CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — January 31 is National Plan for Vacation Day, and what better trip than visiting all the spookiest spots in West Virginia?
The West Virginia Department of Tourism recently released its 2023 vacation guide, which details all things travel in the Mountain State, including festivals, outdoor and historic destinations, restaurants, best overnight accommodations, and “Legends and Lore.”
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These are the best spooky legends and haunts to include in your West Virginia vacation, according to the guide.
- Moundsville Penitentiary – The once prison can now be toured by people over the age of 12. You can even experience the “Dungeon of Horrors” and get locked in one of the old jail cells.
- Lake Shawnee Amusement Park – What’s scarier than an abandoned theme park? It’s one of the most haunted West Virginia destinations and hosts Dark Carnival every October.
- Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum – This mental hospital closed in the 1990s, but since then, people still report all kinds of creepy things happening there.
- Mothman Museum – This Point Pleasant museum celebrates the famous West Virginia cryptid, Mothman, who was spotted before the deadly Silver Bridge collapse in 1967. Items on display include first-hand, eyewitness written accounts of Mothman sightings.
- Archive of the Afterlife – In Cameron, you can view a variety of oddities, including cursed dolls and a Depression-era embalming table.
- Flatwoods Monster Museum – In Sutton, you can see all the artifacts related to the monster that gained national attention in the 1950s.
- Fright Nights WV The Resort at Glade Springs – The Fright Nights include “grisly displays and jump-scare encounters,” and are available in September and October.
- Haunted Parkersburg Ghost Tours – Ghosts followed the Blennerhassett family around the Parkersburg area, and their hotel, the oldest in the country, and island, which is now a State Park, are both said the be haunted and have tours available in the fall.
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If you’re looking for other haunted, spooky and creepy places in West Virginia, check out Paranormal W.Va. only on WBOY.com. For more details on the list above, order your free 2023 West Virginia Vacation Guide here.
2023 West Virginia Vacation Guide (Courtesy: WV Tourism)
