Terrifying trails, tours, and the devil’s hangout: 5 scary things to do in NC this Halloween

People in NC love myths and storytelling. Around Halloween, that means ghost stories. Here are 5 ways to celebrate spooky season, ranging from terrifying to fun for the kids. 

I caught the bug for scary stuff early. 

Stephen King’s book “It” made an impact when I was 10 or 11. I had my suspicions about clowns anyway. Pennywise just confirmed them. 

I’m 42 now and I still love having the crap scared out of me. I can’t tell you why. Look, is this a listicle or a psychological assessment? 

The point is: We’re creeping into late October and you’re probably looking for scary things to do in North Carolina. I’m here to help you this Halloween.

North Carolina has more spooky ghost stories and creepy places than Stephen King’s basement, so let’s check out the best of them. 

Kersey Valley Spookywoods

Archdale

Kersey Valley Spookywoods is probably the most frightening (but fun!) thing you can do in North Carolina.

This Greensboro-area attraction will stun you with its intricate sets, outstanding costumes, and its length (by my watch, I was in there for about an hour). 

Is there any haunted attraction in North Carolina that tries harder than Kersey Valley? Are there any employees anywhere having as much fun as the costumed cast of ghouls and goblins here? There are dozens of cast members, and they’re giving 150%. 

You’ll walk through a haunted house, a haunted forest, take a tractor ride, and visit several surprise haunts that I’m not going to spoil. Let’s just say fans of classic horror films will recognize them. 

A warning: Depending on how stout-hearted your kids are, you might want to leave them home for this. The “jump scares” are legit and some scenes are too gory for the kids. 

As far as haunted attractions go, it’s pricey. Tickets go for $35 for general admission, with about an hour wait. VIP tickets (for a shorter wait) are $65 and “immediate access” tickets are $99, but the price is well worth it. And when you consider the number of staff, the sets, and the real brains that go into this Triad production, the ticket price makes a lot of sense. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kersey Valley Spookywoods (@spookywoods)

Devil’s Tramping Ground

Siler City

Scary things don’t have to be a big production. Sometimes, it’s just a bare patch in the woods. 

The Devil’s Tramping Ground in Chatham County is a remote wooded space where the devil goes to pace and generally do evil stuff. Guess he doesn’t need wi-fi. 

I don’t know why we assume ol’ hornhead is up to no good. He might just be getting in his steps. Even the devil needs cardio. 

I can’t confirm whether the devil is real or not, but I can confirm a 40-foot circle of dead grass which might be evidence of charnel deeds or of people having campfires here. 

Obviously, don’t visit this spooky attraction in the daylight because that would be boring. 

Brown Mountain Lights

Near Morganton

The decades go by and old ghost stories like the Brown Mountain Lights tend to look more and more explainable, but this list is about suspension of disbelief, so let’s have fun with it. 

These spooky lights over Brown Mountain near Morganton are either ghost signals or UFOs. Stories of them began circling in the early 1900s and it has absolutely, positively nothing to do with the rapid electrification of the region in those days. 🤣

The lights, they say, look like dancing globes bobbing on the mountain range. 

[Editor’s Note: Check on travel conditions out west before you visit. Helene’s wreaked havoc in the area.] 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Justin Potter (@jpotterphoto)

An unofficial horror movie tour in NC

Various locations

Here’s an idea for the really enterprising types. 

North Carolina has been home to a whole lot of horror movies over the years, from “Scream” to “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” “Cabin Fever,” and “Evil Dead 2.”

Visit NC has a great listing of the sites, from Wilmington to Mount Airy, from Wadesboro to Asheville, and there’s a lot of good color to stock up on while you’re visiting. 

Outer Banks Ghost Tours

Manteo

Ever been to the Outer Banks? Here are two things I can guarantee you’ll see there, other than the Atlantic Ocean: Lots of books about ghost stories and pirates, which might be the same thing.

In other words, the coast takes its ghost stories very seriously.

Manteo hosts an excellent downtown ghost tour that’s good for the family. It’s more than an hour long and tickets are $25. Bonus: If you’re not digging the ghosts, downtown Manteo is gorgeous.