{"id":4925,"date":"2014-10-31T14:15:50","date_gmt":"2014-10-31T18:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/?p=4925"},"modified":"2014-10-31T14:49:21","modified_gmt":"2014-10-31T18:49:21","slug":"halloween-spooky-tourist-attractions-around-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/halloween-spooky-tourist-attractions-around-world","title":{"rendered":"5 spooky tourist attractions around the world"},"content":{"rendered":"

Article submitted by Explorica Program Consultant Katie Severance.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the end of a cool, dark night. An icy wind passes through the air, causing you to lean in a bit closer as your friends huddle around sharing scary stories.\u00a0 You sit quietly convincing yourself that the truth within is minimal and that the goosebumps that cover your arms are a result of the chill in the air.\u00a0 And then the next story begins: \u201cHave you heard the one about\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Halloween is here, and we thought it would be in the holiday spirit to share the spookiest stories we’ve heard about some of our favorite destinations around the world. The history surrounding these locations will not only surprise you, but it will make your skin crawl.<\/p>\n

Paris Catacombs, France<\/h2>\n

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Below the streets of Paris lie the remains of nearly 7 million Parisians<\/a>.\u00a0 The ossuary was constructed in the late 18<\/span>th<\/sup> century as a result of the unhealthy overcrowding of the city\u2019s cemeteries.\u00a0 Instead of continuing to pile remains above ground, the dead were moved to these empty tunnels beneath the city stacked and arranged in a way some consider a dark work of art.\u00a0 Although most of the tunnels are closed to public entrance, 1 mile of the Catacombs is open to tourists for exploration.\u00a0 Enter if you dare.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Death Railway, Thailand<\/h2>\n

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During World War II, primarily British and Australian POWs were used by the Japanese to build the infamous railway<\/a> linking Thailand to Burma. Considered too dangerous to complete in the past due to threatening jungle landscape, the Japanese enlisted over 270,000 people to begin work on the railway.\u00a0 Cutting through the severe landscape and working through intense heat, nearly 100,000 civilian laborers and prisoners of war died of the harsh conditions and horrific abuse.\u00a0 Today visitors can ride a section of the route feeling the chill of the spirits who haunt every cliff-hugging turn.<\/p>\n

Tower of London, England<\/h2>\n

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One of London’s most iconic attractions, the Tower of London is also known as one of the most paranormal locations in England. The Tower is said to be haunted by the many souls who lost their lives within the stone walls. The most well-known spirit walking the halls is that of Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII. Beheaded at the Tower Green in 1536<\/a>, it is said Anne has frequently been spotted carrying her severed head throughout the halls looking to haunt her husband for her traumatic execution.<\/p>\n

Salem, Massachusetts<\/h2>\n

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Located right here in Explorica\u2019s backyard, Salem has long been one of America\u2019s most notably dark and mysterious cities. Home of the deadliest and most extensive witch hunt in America, the 1692 Salem Witch Trials<\/a>, the ghosts of many of the accused witches are said to haunt the city still.\u00a0 The most famous haunting may be that of Giles Corey, an accused wizard whose ghost is said to walk the graveyard where he is buried to announce impending disaster. A trip to Salem today boasts an overwhelming amount of historic witch tours and sorcerous paraphernalia that encourages tourism. However, listen closely as it is said that the infamous witches\u2019 curses can still be heard echoing the Salem streets.<\/p>\n

The Island of the Dolls, Xochimilco, Mexico<\/h2>\n

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Just south of Mexico City lies an artificial island, Isla de las Mu\u00f1ecas, known less for its natural beauty and more for the hundreds of terrifying dolls that that inhabit its grounds. Legend has it that the dolls are dedicated to the lost soul of a little girl who mysteriously drowned in the island\u2019s waters.\u00a0 Not long after her death, a doll is said to have washed ashore.\u00a0 The owner of the island hung the doll from a tree in the little girl\u2019s honor. Haunted by the child\u2019s death, as the years passed, the owner collected any doll that floated through his canals. Hundreds of dolls, most of which were alarmingly tattered and destroyed, occupied the trees to ward off evil spirits and pay homage to the little girl. Years ago, the owner was found dead after having drowned in the same canal he once found the child. Although the girl and the\u00a0owner have passed, the dolls still remain. The island has since become a spooky tourist attraction where visitors can ride gondolas through the canals and hang their own dolls around the island.<\/p>\n

Most cities have their fair share of mystery. Sometimes it is a matter of looking beyond the everyday and uncovering, in the case of the Catacombs, what lies beneath. Be sure to share your spooky travel tales with us throughout your next globetrotting adventure.<\/p>\n

Happy Halloween!<\/p>\n

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Article submitted by Explorica Program Consultant Katie Severance. It\u2019s the end of a cool, dark night. An icy wind passes through the air, causing you to lean in a bit closer as your friends huddle around sharing scary stories.\u00a0 You sit quietly convincing yourself that the truth within is minimal and that the goosebumps that Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[453,454,452,176,455,43],"class_list":["post-4925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-explorica-news","tag-london","tag-london-tower","tag-mexico-city","tag-paris","tag-paris-catacombs","tag-thailand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4925"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4963,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4925\/revisions\/4963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}