Spooky things to do in North Carolina
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on October 26, 2004 2:03 PM
RALEIGH -- Looking for a scary weekend vacation in North Carolina?
From the "Boo-ridge Mountains" to the "creepy coast," there are lots of terrifying travel destinations to choose from:
Mountains
*Tweetsie Railroad Ghost Train -- Boone, 1-877-TWEETSIE Weekends, Oct. 1-30. Are you prepared to take a haunted ride on the Ghost Train? Beware! Only the most courageous should ride this a moonlit, open-car adventure through the North Carolina Mountains. Cloaked in fog, come face to face with the creatures of the night as you brave a rickety train ride through the dark countryside. Afterwards, explore the haunted house where you just might encounter a spirit or two. Finally, visit Mournful Mountain and ride on the Tweetsie Twister! For more information, visit www.tweetsie.com/events/ghosttrain.
php.
*Mysterious Brown Moun-tain Lights -- Morganton, (828) 433-6793. Clear, dark nights. For at least 800 years, there have been eyewitness accounts of ghostly lights flaring and creeping along the upper ridge of Brown Mountain. Reports of the lights date back to sightings by Native Americans. There are even accounts of Civil War soldiers having witnessed the strange spectacle. These lights have been investigated by the United States government and by private groups, but no explanation has been found for this strange phenomenon. Halloween is the perfect time to view the lights because of the cool, crisp night air. If you're lucky, you can view the unexplainable mystery and watch the lights move and change color right before your eyes. For
more information, visit www.brownmountianlights.
com.
*Legend of the "Pink Lady" -- Asheville, (800) 438-5800, Dark, quiet nights. Walk the haunted halls of the historic Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa at night, and you may run into the "pink lady." The famed pink lady is an apparition that haunts this historic mountain hotel. The story of the pink lady dates back to the 1920s when a beautiful young woman, dressed in pink, fell to her death in the Palm Court at the Inn. Both employees and visitors alike have had numerous encounters with this restless spirit often associated with a dense pink mist. Many recollections mention room 545, just two stories above the atrium where the death oc-curred. Other unexplained phenomena include hotel lights on entire floors mysteriously turning on and off. Numerous scientific re-searchers have studied the phenomenon but fail to come up with feasible explanations. For more information, visit www.groveparkinn.com.
*Haunted Biltmore Estate -- Asheville (828) 624-1575. Dark, quiet nights. In 1914, George Vanderbilt died from complications from appendicitis surgery. Extremely upset from his death, Vanderbilt's wife would often be seen sitting in the library beside the fireplace speaking with someone who was not there. Some say it was the ghost of her late husband with whom she was speaking. Her servants started to believe she was losing her mind. Visitors report still hearing her voice in the library. George Vanderbilt's presence can still be felt in the billiard room along with other strange sightings, including a headless orange cat roaming the gardens. For more
information, visit www.biltmore.com.
Central
*Hacker House -- Pilot Mountain (336) 351-DARK (3275) Oct. 1-30 (Thursday-Saturday) and October 31. Hacker House has experienced many strange occurrences over the years. Locals say that the disturbed Hacker family who lived in the house years ago uprooted spirits in the home and they still haunt it today. Beware of where you step, and pray your eyes are good and your ears are perked up! From the moment you walk into the house to the moment you leave, you will be startled, stalked and most important, scared by what you see ... or don't see. Don't think you're safe when you step out of the house because then you have to tiptoe across the graveyard without waking the evil spirits that linger there. The house is now open to the public and everyone can take a haunted tour. For more information, visit www.hackerhouse.com.
*MysticKarnival -- Greensboro, (336) 707-9188. On Oct. 30, Center City Park in downtown Greensboro will be inundated with an assortment of sights and sounds that will welcome yet another Halloween. MysticKarnival is a fiendishly fun, all-day extravaganza of musik and magick that is sure to make the event a memorable one for all. Two performance stages, The Main Stage and Magick Market Stage will feature eight musikal acts along with other entertainers including fire dancers and improv troupes. The Magick Market will house a variety of eclectic merchants, intuitives, and an assortment of food and beverage vendors serving up devilishly good treats. For more information, visit www.mystickarnival.com.
