Top 10 Weirdest Day Trip Destinations
August 8, 2014
Do you ever find yourself hopping in the car with no real destination, just a desire to get away from normal life? Some of us just need a meandering trip around the neighborhood to feel refreshed. Others prefer a full-on paranormal voyage.
If you’ve got a taste for the surreal, the supernatural, or the thoroughly freaky, it’s time to embark on a road trip with a difference. From haunted cemeteries and museums of medical oddities to trippy national parks, these 10 destinations are sure to open your mind – if not your third eye.
1. Joshua Tree National Park, CA: There's no other landscape on Earth that quite resembles Joshua Tree National Park, which is named for the spiky, alien-looking plants that populate its desert expanse. No wonder the national park has long drawn the spiritually inclined: It's also home to the Institute of Mentalphysics (no, that's not a typo). Even if you're not primed to embark on an otherworldly journey, though, you can count on being wowed by the scenery.
Photo courtesy of Robert Miramontes/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Robert Miramontes/iStock/Thinkstock
2. The Dakota, New York, NY: Standing sentry-like over Central Park, The Dakota is high on the list of infamously spooky buildings across the U.S. The imposing, gothic building is rumored to be haunted by a number of ghosts, and served as the setting for '60s horror flick Rosemary's Baby. It was also the location of John Lennon's death in 1980, which only increased the macabre associations. Murder, paranormal encounters, and the son of Satan – not bad for just one building.
Photo courtesy of tupungato/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of tupungato/iStock/Thinkstock
3. Muir Woods, Mill Valley, CA: Entering an old-growth redwood forest like Muir Woods feels like stepping into a fairytale world: Like Jack and the Giant Beanstalk, you suddenly find yourself dwarfed by the extraordinary scale of the trees around you. Add in misty air, shafts of sunlight, and cool temperatures and you're bound for a downright remarkable experience.
Photo courtesy of Choudhury Nanda/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Choudhury Nanda/iStock/Thinkstock
4. The Alamo, San Antonio, TX: The Alamo is more than just a half-remembered vestige from your high school textbooks. It's an impressive – and very eerie – Texas landmark. Given that the historic fort was the sight of a bloody battle, there have been a number of ghostly encounters – including chills and unexplained sensations of melancholy – experienced by visitors here. Nighttime ghost tours spookily evoke this long-ago massacre.
Photo courtesy of jamespharaon/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of jamespharaon/iStock/Thinkstock
5. The Stanley Hotel, CO: If you've seen The Shining, chances are the sight of The Stanley Hotel will send a little shiver up your spine. But this building is more than just a film set. Not only can you book a stay here, but the venue is supposedly haunted in real life, too. Our advice? Don't visit during a snowstorm, and if you see "Redrum" written anywhere, it's time to clear out. And fast.
Photo courtesy of Robert Kelsey/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Robert Kelsey/iStock/Thinkstock
6. The Mütter Museum, Philadelphia, PA: If your tastes tend towards the Tim Burton end of the spectrum, you'll want to make a beeline for Philadelphia's utterly bizarre and boundary-pushing Mütter Museum. Officially the city's museum of medical oddities, the Mütter has all kinds of stomach-churning specimens on display. From a wall of skulls to jarred brains and models of deformed bodies, this is not a destination for the squeamish or easily spooked.
Photo courtesy of George Widman, 2009, for the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Photo courtesy of George Widman, 2009, for the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
7. Alcatraz, San Francisco, CA: Though it's long since empty now, Alcatraz was once the most notorious of prisons: Nicknamed "The Rock" (no, not like the wrestler) and stranded in the middle of San Francisco Bay, it was where the most dire of criminals were holed up. Over the years, guards and prisoners alike have contended that the place is highly haunted – if it's scary enough to freak out Al Capone, it's scary enough for us.
Photo courtesy of jewhyte/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of jewhyte/iStock/Thinkstock
8. Pierce County, WA: Washington has seen more sightings of the elusive, furry Sasquatch than any other state, and hotspot Pierce County has alone recorded 69 different Bigfoot encounters. Comprising forests as well as the peak of Mt. Rainier, this region is a favorite of hikers and campers – and also, apparently, shy humanoid apes.
Photo courtesy of jalphoto/iStock/Thinkstock
9. Salem, MA: Immortalized in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and 1693 are one of the darkest early chapters in American history. The episode of mass hysteria saw over two dozen executed or imprisoned. No wonder, then, that there are more than a few stories of dark spirits floating around the town.
Photo courtesy of Charles Brutlag/Hemera/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Charles Brutlag/Hemera/Thinkstock
10. Bachelor's Grove Cemetery, Bremen, IL: Ahh, nothing like an infamous cemetery to make the skin crawl. Bachelor's Grove, located a short drive from downtown Chicago, is a long-abandoned and derelict burial ground. Among the 19th century tombstones, visitors have claimed to see floating orbs of light, a "Madonna" in a white dress, and other spectral visions.
