Put on your favorite scary movies and dust off those witches and skeletons, Halloween is almost here! At Unique Venues, we appreciate a good scare, and we hope you do too. To celebrate Halloween and all of its ghoulish fun, we prepared a list of our favorite spooky spaces where you can hold your next event. If you're looking for an event venue that may include some "uninvited guests", these spooky spaces are sure to do the trick.
President Lincoln's Cottage
Washington, DC
Jenny Phillips
202-688-3732
[email protected]
Mary Todd Lincoln had a strong belief in ghosts. She even once said that she ran into the ghost of Andrew Jackson in the White House. The former First Lady was also known to hold séances to connect with spirits. One of the sites she would hold her famous séances is President Lincoln's Cottage, a summer residence that President Lincoln and his family would visit from time to time. While President Lincoln's Cottage is a national monument today, it is available to rent for a wide variety of different public and private events. Organizers can even hold their own séance if they so choose.
Buffalo Trace Distillery
Frankfort, KY
Lucy Slusher
502-696-5996
[email protected]
While you can certainly get a good drink at Buffalo Trace Distillery, the "World's Most Decorated Distillery" may have more spirits than bourbon in their barrel warehouse. This is one distillery that loves a good scare, holding an annual Halloween event filled with ghosts, Mystery Theater, and a whole lot of bourbon. The distillery is available for rent, and all venue rentals come with a free ghost tour. If you like both kinds of spirits, this may be the spooky space for your next event.
The Castle at Boston University
Boston, MA
Michael Ciarlante
617-353-3520
[email protected]
All castles need a ghost, and the Castle at Boston University is no exception. It was built in the early 1900s as home to one of Boston's most prominent families. One of the most joyous family events to happen there was the marriage of the eldest daughter, whose happiness was short lived when she and her husband were honeymooning to Europe aboard the ill-fated Lusitania.
The Castle, now one of BU's unique event spaces, is home to hundreds of events each year. If guests look hard enough, they are bound to see our ephemeral bride wandering the halls. And she's been known to join the events, especially weddings, where's she's reportedly been seen laughing and dancing next to brides as she did a century ago. Hollywood knows of our ectoplasmic apparition as parts of Ghostbusters were filmed at the Castle.
Plan your next event at the Castle and enjoy the royal treatment…ghost and all.
The Music Hall
Portsmouth, NH
Ashleigh Tucker Pollock
603-766-2202
[email protected]
The Music Hall is a fully-restored Victorian music theatre that may house some staff and guests who decided that they never wanted to leave. Staff members who arrive early in the day to open the theater have oftentimes seen a man wearing a top hat sitting in the orchestra seating when no one else is there. Also, employees note that the restroom facilities, which are motion detected, often go off by themselves, again with no one around. Well, nobody who is alive at least.
But don't take our word for it, have a look for yourself! In addition to hosting artists and corporate events, The Music Hall staff organizes a paranormal tour every year with some chilling results. If you would like to keep your guests' minds racing as they explore your event venue, The Music Hall is the perfect spooky space.
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA
Imad Zubi
413-538-2333
[email protected]
Although Mount Holyoke's campus might be one of the most beautiful in the nation, it might also be one of the scariest. Campus legends and ghost stories have endured the test of time at Mount Holyoke College. From ghost sightings in Wilder to faint mysterious noises in South Mandelle, many students and alumnae have experienced or heard of supernatural occurrences.
We encourage you to check out stories about the "Woman in White at Wilder" and the "Ghost Underneath the Bridge" who appear during finals time, and many more stories featured on the Haunted Mount Holyoke blog, maintained by the university. If you're not too scared, this could be a fantastic spooky space to hold your next event.
Carter Hall Conference Center
Millwood, VA
Emma Dekker-Arellano
540-837-9515
[email protected]
Carter Hall is an 18th century colonial home that was passed down for many generations in the Burwell family. Despite renovations and meticulous maintenance through the many years, the floors can't help but creak and the windows sometimes whistle …Or do they?
We definitely wouldn't say Carter Hall is haunted. Nothing truly frightening has ever occurred. That being said, we would be lying if we claimed we don't have some good stories to tell around the campfire.
Perhaps one the most interesting anecdotes is the one about the "Phantom Coach". After Nathaniel Burwell, who founded Carter Hall, had passed away in 1814, residents of Carter Hall began experiencing a peculiar phenomenon from time to time. While inside the mansion, they would hear the distinct sound of a horse drawn carriage pulling up in front of the house, late at night.
Imagine their surprise when they would look out the window or open the front door, and there was no carriage to be seen. Because Nathaniel often travelled by carriage, it seems conceivable to imagine it was old Burwell stopping by. What‘s particularly spooky is that this occurrence has been reported by different people, on separate occasions, various times over the many years.
The Phantom Coach hasn't come around for many years, except the lights will sometimes flicker and a door occasionally slams. But things like that can happen anywhere, right? If you would like the answer to that question, you should rent Carter Hall for your next event.
Kittitas Valley Event Center
Ellensburg, WA
Jill Scheffer
509-962-7675
[email protected]
The Kittitas Valley Event Center is right next to Central Washington University and Downtown Ellensburg where there have been many strange happenings.
In Central Washington University, there is always the possibility of seeing a ghost. Barto Hall is haunted on the top floor in the room now known as "C-37". Locals and students have said that a young man haunts the room. People who have lived there in the past have heard strange noises and seen apparitions of him standing in the door way to the bedroom.
In Beck Hall, apparitions have been seen, but those could have just been an anomaly with the light, right? But then there is Kamola Hall. Kamola Hall is haunted by the ghost of a former student that committed suicide there when she found out that her fiancé had been killed during the war. People have reported unusual noises and sightings over the years. Even today, some of the students residing in the building have reported strange occurrences such as doors opening and closing by themselves and knocking on doors except nobody was there.
In downtown Ellensburg at Liberty Theatre, people say they have heard sounds and screaming in the theater at night. And then there is the issue of the bathroom doors opening and closing without anybody entering and leaving.
Finally, we have to talk about Olmstead Place. This old homestead was the first homestead in Kittitas Valley. It was once used as an Indian fort and is now a state park. People have reported the feeling of being watched there, and sightings of Native Americans have been reported along the creek. Others have reported hearing a woman screaming and a baby crying during the full moon!
Needless to say, if you need a spooky space in Washington, the Kittitas Valley Event Center is a good one.
