County, Holly Komonczi, hkomonczi@visitclearfieldcounty.org, visitclearfieldcounty.org.

Eerie Bayfront Ghost Walks and Erie Cemetery Walking Tours are a must for the brave and daring. ZooBoo! is scary but not too scary. It’s an adventure on haunted hayrides and corn mazes. Friends welcome at the Eerie Horror Film Festival! VisitErie, Christine Pennsy, cvb1@VisitErie.com, VisitErie.com.

This Civil War town has been called one of the most haunted places in the world. The blood shed on this hallowed ground leads many to believe the spirits of those soldiers are roaming those same battlefields today. Candlelight ghost walks take visitors through the streets of Gettysburg’s historic neighborhoods. Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, Carl Whitehill, CWhitehill@gettysburg.travel, gettysburg.travel.
 
“Stay & Investigate: Haunts and Historic Horrors” in Lehigh Valley this fall and beyond. Featured partners will give you the chills as you hear their stories. Spend the night and go at your own pace or venture on a guided tour. Explore LehighValleyHaunt.com for details. Discover Lehigh Valley, Kim Lilly, kim@DiscoverLehighValley.com, DiscoverLehighValley.com.    

No one does Halloween like the legendary Jason’s Woods in Lancaster! For more than 25 years, their hair-raising haunted attractions have chilled tens of thousands with blood-curdling live actors and breath-taking special effects. Don’t miss out on the free bonus entertainment and celebrity appearances, too. Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau, Joel Cliff, jcliff@padutchcountry.com, padutchcountry.com.

Halloween fans eager to start the bewitching season early can head to Philadelphia for the famous Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary, haunting even the bravest of the bunch beginning September 23, and for some costume inspiration, the Rosenbach Museum & Library's annual Dracula Festival, October 7 -31. Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, Rachel Ferguson, rachel@gptmc.com,visitphilly.com.

Ghouls galore! Dare you embark on a Pocono Mountains’ Jim Thorpe Ghost Tour? Follow your GhostHost to the Old Jail Museum, where the mysterious, Molly Maguire handprint remains. Or, encounter ghostly visitors by overnighting at a haunted inn. View the foliage by day and the frights by night! Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, Alicia Quinn, Alicia@poconos.org, 800poconos.com. 
 
Have a spine tingling, good time touring Greater Reading’s Haunts & Hexes Ghost Trail. Conjure up some fun probing the chilling tales of local experts, property owners and others along the spooky trail. Supernatural legends, history and mystery combine for
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