Oct. 2, 2024

136. Spooktacular Halloween Destinations for a Haunted Halloween Holiday

Show Notes
Transcript

In this episode of “Travel is Back,” Journey Joe Mitchell dives into the best Halloween adventures in LA and beyond. He takes listeners through the spine-chilling thrills of Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights, where you’ll run from zombies, face off against Stranger Things’ Upside Down, and encounter classic movie monsters in immersive mazes. For a more family-friendly experience, Joe highlights Disneyland’s Halloween Time, where the Haunted Mansion transforms into a “Nightmare Before Christmas” wonderland, and the Headless Horseman leads a magical Halloween parade.

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Calarogus Shark Media.

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Hey there, thrill seekers and ghost hunters. It's Journey Joe Mitchell,

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and you're listening to another spine tingling episode of Travel

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is back. As the leaves turn and the air gets crisp,

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there's a certain eerie energy in the atmosphere. That's right, folks,

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Halloween is just around the corner. So grab your pumpkin

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spice latte or should I say, your witches brew, and

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let's dive into some of the spookiest, most haunted destinations

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perfect for your Halloween getaway. In twenty twenty four. First

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up on our Ghostly tour is none other than Salem, Massachusetts.

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Now I know what you're thinking, Joe, isn't that a

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bit obvious? Well, let me tell you there's a reason

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why this place is the Halloween capital of the world.

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I visited Salem last October, and let me tell you,

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it was like stepping into a real life horror move,

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but in the best possible way. The entire month of

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October in Salem is basically one big Halloween party. They

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call it Haunted Happenings, and boy do they live up

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to the name. As soon as you set foot in town,

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you can feel the electric atmosphere. The streets are packed

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with people in costumes, from witches and warlocks to zombies

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and vampires. It's like Comic Con met Halloween and decided

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to throw a party in New England. One of the

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must do activities in Salem is the night tour of

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the old Town. I joined one, led by a local

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historian dressed as a seventeen the century witch hunter. As

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we walked through the narrow cobblestone streets, our guide regaled

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us with tales of the infamous witch trials. Standing in

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front of the old courthouse where the trials took place,

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with the autumn wind whistling through the trees, let's just

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say I felt a chill that wasn't just from the cold.

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But it's not all doom and gloom in Salem. Make

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sure to check out the Witch House, the only structure

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still standing with direct ties to the Salem Witch Trials.

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It's fascinating to step back in time and see how

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people lived in the seventeenth century. And if you're into

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magic the fun kind, don't miss the magic show at

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the Witch Mansion. I saw a performance there that had

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me questioning reality in a good way for a truly

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unforgettable experience. Time your visit to coincide with the annual

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Grand Parade. Picture this thousands of people in elaborate costumes,

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floats that look like they've come straight out of a

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Tim Burton movie, and an energy that's absolutely electric. I

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found myself marching alongside a group dressed as the Sanderson

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sisters from hocus Pocus, which, by the way, was filmed

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right here in Salem. Talk about life imitating art. Now,

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if you're looking for something a little more off the

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beaten path, let me tell you about a hidden gem.

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I discovered Sleepy Hollow, New York. Yes, that's Sleepy Hollow,

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the one from Washington Irving's famous story. And let me

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tell you this place takes its spooky heritage seriously. I

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arrived in Sleepy Hollow just as the sun was setting,

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and the first thing that struck me was how the

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whole town seemed to be shrouded and missed. It was

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like stepping into the pages of a gothic novel. My

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first stop was the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where Washington Irving

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himself is buried. Taking a lantern lit tour through the cemetery,

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at night, hearing the crunch of leaves under my feet

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and the hooting of owls in the distance. It was

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deliciously creepy. But the highlight of my visit to Sleepy

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Hollow was undoubtedly the great jack O lantern blaze. Imagine this,

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over seven thousand hand carved pumpkins, all lit up and

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arranged into incredible sculptures. I'm talking a pumpkin statue of Liberty,

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a pumpkin covered bridge, even a pumpkin planetarium. Walking through

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this pumpkin wonderland with spooky music playing in the background,

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it was like being in a Halloween dream. For those

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of you who like your scares with a sight of luxury,

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I've got just the place, The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.

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This grand old hotel is famous for inspiring Stephen King

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to write The Shining, and let me tell you it

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lives up to its spooky reputation. I stayed at the

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Stanley last Halloween, and from the moment I walked into

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the lobby, I could feel the weight of history and

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maybe a few spirits all around me. The hotel offers

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a ghost tour that takes you through some of the

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most haunted spots in the building. Standing in room two

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hundred and seventeen, where Stephen King stayed and got the

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idea for his novel, I swear I could feel the

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creative and maybe supernatural energy in the air. But the

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Stanley isn't just about ghosts and scares. It's set against

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the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, and in October, the

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fall colors are absolutely stunning. I spent an afternoon hiking

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in nearby Rocky Mountain National Park, surrounded by golden aspens

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and the bugling of elk coming back to the hotel

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as the sun set behind the mountains, seeing it all

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lit up against the darkening sky, it was hauntingly beautiful.

