October 29th, 2011 
I know we all love the candy and cute costumes of Halloween, but let’s not forget that the most delicious part of Halloween is the spookiness: the chills down your spine, the stories of ghouls and ghosts and witches that go so perfectly with this time of year. DC, Virginia, and Maryland are all areas with amazing histories, but not all of those histories gets included in the textbooks. The really juicy macabre stories are available for locals this Halloween, and there’s no better way to enjoy the spine-tingling aspects of the season than at a guided ghost tour.
Photo Credit: historicstrolls.com
Ghost Stories of Lafayette Square takes you to what is supposedly the city’s most haunted area. The tour covers 200 years of ghostly happenings, as well as some more recent eyewitness sightings. Nothing jumps out and scares you, it’s just some good old-fashioned spine-thingling storytelling. Your ghostly guide will be pressed up as one of the specters you’ll hear about; guess which one and win a prize!
WHEN: this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 8 p.m., Monday October 31st at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: the tour leaves from outside of the
Department of Veteran’s Affairs Building
Vermont and I (eye) St NW
(outside of the McPherson Square Metro stop)
TICKETS: $12 for adults, $6 for kids 16 and under. Guests with military ID (active or retired) pay half price. Buy from your ghostly guide before the tour starts, or online here.
Photo Credit: nvrpa.com
Haunted Leesburg Parapsychologist Tour, Haunted Dinner, and Cornfield Maze: join a leading parapsychologist -an actual ghostbuster- and explore Leesburg Virginia on a night of true ghosts stories and some frightening fun. The evening begins with a group trip through the world’s largest cornfield maze, then goes to a dinner at the Green Tree Restaurant at 7:30 p.m., during which you’ll hear about the ghostly history of this 18th-century restaurant. u’d then goes to the town of Leesburg. Under its quaint historical appearance, the city hides numerous stories of ghostly happenings. A warning for the faint of heart: some of these stories are really frightening, and at one point in the tour you will actually be invited to touch a ghost. If that sounds too daunting, better to stay at home.
WHEN: Sunday, October 30, from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
WHERE:
the tour starts at the Cornfield Maze
15770 Temple Hall Lane,
Leesburg, VA
TICKETS: $65 for the maze, dinner, and tour. Available here.
Photo Credit: wikipedia.org
The Georgetown shopping area may seem like nothing more sinister than a place to see what’s new at Anthropologie and J. Crew, but anyone who’s seen The Exorcist knows that the area has the potential for some serious scariness. The Haunted Georgetown Walking Tour reveals the truth behind that potential, staring at the haunted Oak Hill Cemetery and ending at the famous “Exorcist” steps. There will be an optional reception with cash bar after the tour.
WHEN: Sunday, October 30, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
WHERE:
27th & Q Streets
Washington, D.C.
TICKETS: $30, available here.
