Supernatural Tourism Ideas for Kids

If your kids (or you) are fascinated by tales of Nessy and Big Foot, your family doesn’t have to travel to Scotland or the Himalayas to visit places known for their mysterious cryptids. America has its own share, and you can seek them out in nearly every region.

The best known is Champ (also called Champy) in Lake Champlain. This large lake borders Vermont, New York and the Canadian province of Québec, and according to more than 300 reported sightings, is home to a 20-foot sea serpent. Several sightings have been by passengers on the Spirit of Ethan Allen III, which sails from downtown Burlington, Vermont, for sightseeing cruises.

Follow King Street to the waterfront to find the stone monument to Champ and those who have reported seeing it. Across the Lake in Port Henry, New York, is a giant model of Champ, and each August, the town celebrates Champ Day.

Across the northern states, from Washington to New York’s Adirondacks, come reports of Sasquatch, North America’s version of Bigfoot. Prospectors in 1924 reported an encounter with several aggressive ape-like creatures in the mountains near Mount Saint Helens, an area now known as “Ape Canyon.” Footprints measuring 15–19 inches long have been found here and elsewhere in Washington’s mountains, as well as in the forests of North Cascades National Park. In 1969, a trail of more than 1,000 footprints were found in Bossburg. In the 1980s, more than 200 tracks were reported in Northern California. In the east, the dense forests of the Adirondack Mountains are also known for repeated Sasquatch sightings.

Maine has its own sea serpent, called Cassie, spotted in Casco Bay, near Portland. Reports describe it as between 60 and 150 feet long, and swimming at very high speeds. Colors reported vary from green to brown to black, with large black spots.

There’s another reason to take your kids to Portland, Maine. The International Cryptozoology Museum is the only one of its kind in the world, a small space crowded full of scientific exhibits, specimens, footprint casts, depictions, photos of sightings and folk traditions of various cryptids from around the world. Especially fun for kids are the displays of toys, cartoon characters and other artifacts based on imaginary creatures (think Ninja Turtles).

The last sighting of The Bear Lake Monster was in 2002 in the lake between Utah and Idaho, and like the monster of Honey Island Swamp in Louisiana and Mothman in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, the cryptid has become a draw for tourism. Honey Island Swamp is a spooky world of long-rooted cypress trees, and even if they don’t see a monster, the kids will love spotting alligators on a boat ride with Honey Island Swamp Tours.