Most Haunted Places

Many of us like a good scare from time to time. We’ll indulge in scary movies and tell one another creepy stories with the lights out. While it’s one thing to enjoy a little paranormal entertainment, it’s another to experience it first hand. The issue of whether ‘hauntings’ are real or not is definitely up for debate, however there have been certain places with more records of spooky visitors than others.

Often old landmarks with dark pasts, these are some of the most haunted places on earth:

Tower of London -- With a bloody 900-year-old history, this historic site often been visited by the ghost of Queen Anne Boleyn, who allegedly carries her decapitated head beneath her arm.

Stanley Hotel – Located in Estes Park Colorado, this hotel was visited by author Stephen King who claimed to hear ghost children playing in its hallway. It became the inspiration for the hotel in his book The Shining.

Rose Hall – This mansion in Jamaica is where Annie Palmer murdered three of her husbands and a succession of lovers by poison and strangulation. Her spirit is supposed to roam the hallways along with those of her victims. Some people even claim to have evidence on film of these hauntings.

The Colosseum -- We all know of this historic Roman landmark, but at night it becomes the place where spirits wander. The location of many executions and deaths, people have reported feeling touched or hearing weeping throughout the ancient site.

Aokigahara -- The forest at the bottom of Mt. Fuji which has been traditionally the tragic location for over 500 suicides. Many people believe this place to be haunted and have reported hearing crying and seeing the ghosts of those who have taken their own lives there.

I love being scared but don’t really believe in the paranormal. I think it’s fun to let your imagination go now and then, but I don’t prescribe to believing in anything I haven’t experienced first hand. There a lot of people I trust and respect who have told me that they’ve experienced paranormal activity, but my brain always finds a way to rationalize what they experienced. Seeing is believing, I suppose.

Still, it’s fun to think about what could be out there. And sharing ghost stories and odd experiences with friends late at night is one of my favorite forms of entertainment.