How to Spend a Spooky Weekend in the District of Columbia

If your idea of fun is having the pants scared off of you, then a trip to Washington, D.C. has a few attractions that might spark your interest. More than just governmental monuments, this city is the setting for many spooky tales that are not for the faint of heart. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Take the Capital Hauntings Tour. Washington Walks has a Friday night tour of Lafayette Park available which includes spooky stories of many who have died tragically in or around the park. It also includes speculation of why the White House seems to be, as the Washington Walks website put it, "enshrouded by 'the Presidential Circle of Death,'" as well as other disturbing tales.
2. See the haunted houses. There are many claimed haunted houses in Washington, D.C. Two of the most famous are the Decantur House and the Octagon. The Decantur House, in which its owner Stephen Decantur died in a duel, is famed for sightings of apparitions. He is said to be seen peering out a second-story window and leaving his back door. The Octagon is also famously haunted. Among the reported ghost sightings in this house is the vision of a lighted candle going up the stairs, and the faint scream of the girl who had fallen down the same staircase.
3. Catch a spooky show. The Spooky Action Theater is located on the corner of Philadelphia and Chicago Avenues, and their shows are bound to leave you with an eerie feeling. Past productions at this theatre have included titles such as "Holy Ghost," "The Lathe of Heaven" and the famous "Alice in Wonderland."
4. Stay in a haunted hotel. According to some sources, the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel is rumored to be haunted by the spirit of Calvin Coolidge. This spirit has caused lights to flicker in the grand ball room on the day of the inaugural ball, leave unexplained food and drink on the ballroom balcony, and keep a particular elevator from moving from the eighth floor. The Hay-Adams Hotel is said to be haunted by Clover Adams, the wife of the original owner Henry Adams. Clover, who committed suicide, is said to open, close and lock doors and has both spoken to staff and been heard crying in a stairwell.