Take a trip to these 10 places if you want to scare up an unconventional getaway this Memorial Day.
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to summer for Americans, but instead of the usual trip of sun, sand and surf, consider a more thrilling destination.
InsideEdition.com has found 10 places that are a far cry from your conventional beach getaway.
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St. Augustine Lighthouse - St. Augustine, Florida
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Since being erected in 1874, the majestic St. Augustine Lighthouse has been providing a beacon of light to sailors for more than a century. However, while it gives a guide to ships on the high seas, it also has a dark history.
At least seven people have died within the lighthouse since it opened and tour guides claim to hear footsteps climbing the tower steps looking to get to the top.
During the second season of Ghost Hunters, the hosts of the show recorded a voice saying “help me” and caught a spirit on camera running up the steps.
Point Sur Lightstation – Big Sur, California
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In his 1962 book, Big Sur, author Jack Kerouac painted a desolate picture of the mountainside town in Northern California.
While the area may be scenic, it does have a mysterious past, especially at Point Sur Lightstation.
According to witnesses, they have seen a gentlemen in a 19th-century keeper’s uniform at the visitors center. The lightstation even offers a “moonlight tour” to visitors who are free to roam the area at night in search of other spirits that haunt the land.
Teach’s Hole – Outer Banks, North Carolina
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Edward Teach is better known throughout history as “Blackbeard the Pirate,” executed in a cove on Ocracoke Island in 1718. His spirit is said to haunt the cove where he was beheaded in public.
Since his death, legend has been passed down that a headless body has been found swimming in the cove. There have also been reports of a headless body walking the beaches with a lantern looking for his lost noggin.
After all of the reports and rumors of his ghost lurking in the area, it has been renamed Teach’s Hole.
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Roanoke Island Inn – Outer Banks, North Carolina
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In the small coastal town of Manteo on Roanoke Island, visitors will find the quaint Roanoke Island Inn that has been standing since the 1860s.
It seems like the perfect weekend getaway or bed and breakfast, but looks can be deceiving.
According to the employees at the Inn, the spirit of former owner Roscoe Jones — who checked in but never checked out — walks the area.
Legend has it that Jones, who was fired from the U.S. Post Office, was so ashamed of being let go from his job that he locked himself in his room until he died. After his passing, a man in a postal uniform has been seen entering and exiting the Inn.
Others have reported the sound of footsteps pacing in the halls, vases breaking and radios turning on and off.
The Whaley House – San Diego, California
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Said to be one of the most haunted places in America, The Whaley House in San Diego is still open for business for the bold and brave.
Built in 1857 by Thomas Whaley on a former cemetery, visitors to the former home and grounds have reported seeing spirits, smelling cigars and perfumes even though it's a non-smoking establishment. Some visitors have even encountered Whaley himself roaming the homes of his old abode long after he passed away.
In 1960, the house was converted into a museum and is one of southern California’s most popular destinations.
Queen Mary Hotel – Long Beach, California
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The Queen Mary is a unique attraction in California, a converted ocean liner that journeyed across the Atlantic from England to New York during World War II carrying celebrities like Bob Hope, Clark Gable, Winston Churchill and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
In 1967, after more than 30 years on the high seas, the Queen Mary sailed for the final time and docked in Long Beach where it has been ever since. It was converted into a hotel and wedding venue, but some unexpected guests from the ship’s past have stayed for surprise visits.
Visitors and guests have reported paranormal tales, accidents and ghost sightings. The ship even offers ghost tours throughout the year.
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Southampton Windmill – Southampton, New York
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When many people look for a summer escape, they head to the East End of Long Island and vacation in The Hamptons or Montauk. However, there is a dark side to the glitz and glamour of what the area has to offer.
On the campus of Southampton College, the former Claflin Estate, there is a windmill built in 1712 that is still standing. The windmill, which was once a cottage that once housed playwright Tennessee Williams, is haunted.
According to local lore, the daughter of the windmill’s owner fell down the steps of the structure, broke her neck and died. Students and visitors have reported seeing the girl playing inside the windmill and peering through the blades.
Mark Twain House - Hartford, Connecticut
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Built in 1874 by Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, the three-story, 25-room mansion is where the author wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
While the home has historical significance, it is also a haunted spot.
Visions of a young woman roaming the halls in a white dress have been reported. Many believe she is the author’s late daughter who died on the property.
The mansion, now a museum, offers “Graveyard Shift Tours” which include a search for the spirits that roam the home.
In 2009, the series Ghost Hunters went to see what the paranormal activity that surrounds the house.
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Lizzie Borden House – Fall River, Massachusetts
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Just an hour south of Boston, visitors will find the quaint riverside town of Fall River, where a notorious bed and breakfast still attracts visitors to this day – The Lizzie Borden House.
In 1892, Lizzie was acquitted of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe inside the house. Though Lizzie continued to live in the house, it was converted in a bed and breakfast and museum.
Visitors can sleep in the master bedroom, where her stepmother was found butchered and the current owner of the property, Lee-Ann Wilber, claims that guests have “run out of the inn in fright,” according to Biography.com.
Visitors have seen ghosts, heard the floor creak and doors opening and closing.
Farnsworth House Inn – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
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Now a bed and breakfast, The Farnsworth House Inn is named after Brigadier General Elon John Farnsworth who led an ill-fated charge in Gettysburg in 1863, which claimed his life and the lives of 65 of his men.
Bullet holes from the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War still adorn the walls of the Inn. During the war, the house also served as a hospital.
Today, the home is said to be haunted by soldiers who perished in the field and in the home. Many rooms in the inn are said to be “hot spots” for paranormal activity.
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