Spooktacular Tricks, Treats and Ghoulish Fun Awaits in Virginia Beach

Head to Virginia Beach this spooky season for haunted attractions, scary sites and more.

The Cavalier Hotel

As a real-life haunted mansion, the hotel has had its fair share of celebrity “guests.” Muhammad Ali, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra and Al Capone are the marquee names that stayed at the hotel and legend has it Coors Beer founder, Adolph Coors, once stayed there too, but met a tragic end by jumping from a sixth-floor window in 1929. There are many accounts of a disappearing bellman who offers warnings of ghost sightings, the Crystal Ballroom piano playing by itself and even a lost cat meowing and scratching at doors.

First Landing State Park

If you are interested in searching for buried treasure, First Landing State Park is the ideal spot. This was one of the favorite lookouts of infamous pirate captain Blackbeard and the treasure is rumored to be there. The legend says if you get too close to the treasure along the beach, a headless specter will appear to guard the treasure.

Witch of Pungo

Grace White Sherwood (1660–1740), called the Witch of Pungo, is the last person known to have been convicted of witchcraft in Virginia. Alive during the time of witchcraft hysteria, her neighbors frequently made accusations against her; to prove her innocence, Grace agreed to trial by ducking and was thrown overboard into Lynnhaven River. Onlookers gathered at Ferry Plantation were amazed when she surfaced and her survival reinforced the belief of her being a witch. She was then put in jail. After being released she lived out her life in peace but legend has it, she was buried under a tree on the Plantation and many who live by it report that, on clear nights, you can see the shape of a woman with long wet hair walking the banks of the river.

Ferry Plantation

The Witch of Pungo isn’t the only spirit that haunts Ferry Plantation. Built in 1830, Ferry Plantation House is a three-story brick structure recognized as a City Landmark. The house is open for several events throughout the year, including Halloween. As many as 11 ghosts are believed to haunt the building, including a former resident named Thomas Williamson who worked as a painter; a slave named Henry; and a woman named Sally Rebecca Walke who still mourns the loss of her love.

Some other notable destinations and events are the Hunt Club Farm Fall Harvest Fair, Nightmare Mansion, the Wicked 10K and the Boneyard Brewing & Cider Festival.