Vermont, 2013-10-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — Explore the state with “Haunted Highways” lodging packages, ghost stories and Halloween hysteria
Come one, Come ghoul! This fall, Vermont welcomes all fearless travelers to explore Haunted Highways, a collection of ghost stories with lodging packages available statewide. Visitors are encouraged to have their own ghostly getaway: follow Vermont’s blacktop highways, connecting one haunted village or inn to the next. Special packages start at $140 per night, available now through November.
At the White House in Wilmington, the late Mrs. Brown has been known to greet guests with the same surname, telling them clear as day, there’s room for only one Mrs. Brown at the inn. In southern Vermont’s Manchester village, the spirit of Mary Todd Lincoln is rumored to walk the west wing of The Equinox Resort. In central Vermont, many haunted locations are found off exit ten from I-89. At the Old Stagecoach Inn in Waterbury, the innkeeper was concerned when an unfamiliar couple came downstairs; only to discover they had been checked in earlier by the hotel’s former owner – the long-dead Nettie Spencer. Along the northern border, the ghost of General “Mad” Anthony Wayne has been spotted walking across the top of Lake Memphremagog.
Hotel Packages Offer Ghostly Greetings:
- Forty Putney Road Bed & Breakfast in Brattleboro is showcasing the spooky side of town at locations such as the Retreat Cemetery, just steps away from the inn, where numerous ghost sightings have occurred. Through November 30, 2013, rates start at $159 per night based on double occupancy.
- The Readmore Bed & Breakfast in Bellows Falls is offering a bottle of local Spooky Sparkling Cider and scary tales about the haunted “Cook’s Room” and the ladies maid who communicated with the present owner! Come for a two-night stay with breakfast; packages start at $300, based on double occupancy and are available through November 30.
- The Golden Stage Inn, Originally a 1788 stagecoach stop in Ludlow, this inn has some stories to tell. Former innkeepers claim to have seen the ghost in the attic; guests, current innkeepers and staff notice strange goings-ons in the “new” wing. Come enjoy two nights at Golden Stage Inn for your own ghostly experience through November 30 with rates beginning at $165 per person based on double occupancy.
- Inn at the Round Barn in Waitsfield welcomes guests to enter the Inn and be greeted by the smell of baked cookies, and the music of Mozart and Vivaldi playing in our library. We have been told by some guests that one of our rooms has had some strange happenings; come hear the tale and learn about this inn, built in 1810. Packages start at $175 from Oct. 20-Nov. 21.
- Tucker Hill Inn welcomes ghost-seekers to Waitsfield to meet Francis Martin, its resident ghost and former innkeeper. He continues to slam doors unabated and has been seen toasting his toes by the fire in the luxurious Innkeepers Suite, his former quarters! Come spend a night or two… we’re sending the message to Francis too! Rates start at $70 per person, including breakfast, available Oct. 27-Nov. 15.
- Stong House Inn in Vergennes reports many Goblins and Ghosts annually visit the Strong House Inn for their “tricks or treats.” When reserving a room, you are cordially invited to our complementary Halloween Party on that dark and gloomy night, Oct. 31. Mexican fare is served to scare away any skeletons that linger…rates start at $140 per person based on double occupancy.
Spooky Soirees
Haunted Trail, Train & Trick or Treating
October 19
Haunted train rides and trick-or-treating run from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Quechee Village Store. Afterward, walk along the trail at Quechee State Park. 6- 7:30 p.m. walks are for the younger kids. At 8:00 pm the trail becomes spookier for those who have no fear, or just don’t know any better. Open to public by donation.
Nightmare Vermont
Oct 24, 2013 to Oct 30
Nightmare Vermont is a thrilling, interactive, theatrical haunted house that has run since 2004. Nightmare is one of the few haunts in the country to feature an integrated storyline and live stage combat. This year, we also feature the creepy bowels of Burlington’s Memorial Auditorium, the Black Maze, the Claustrophobia Machine, and Eknock and the Trendsetterz.
Haunted Forest
October 24-26
Vermont’s longest running Halloween event, celebrating spookiness and entertaining audiences for 33 years. Mysterious guides lead participants through the dark and foreboding forest, where paths are lit by over 1,000 flickering Jack-O-Lanterns. The Catamount Family Center in Williston.
Haunted Orchard
October 25-26
This family-friendly event is great for all ages. Guests follow a marked path through “haunted” areas complete with actors, animatronics, robotics and other spooky Halloween-themed decorations. The walk takes between 20 and 30 minutes and through fields and an orchard in Danby.
