Halloween is right around the corner! Here are 5 of the scariest things to do in Philadelphia.
5. Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site
Attention all bookworms! Now is your chance to visit the eerie home of one of America's most original writers. Visitors are welcome to roam through the three-story, red brick home where Poe resided with his wife, Virginia, and his mother-in-law Maria Clemm. Tour guides narrate how Poe dealt with poverty, his family, and his own mental anguish. Although, the house lacks personal items and furniture due to having to sell it to be able to afford the move to New York, it serves as a palpable reminder of the height of his artistic achievements.
4. Grumblethorpe
Go on a ghostly tour at the Wister House! The German immigrant, John Wister and his family dominated Grumblethorpe. They created the American dream with their bare hands. His brother, Charles Jones Wister's tools are on display and some can be found in the Mercer Museum. The tools he used to become the successful astronomer, botanist, and chemist he is today is in perfect condition along with the desk Owen Wister wrote The Virginian on. Some have spotted ghosts haunted this town. You can even see the spine-chilling blood stain on the living room floor from when General Agnew died from a sniper bullet!
3. Laurel Hill Cemetery
Go on a classic Halloween flashlight tour with your family and friends this season through the winding pathways of the Laurel Hill Cemetery. Witness the amazing architecture in the darkness of the night with an experienced tour guide. If you are lucky, you may come across a spooky specter!
2. Pennhurst Asylum
This asylum has now been turned into a hospital themed, walk through, haunted attraction that include props from the original State School. Other attractions at the Pennhurst Asylum include "The Dungeon of Lost Souls," which displays the haunted halls and cells of the building and a series of chilling human experiments that includes computer-generated imagery, a tour through the underground tunnels, and also ghost hunts that were featured on Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures! If you are looking for a thrilling attraction, this is the one for you!
1. Eastern State Penitentiary
The founder's Quaker-inspired belief that solitary confinement can transform criminals left a hair-raising reputation for the Gothic, castle-like prison. Home to some of America's most notorious criminals such as Al Capone, Eastern State Penitentiary was an experiment to see how criminals reacted to being isolated. Once being the most expensive building in the USA, Eastern State was finally abandoned after 142 years of use in 1971 and now serves as a haunted attraction during the Halloween season and is open for tours year round. You can witness the cells of infamous prisoners, their escape tactics, and even Al Capone's decorated prison cell!
