5 Spookiest cities in America to get you in the Halloween spirit

America...is a bit haunted. And I don't mean that in a fun Beyonce-esque house music hit (though, B, if you're reading this, I'd love a remix). America is haunted because this country has had a pretty dark history. First of all, it was founded by the genocide of Indigenous people of the land. Then built by forcibly enslaved people with a heavy dose of persecuting women, poor people, the disabled, various religious groups, and anyone and everyone who wasn't white enough - including other white people - often and mostly preferably at the same time.

And that was all before the Industrial Revolution.

Safe to say, America has more than a few skeletons in the closet, and if we're being honest with ourselves, it's shoving more in every day. But when it comes to the HAUNTED of the haunted, five cities really stand out among the rest. If you're in the mood for a scare this witching season, take a stroll into one of these destinations.

Don't say I didn't warn ya though.

Salem, Massachusetts

We have to start with one of the most infamous colonial witch hunts in the world - the Salem Witch Trials. Salem is a small town in Massachusetts, and in the late 1600s, became an epicenter of smoking out witchcraft and sorcery in the new colonies.

The Salem Witch Trials is often hailed as one of colonial America's most notorious cases of mass hysteria. Not the only one, of course, and not the abnormal in the sense that tens of thousands of people in Europe at the time were murdered from witch-accusations. But it did set an eerie precedence in the new budding country (which still persists to this day) that things that are different or misunderstood can be seen of as dangerous and extreme defensive measures can be "justified."

For visitors, you can walk amongst the tombstones of the women (and a handful of men) killed under the suspect of being a witch. There are a handful of Salem walking tours that will take you through the history of the Witch Trials, or you can visit the various museums (and shops) that cater to the morbidly curious.

Charleston, South Carolina

Moving from America's colonial period into a time "The New Nation" era, history presents us with one of the country's deep seeded evils.

Slavery.

While it is true that not every American citizen at the time (who were men of white Anglo male descent) owned slaves or even agreed with the ideology, slavery and its economic impact was weaved into every fiber of the United States of America. Literally, the hemp that enslaved people harvest was weaved into clothes, fabrics, and even paper for official documents like the Declaration of Independence. Which brings us to Charleston, South Carolina, the largest slave port in the country at the time. As a result, Charleston also holds the title of the most haunted city in America.

From the blue painted ceilings of the antebellum homes (to ward off restless spirits) to the remnants of slave auction blocks detailing the sidewalks, beneath the colorful glitz of the Charleston most visitors see is the dark truth of its path. The Gullah Geechee tours are one of the only history tours offered that actually dig into the root of Charleston's unsettling and unsettled past, so be sure to hop on one to learn more.

Savannah, Georgia

And holding the title of second most haunted city in America, Savannah, Georgia also makes the list as a destination that will surely send chills down your spine. Similar to its neighbor to the (slight) north, Savannah did see a large amount of slavery. In fact -some- people actually get married on the bloodied ground of these plantations where so many people were slain into the afterlife. I'm no marriage expert but...wouldn't be my first choice.

However, there is something...else...in Savannah's water that adds another element of spook.

Since the 1700s, and likely even before, Savannah has always been a magnet for the morbidly unfortunate. From hosting some of the most catastrophic battles in various wars, to large-scale unexplained diseases plaguing its residents, to natural disasters setting entire neighborhoods aflame...to even bouts of madness overcoming individuals and pitting them into murdering frenzies. There are a lot of ghosts to unpack in Savannah. Thankfully, there are many ghastly walking tours to guide you through the city's ghouls.

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is known for a few things - on the surface, that's music, food, and Mardi Gras. But below the surface, and not even really that hidden, is NOLA's history and culture of voodoo.

The practice of voodoo in New Orleans has roots in West African spiritualism, Haitian Vodou, and a touch of Catholicism. While outsiders may see New Orleans voodoo as dark or evil, but what they fail to realize is that voodoo is not black or white, or in this case evil or holy, as many other religions practice. Those who practice voodoo do not worship the devil, and in fact, "the devil" is not a piece of most African diaspora religions. That said, it does have close connections to spirits and the spirit realm, and therein lies the spook factor.

While in New Orleans, visitors can catch a glimpse behind the veil of two worlds by booking a voodoo and history tour during your time in the city and get a more robust understanding of the practice that has survived (and thrived) centuries.

Mankato, Minnesota

Mankato might be one of the lesser known haunts on this list, but it is no less chilling. For this one, we travel to America's west. Along the trail, you will see the beautiful vast landscape of what once referred to as Turtle Island. Numerous Nations populated and stewarded the land both sustainably and innovatively, creating some of the longest and farthest reaching trade routes in the world where art, science, and technology exchanged hands and minds.

But soon that landscape will change into something closer to what we see today due to colonization. Which leads us to Mankato, Minnesota - here, you will find the site of the largest mass execution in US History. The Dakota people signed a treaty with the federal government, which promised food and supplies to local tribes in exchange of their sovereign land. So as is custom, America broke its treaty and even advanced with force, which lead to a six week war with the Dakota people. On December 26, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln ordered the executions of the Dakota soldiers fighting for the safety and livelihood of their people.

Of all the spooky cities on this list, Mankato is perhaps the deepest buried, and with that depth comes the haunting reality that justice has still not yet been delivered.