Posted by SEO Admin | Posted in travel | Posted on 04-09-2010
There is a certain holiday when many of us become a bit more open to the spirit world than usual. If you’re open to it, Halloween is the best time to stray from the usual “standard” way of thinking and you can really have some fun with this outlook. For one explanation or another, we may allow ourselves to consider, if only for a day, the idea that there may be spirits haunting our world. On Halloween we can really let our minds wander from our usual point of view and what we usually view as normal phenomena. On this holiday, also known as All Hallow’s Eve, children dress up in their Halloween costumes and travel around the neighborhood in search of candy. The adults are usually even more active than the kids. They are usually having parties with their friends and often things can get pretty crazy. What if you did something really different this year instead of your usual Halloween activities?
While many believe there are in fact spirits in the world with us, most believe that ghost stories are purely for entertainment. Despite that, there are many places in this world that have been said to have actual spirits or ghosts that haunt the sites even to this day. So why not try to encounter some of these “Ghosts” at these places and do something “atypical” this year? If you are in the regions of Myrtle Beach, St Augustine, or the Florida Keys take the chance to explore these haunted attractions and you may find something that you thought could only be a component of your imagination, and why not research these on Halloween, the most frightening day of the year.
The Dark Side Of Myrtle Beach
Visitors and residents are offered a very unique experience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Ghosts and legends Theater is a neat attraction you can visit any day of the year. The unique thing about this location is you can pass through a secret wall and enter into a world where you meet 4 spirits that appear in human form. You’ll notice that these ghosts have their own stories and names including Sonny Jim (a slave ghost), Alice of Hermitage, Edward Teach or Blackbeard, or even a ghost who warns of coming hurricanes called The Grey Man.
While the busy time of year for this attraction is the summertime because of its location they do offer Halloween activities for those looking to visit on that particular day. In addition to the theatre performances and walking tours that are offered, there is trick-or-treating for the children. You’ll see plenty of Halloween decorations that set the mood just right for this time of year and help to create that eerie atmosphere we all desire on October 31st.
St. Augustine’s Ghostly Tours
St. Augustine is a really old city, one of the oldest of all, and this may be why it is considered one of the most haunted places on the planet. You can come here and go on The Ghost Tours of St. Augustine. The Ghost of an old Seminole Chief is one of the most famous ghosts you’ll encounter named Osceola. The poor soul got tricked into thinking there was going to be a truce and was instead captured and held in Castillo de San Marcos during the Second Seminole War. He later died of malaria in 1838 at Fort Moultrie in South Caroline where he was relocated following his capture in order to avoid the outrage that was sure to follow.
The events that followed his death are believed to be the reason for his documented spiritual visits in Castillo de San Marcos. His lifeless head was cut off by an Army doctor named Frederick Weedon and the head was then embalmed. The Smithsonian Institution is where his head ended up in 1885, but not before it was lost and then found again. Many believe the reason Osceola’s spirit is so restless and why he haunts Castillo de San Marcos is because his head traveled so much after his death. See if you can find the Spirit of Osceola this Halloween by making the journey to a ghostly tour.
Hang Around for a “Spell” at the Florida Keys
If you find yourself in the Florida Keys around Halloween you should venture to Key West and experience their annual Fantasy Fest (not recommended for children). If you’re wanting to be haunted on Halloween there are various chances to do so on ghost walks and tours that are presented. Furthermore people can visit Tony’s Saloon which was a morgue between 1852 and 1875 in addition to being a stop for pirates and other questionable individuals.
In 1862, at Fort Zachary Taylor there was a yellow fever outbreak that killed hundreds of Union soldiers. This place is actually in the Florida Keys and is another place you can check out. In the 1960’s there was a claim by an excavator named Howard England (a civil engineer) that he actually was visited by the ghost of Wendell Gardner there, and that the ghost pointed him in the direction of a previously unknown excavation site. An enormous mass of Civil War weapons were discovered on this site. It ended up being the largest collection of Civil War weapons ever found. It was later confirmed by the Garner family that Wendell had died during the yellow fever outbreak that swept through the fort during the Civil War. If you decide to go to The Haunting of Fort Zachary Taylor, you’ll definitely be haunted by the ghost of Wendell Gardner, but some say also the ghost of Howard England.
These are only a few of the opportunities out there for you to be afforded the opportunity to encounter a spirit. Many on Halloween will dress up and attend parties or go trick-or-treating, but if you want a truly unique experience check out one of these places. All 3 of these locations present many great options and lodging accommodations, dozens of gorgeous hotels and Bluegreen vacation options. There are many locations, tales and tours that may put you in contact with spirits and change what you thought earlier to merely be fictitious, and what better time to venture into the strange than on Halloween.
