Pumpkin sales are up, which can only mean one thing – Halloween is just around the corner.
Here at Tinggly Towers, Halloween is one of our favourite times of year. Why? Because there are so many spooktacular experiences to try all around the world.
From spine-tingling stays in haunted hotels to hunting for (hopefully) fictional monsters, we’ve rounded up the best Halloween experiences to put a smile on your face and a chill on your heart…
Ghost Hunting Tours
Rattling chains, moans and groans, and things that go bump in the night – these are a few of the things that with luck, you won’t actually hear on a ghost hunting tour. But what you will get with the best of them is an expert guide into the paranormal world, who can shine a light into dark corners to illuminate hidden, horrible histories. One of our favourites is the Bodmin Jail ghost hunt in Cornwall, UK. While the prison is no longer in use, it’s said that many of the former inmates still walk its corridors at night – it was a miserable place where hangings were frequent, and perhaps some spirits are not yet ready to settle down.
Haunted Hotel Stays
If you really want to give yourself the creeps, you can stay overnight in a building that is said to be haunted. There are many such places around the world, some more authentic than others. You might wake up to a weird draught when all the windows and doors are closed, find a strange figure at the end of your bed, or hear footsteps in the corridor when no-one is there. Probably not. But do you dare to find out?
See Dracula’s Tomb
When Bram Stoker wrote his 19th century horror novel ‘Dracula’, he could have had no idea how firmly the vampire myth that he helped to create would be implanted in culture. But of all the vampires that can be found now in everything from films to cartoons, books to computer games, none have quite the reputation attached to them as Count Dracula. The character is thought to have been based in part on Vlad III the Impaler, a 15th century Romanian prince who was said to have impaled his victims on spikes. Creepy old Vlad was buried in the Snagov Monastery, and you can take a biplane flight over Bucharest with a Tinggly experience for a bird’s eye view of this iconic structure.
Day of the Dead
We’ve written before about the best cities around the world to spend Halloween. Mexico’s Day of the Dead is a three-day festival when people come together to remember their deceased loved ones, tidy up their graves and organises feasts. While it can be a sombre affair, there are also many moments of complete craziness, and the costumes are incredible. While Day of the Dead parties take place around the world now, the best place to really get immersed in it is Mexico.
Cemetery Tours
There are few things spookier than wandering around a cemetery. Except a cemetery at night. Especially a cemetery at night when it’s Halloween. If you want to get your thrills that way then it’s essential to have a healthy respect for the place you are exploring and not cause any damage. There are some guided tours available, or you can make your own way around. One cemetery that is always popular at Halloween is Bachelor’s Grove in Cook County, Illinois. There have been masses of strange apparitions reported here over the years, from phantom cars to disappearing farmhouses. It’s also been well-documented on various ghost-hunting TV shows.
Escape from Zombies
You might not have noticed, but for a period of about 10 years, zombies took over the world. Films, TV shows and books including The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later and World War Z brought them to the mainstream and made zombie costumes a favourite at Halloween. You can now put your survival skills to the ultimate test with a zombie escape game in Madrid, one of our most unusual and exciting Spain gift experience, as you use strategy and daring to escape from the lurching monstrosities.