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If you're up for a real adventure, time your visit

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to coincide with the hotel's annual Shining Ball Picture this

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you're dressed in your finest nineteen twenties attire, sipping cocktails

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in the same ballroom where Jack Nicholson's character lost his

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mind in the movie. The attention to detail is incredible,

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from the ghostly twins in the hallway to the creepy

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bartender who looks just a little too much like Lloyd

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from the film It's like being in the movie, but

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with the ability to escape back to your room at

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the end of the night. Now, for those of you

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who like your Halloween with a side of Southern charm,

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let me tell you about New Orleans, Louisiana. The Big

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Easy is a city that lives and breathes spooky all

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year round, but come October it really kicks things up

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a notch. I arrived in New Orleans just in time

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for the Crew of Boo Parade, the official Halloween parade

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of New Orleans. Let me paint you a picture. Elaborate

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floats themed after monsters and urban legends, marching bands playing

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eerie tunes, and dancers in costumes that have to be

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seen to be believed. The energy in the French Quarter

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during the parade is absolutely electric. It's like Marti Gras

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met Halloween and decided to throw the party of the century.

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Of course, no visit to New Orleans is complete without

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a ghost tour of the French Quarter. I joined a

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tour led by a local historian who looked like he'd

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stepped straight out of an Anne Riis novel. As we

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walked through the gas lit streets, our guide spun tales

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of voodoo queens, pirates, and star crossed lovers standing in

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front of the infamous Lelori mansion, hearing the gruesome stories

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of its past. Let's just say I was glad to

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be in a group. But New Orleans isn't all about

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ghosts and ghouls. Make sure to visit the above ground cemeteries,

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or Cities of the Dead, as they're known locally. I

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took a tour of Saint Louis Cemetery Number one, where

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voodoo queen Marie Leveaux is said to be buried. The

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ornate tombs, the quiet alleys, the way the sunlight filters

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through the trees. It's hauntingly beautiful and a photographer's dream.

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And of course, we can't talk about New Orleans without

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mentioning the food. I had dinner at Muriel's Jackson Square,

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a restaurant that's said to be haunted by the ghost

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of the original owner. They even set a table for

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him every night. The combination of delicious Creole cuisine and

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the possibility of a spectral dining companion made for an

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unforgettable meal For those of you looking for a Halloween

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experience that's truly out of this world. Let me tell

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you about Roswell, New Mexico. Now I know what you're thinking, Joe,

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what does Roswell have to do with Halloween? Well, let

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me tell you. This little town takes its alien heritage

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and runs with it, creating a Halloween experience like no other.

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I arrived in Roswell just in time for their annual

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UFO Festival, which happens to coincide with Halloween. Picture this

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an entire town decked out in alien themed decorations, people

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walking around in the most elaborate alien costumes you've ever seen,

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and a parade led by a float shaped like a

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flying saucer. It's like Halloween met comic Con in the

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middle of the desert. One of the highlights of my

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visit was the tour of the International UFO Museum and

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Research Center. Now, well, I consider myself a pretty skeptical guy,

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but walking through those exhibits, hearing the eyewitness accounts, seeing

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the evidence, let's just say it made me question everything

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I thought I knew. And isn't that what Halloween is

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all about? Suspending disbelief and embracing the unknown. But Roswell

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isn't just about aliens. The surrounding desert is hauntingly beautiful,

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especially in the fall. I took a sunset hike in

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the nearby Bottomless Lake State Park, and let me tell you,

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watching the sun set over those deep blue lakes with

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the desert landscape turning golden in the fading light, it

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was otherworldly in the best possible way. Now, for those

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of you who like your Halloween with the side of

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Hollywood glamour, you can't beat Los Angeles, California. I know,

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I know. LA might not be the first place that

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comes to mind when you think of Halloween, but trust me,

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this city knows how to do spooky in style. My

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first stop in LA was the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Now

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this isn't your average cemetery. It's the final resting place

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of some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Taking a twilight tour

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through the grounds, seeing the elaborate memorials to cinema's grates,

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all while dressed up for the cemetery's famous Dia de

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los Mortos celebration. It was like being on the world's

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spookiest movie set. But the real highlight of Halloween in

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LA is Universal Studios Halloween horror Nights. Imagine this you're

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walking through incredibly detailed sets from your favorite horror movies

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and TV shows, with professional scare actors jumping out at

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you when you least expect it. I found myself running

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from zombies in a Walking Dead themed maze, trying to

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escape the upside down in a Stranger Thing's attraction, and

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coming face to face with classic movie monsters. It's like

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being in a horror movie, but with the ability to

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leave when it gets too scary. For a more family

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friendly Halloween experience, don't miss Disneyland's Halloween Time, seeing the

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Haunted Mansion all decked out in Nightmare before Christmas, theming,

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watching the Headless Horsemen lead the Halloween Parade down Main Street, USA.

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It's spooky and magical and equal measure. As we wrap

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up our ghostly tour, I want to remind you that

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Halloween isn't just about the scares. It's about embracing the unknown,

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suspending disbelief, and letting your imagination run wild. Whether you're

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exploring the witch Trials of Salem, chasing ghosts in the

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Stanley Hotel, or running from zombies at Universal Studios, remember

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to approach it all with a sense of fun and adventure.

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And hey, speaking of adventures without interruptions, don't forget that

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to Caloroga dot com slash plus no plugins needed. So,

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thrill seekers, where will your Halloween adventures take you? Whether

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you're hunting ghosts in New Orleans, chasing aliens and Roswell,

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or embracing your inner witch in Salem. Remember the real

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Matt Halloween is in the stories we create and the

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memories we make. This is journey Joe Mitchell signing off

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until next time, Keep exploring, stay curious, and have a

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spectacular Halloween

136. Spooktacular Halloween Destinations for a Haunted Halloween Holiday

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