The Grand Majestic Lodge markets itself as “the most haunted hotel in the Cragstone Mountains,” which is impressive, considering the competition consists mostly of abandoned ski chalets and outhouses with broken locks. Perched on a cliff like a rotting wedding cake, the Majestic lures in ghost hunters, paranormal thrill-seekers, and the occasional unfortunate skeptic (guess … Read more
Few cryptids have captured the popular imagination — or lowered the bar for eyewitness credibility — quite like the Chupacabra, the legendary “goat sucker” of Latin American folklore. Decades after is should have slunk off into obscurity, the Chupacabra somehow manages to keep sucking in the gullible. For those of you who have mercifully escaped … Read more
There’s something uniquely depressing about a forest that’s been weaponized for spiritual tourism. At The Wailing Woods Retreat Center, nestled in the least scenic corner of the state park system, you’re invited to “reconnect with the wisdom of nature” and “attune to the whispering spirits of the ancient woods.” What you’re actually reconnecting with is … Read more
Somewhere along the line, fermented tea stopped being an accident best left in the back of your fridge and became a $2 billion industry fueled by Instagram wellness influencers, dubious health claims, and the willingness of otherwise sensible adults to drink liquids that smell like a locker room. Kombucha, for the blissfully uninitiated, is sweetened … Read more
There are historic hotels, and then there are “historic” hotels — places where the only thing authentic is the mold creeping up the bathroom grout. The Silverveil Hotel proudly belongs to the second category. Billed as “the most haunted establishment east of the river” — which, judging by the river in question, isn’t a particularly … Read more
Nestled high in the mountains of Guerrero, Mexico, surrounded by crumbling stone fences and optimistic goats, lies Valle Encantado — a village so proud of its alleged paranormal portal that they built a souvenir shack and two taco stands next to it before anyone could even prove it existed. According to local legend, a “doorway … Read more
There are haunted mansions. There are haunted hotels. There are haunted abandoned asylums with grim nicknames, peeling paint, and badly edited YouTube documentaries. And then there’s Prairie Falls, Kansas’ claim to fame: a haunted post office. The Millstone Post Office looks exactly like you’d expect a building haunted by bureaucracy to look: square, beige, buzzing with fluorescent … Read more
There’s something uniquely horrifying about any place that requires you to wear color-coded robes “for optimal vibrational resonance.” Welcome to the Hollow Valley Spiritual Compound — home of spinning, chanting, dubious science, and more white linen than a Renaissance Faire at laundry day. Hollow Valley, according to the enthusiastically photocopied brochure I was handed at … Read more
Shudderton, Nevada — population 3,947 if you believe the sign, which I don’t — is one of those towns that clings to its ghost stories like they’re on the payroll. You can’t walk five feet without someone offering you a brochure for a haunted mine tour or a cursed saloon experience. So it’s no surprise … Read more
Cemetery ghost tours have a certain morbid charm, in theory. The promise of tragic love stories, unsolved mysteries, shadowy figures lurking just beyond the flicker of a lantern — it’s all very atmospheric if you squint hard enough and forget that ninety percent of cemetery ghost tours take place in cemeteries where the only spirits … Read more