*Devil's Tramping Ground -- Siler City, (800) 316-3829. Dark, quiet nights. Have you ever been to a place where no living thing exists? Have you ever visited a location where anything left there will disappear before morning? If this seems too terrifying for you, don't step inside the circle of the Devil's Tramping Ground just outside Siler City! The Devil's Tramping Ground is made up of a circle that is 40 feet in diameter that is said to contain a wealth of evil. For more information, including directions to the Devil's Tramping Ground, visit deviljazz.tripod.com/Directions.
html or www.geocities.com/
trampingground/.
*Woods of Terror -- Greensboro (336) 286-9396 October 1-23 (Friday-Saturday), 24, 27-31, Nov. 5-6. During the Great Depression, Americans who perished did not always get a proper burial. So now their sprits remain trapped in the "Woods of Terror." Connect with the spirits of old Greensboro who are enslaved in this world because they cannot let go of the past. Now these spirits are called upon each year near Halloween as visitors make their way through the dark and gloomy woods. Considered one of North Carolina's largest and scariest walks through attractions, the woods contain seven different spooky attractions in one. There is even a haunted hayride, for those who have no fear. For more spooky information, visit www.woodsofterror.com.
*The Bloody Reign of The Mad Miner -- Midland (704) 721-GOLD (4653) Oct. 22, 23, 29, 30. Brave souls can wander through the dark and dreary Red Gold mine, being careful not to run into the mad miner. His story begins in the 1800s when he pushed his bride down a mineshaft and left her for dead. She haunted the miner, crying and moaning from the mine until the sound of her voice drove the miner mad, and he mysteriously disappeared. However, the mad miner is sure to appear in the days around Halloween to silence the voices he hears and to look for more victims! Only the brave can make it through the mine and go on to enjoy a hayride, campfire and even a magician. For more information, visit www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us-/sections/hs/reed/reed.htm.
Coast
*Howl-O-Ween -- Manteo (252) 473-1131 Oct. 30. Visit the edge of civilization and hear the mournful cries of the endangered red wolf. At the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge near Eastlake, you can take a safari and experience the howling of the red wolf in its natural habitat. Be only a few feet away as you listen to the authentic howling of this
once threatened night creature. Not only will you have a hair-raising experience, but you will also learn about the red wolf and its place in nature. The wildlife refuge is between Eastlake and Manteo, on the Outer Banks. For more information, visit www.redwolves.com.
*Haunted Pub Crawl -- Wilmington (910) 602-6055 October, Tues. - Sat., 7:30 p.m. Visit some of Wilmington's most haunted pubs as you sip on some spirituous beverages. You will be taken back in time with the spirits of the 18th century. In those days, Wilmington was a violent port city where many lives
were lost in barroom brawls. Encounter characters along the way, such as Gallus Meg, the merry wench, along with the haunts of numerous notorious madmen. Take this spooky journey through the streets of North Carolina's largest port city, and have an experience that you may never be able to forget. For more information, visit www.hirchak.com.
*Ghost Walk -- New Bern (252) 638-8558, Oct. 21-23. Walk around with the ghosts of New Bern's past as you view historic homes and cemeteries. Travel back in time to the "Civil War Years," as the bloody death of soldiers will be seen during a re-enactment of Union occu-pation. Have an encounter with the spirits themselves as you take a candle-lit stroll through the Cedar Grove Cemetery. If you are brave enough to take the "Ghost walk" and want to find out more information, visit www.visitnewbern.com.
*Graveyard of the Atlantic -- Beaufort, (252) 728-7317. Clear days with cool water. North Carolina's coastal region is referred to as the "Graveyard of the Atlan-tic." The deadly diamond shoals created horrible conditions for both pirates and sailors. Dive off the coast and see the wreckage from ships that are hundreds of years old. Connect with the spirits of sailors and soldiers. The Graveyard of the Atlantic holds forever ships like Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard's flag-ship. After emerging from the spirit-filled water, visit the North Carolina maritime museum to view artifacts. See the weapons and tools that Blackbeard used on his travels to slay the enemy and steal from other seamen. For more information, visit www.nc-wreckdiving.com or www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/maritime/.
To plan your vacation in North Carolina or to request additional information, call 1-800-VISITNC, or go to www.visitnc.com.