Photo courtesy of Christine Zenino/Flickr
Photo courtesy of Christine Zenino/Flickr
1. Joshua Tree National Park, CA: There's no other landscape on Earth that quite resembles Joshua Tree National Park, which is named for the spiky, alien-looking plants that populate its desert expanse. No wonder the national park has long drawn the spiritually inclined: It's also home to the Institute of Mentalphysics (no, that's not a typo). Even if you're not primed to embark on an otherworldly journey, though, you can count on being wowed by the scenery.
Photo courtesy of Robert Miramontes/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Robert Miramontes/iStock/Thinkstock
2. The Dakota, New York, NY: Standing sentry-like over Central Park, The Dakota is high on the list of infamously spooky buildings across the U.S. The imposing, gothic building is rumored to be haunted by a number of ghosts, and served as the setting for '60s horror flick Rosemary's Baby. It was also the location of John Lennon's death in 1980, which only increased the macabre associations. Murder, paranormal encounters, and the son of Satan – not bad for just one building.
Photo courtesy of tupungato/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of tupungato/iStock/Thinkstock
3. Muir Woods, Mill Valley, CA: Entering an old-growth redwood forest like Muir Woods feels like stepping into a fairytale world: Like Jack and the Giant Beanstalk, you suddenly find yourself dwarfed by the extraordinary scale of the trees around you. Add in misty air, shafts of sunlight, and cool temperatures and you're bound for a downright remarkable experience.
Photo courtesy of Choudhury Nanda/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Choudhury Nanda/iStock/Thinkstock
4. The Alamo, San Antonio, TX: The Alamo is more than just a half-remembered vestige from your high school textbooks. It's an impressive – and very eerie – Texas landmark. Given that the historic fort was the sight of a bloody battle, there have been a number of ghostly encounters – including chills and unexplained sensations of melancholy – experienced by visitors here. Nighttime ghost tours spookily evoke this long-ago massacre.
Photo courtesy of jamespharaon/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of jamespharaon/iStock/Thinkstock
5. The Stanley Hotel, CO: If you've seen The Shining, chances are the sight of The Stanley Hotel will send a little shiver up your spine. But this building is more than just a film set. Not only can you book a stay here, but the venue is supposedly haunted in real life, too. Our advice? Don't visit during a snowstorm, and if you see "Redrum" written anywhere, it's time to clear out. And fast.
Photo courtesy of Robert Kelsey/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Robert Kelsey/iStock/Thinkstock
6. The Mütter Museum, Philadelphia, PA: If your tastes tend towards the Tim Burton end of the spectrum, you'll want to make a beeline for Philadelphia's utterly bizarre and boundary-pushing Mütter Museum. Officially the city's museum of medical oddities, the Mütter has all kinds of stomach-churning specimens on display. From a wall of skulls to jarred brains and models of deformed bodies, this is not a destination for the squeamish or easily spooked.
Photo courtesy of George Widman, 2009, for the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Photo courtesy of George Widman, 2009, for the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
7. Alcatraz, San Francisco, CA: Though it's long since empty now, Alcatraz was once the most notorious of prisons: Nicknamed "The Rock" (no, not like the wrestler) and stranded in the middle of San Francisco Bay, it was where the most dire of criminals were holed up. Over the years, guards and prisoners alike have contended that the place is highly haunted – if it's scary enough to freak out Al Capone, it's scary enough for us.
Photo courtesy of jewhyte/iStock/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of jewhyte/iStock/Thinkstock
8. Pierce County, WA: Washington has seen more sightings of the elusive, furry Sasquatch than any other state, and hotspot Pierce County has alone recorded 69 different Bigfoot encounters. Comprising forests as well as the peak of Mt. Rainier, this region is a favorite of hikers and campers – and also, apparently, shy humanoid apes.
Photo courtesy of jalphoto/iStock/Thinkstock
9. Salem, MA: Immortalized in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and 1693 are one of the darkest early chapters in American history. The episode of mass hysteria saw over two dozen executed or imprisoned. No wonder, then, that there are more than a few stories of dark spirits floating around the town.
Photo courtesy of Charles Brutlag/Hemera/Thinkstock
Photo courtesy of Charles Brutlag/Hemera/Thinkstock
10. Bachelor's Grove Cemetery, Bremen, IL: Ahh, nothing like an infamous cemetery to make the skin crawl. Bachelor's Grove, located a short drive from downtown Chicago, is a long-abandoned and derelict burial ground. Among the 19th century tombstones, visitors have claimed to see floating orbs of light, a "Madonna" in a white dress, and other spectral visions.
Photo courtesy of Christine Zenino/Flickr
Photo courtesy of Christine Zenino/Flickr
