Spooky: Some of the world’s beautiful, yet haunted places

People often love to explore the uncanny and unexplained as Halloween draws near. One way to do so is to visit some of the purportedly haunted places around the world that also happen to be spectacularly beautiful. Not only is this a great way to get in some travel time, it also can elicit thrills, as one never knows what to expect when visiting the following locales.

Casa Loma; Toronto, Canada

This Gothic revival castle was completed in 1914. It is built with secret passageways and hidden storage areas. Legend has it that ghosts have been spotted on the property for years. The estate is transformed into a haunted house for Halloween each year.

Winchester Mystery House; San Jose, California

When Winchester Rifles heiress Sarah Winchester lost her husband and infant daughter, a psychic medium told her it was payback by the spirits of all of the people harmed by Winchester rifles. She was told to build a house large enough to accommodate all of the angry spirits. The Winchester Mystery House has 160 rooms, secret passageways, upside-down columns and staircases to nowhere to confuse spirits. Visitors have experienced all sorts of unexplained phenomena within the walls of the house.

Raynham Hall; Norfolk, England

Within this English hall, a mysterious “Brown Lady,” rumored to be Lady Dorothy Walpole, supposedly roams. She was captured on film in the December 1936 edition of Country Life.

Driskill Hotel; Austin, Texas

This historic landmark was opened in 1886 by cattle baron Jesse Driskill. It has a well-known history of paranormal activity following the deaths of guests, which include two honeymooning women who took their own lives in the same room 20 years apart.

Larnach Castle; Dunedin, New Zealand

The lone castle in New Zealand is a beautiful building set amid misty gardens. It is rumored that the castle’s builder, a politician named William Larnach, witnessed the death of his daughter and two wives in the house before taking his own life on the property. Larnach’s ghost supposedly watches over the castle and is responsible for paranormal events.

Poveglia; Venice, Italy

The island of Poveglia is a short ride from Venice and used to be a quarantine zone for people suffering from the plague. The island later housed a psychiatric hospital. Many people attest to the island being a prime spot for paranormal activity.

One if by Land, Two if by Sea; New York City

Located in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan, this restaurant once was the carriage house of Aaron Burr. The eatery supposedly is haunted by upwards of 20 ghosts, including Burr and his daughter, Theodosia.

Port Arthur; Australia

Port Arthur is filled with reports of paranormal spectacles. The spot originally was a penal colony in the 19th century where prisoners endured mandatory church services and solitary confinement to correct poor behavior.

Rose Hall; Montego Bay, Jamaica

Rose Hall once was the residence of plantation owner John Palmer and his English-born wife, Annie. She poisoned him to take control of the plantation and fortune. Annie was known as The White Witch by slaves on the property because she practiced voodoo and tortured workers, never mind killing her second and third husbands. It is said The White Witch, who is encased in a stone tomb on the property, still roams the grounds as a spirit and terrorizes guests.

— Metro Editorial Services