Spooky Woodstock
October 26
Come learn about the area’s spooky history. Events include a cemetery tour with costumed interpreters, performances on the village green, children’s crafts, seasonal treats, and a lecture on historic “vampires” of New England by Professor Michael Bell. There’s also a Halloween Celebration and costume parade at Billings Farm.
“Plague, the Musical”
October 26-27
Set in 1665. Clive Hucklefish has come to London to make his fortune but inadvertently unleashes the Bubonic plague. An infectious musical comedy presented for the first in the U.S. by MVP. Winner of the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival “Pick of The Fringe” award, “Plague” promises to be America’s next “cult” show. Fans of Monty Python-type humor will want to catch this historical, hysterical new play. Presented by the Marble Valley Players, there’s even a midnight show after the Rutland Halloween Parade.
Thriller Dance Workshop
October 30
Have you ever wanted to dance like the king of pop? This beginner-friendly Michael Jackson style dance workshop is taught by the fun, friendly and experienced teacher Cora Swanberg! You will learn authentic steps from Michael Jackson’s most famous video, Thriller! Just in time for Halloween. No experience or sequined glove necessary, but always welcome! Artistree in Woodstock.
Magic Hat Brewery Resurrects The Night of the Living Dead
October 31
Halloween night, Magic Hat Brewing Company resurrects the Night of the Living Dead at Echo Lake Aquarium. Featuring perplexing performances by Papadosio, Spiritual Rez, The Human Canvas, Serotheft, Schadenfreude Circus, Sambutacada, and more! Join us for a night of delirious dancing, diabolical drumming, posthumous portraits, and bewitching brews. Enter in the best group costume contest for your chance to win $500. Tickets on sale now at FlynnTix.Org $20 advance, $25 DOS, Must be 21+
An Edgar Allan Poe Halloween Spooktacular
October 31
City Hall Arts Center is transformed into an eerily elegant chamber for Ghoulishly gleeful candlelit performance of the Master of Macabre and other spooky-kooky fun, including costume contest with great prizes, & decadent desserts & libations. Plus, dance to the swinging 21-piece LC Jazz Band. All hauntingly hosted by WDEV’s Eric Michaels. It’s Halloween for grown-ups!
Vinegar Tom
Oct 31, 2013 to Nov 02
Vinegar Tom is a play with songs and a play with subversive intent—a cabaret about hanging witches. Written by Caryl Churchill, directed by Cheryl Faraone. For mature audiences. Tickets: $12/10/6, on sale October 14.
More Ghost Stories
Stowe is home to numerous ghosts, including Boots Berry. Born in 1840 in the servant’s quarters of The Green Mountain Inn, he was a local hero before he was dismissed for excessive drinking. Legend has it, he saved a little girl stuck on the Inn’s roof during a snowstorm before slipping and falling to his death. During severe winter storms, Boots can still be heard tap dancing on the third floor of the hotel. Stowe’s Gold Brook Bridge is also known as “Emily’s Bridge” as it is haunted by the ghost of a lovelorn Emily who died on the bridge after being stood up on her wedding day. Visitors to the bridge have reported scratch marks appearing on their cars and strange noises such as footsteps and ropes tightening.
Visit West Castleton off Route 7, where immigrant slate workers crossed Lake Bomoseen to visit a tavern on the opposite shore. One particularly gloomy evening, three men did not return and despite a painstaking search, were never found. Residents today claim that during a full moon, a dark, vacant and ghostly rowboat can be seen drifting silently across the lake.
Along Interstate 91 in eastern Vermont is the Golden Stage Inn in Cavendish off exit six, where the innkeepers have become familiar with a young friendly spirit they’ve named George, who appears dressed in a traveling cloak.
Off of exit nine between Windsor and Woodstock, a solitary rider dressed entirely in black is spotted from time to time splashing along the rotted timbers of an old plank road built through Snail Swamp. No one knows who he is or why he patrols Snail Swamp, but he always travels towards Woodstock.
Further North off of exit 15 in Fairlee, Robert Fulton once stole Samuel Morey’s invention of the steam engine due to a technicality in the patent registration. Angered, Captain Morey sank Fulton’s boat, the Aunt Sally, and today on a still, moon lit night, the Aunt Sally rises to the lake’s surface, floating without a sound, as the ghost of Captain Morey watches from shore.
For more ghost stories or information on booking these special offers, please visit www.vermontvacation.com or socialize on Facebook and Twitter.
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Vermont welcomes all fearless travelers to explore Haunted Highways this Halloween