Most haunted places

Looking for something new to do during your travels? Trade your usual fun-in-the-sun vacation for one of these strange phenomena, unexplainable events or mysterious murder locations. These are the Top Ten most haunted places in the world.

1. The Amityville House. If you haven't seen the movie (disappointingly not scary), this house is located on 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, N.Y. and was the site of a brutal family murder in which 23 year old Ronal DeFeo, Jr. shot and killed his parents and 4 younger siblings on November 14, 1974. A little over a year later, George and Kathy Lutz and their 4 children moved in, knowing about the tragic events that took place. Soon after moving in, strange things began to happen.

2. Eastern State Penitentiary. Built in 1829 in Philadelphia, Penn. was the first prison to institute solitary confinement, which is widely believed to have caused mental illness among its prisoners. Abandoned in 1971, there are rumors of strange happenings. Cell Block 12 is famous for is disembodied laughter, and one guard tower appears on some nights to be occupied by a shadowy figure keeping watch over the empty prison.

3. Edinburgh Castle. This castle in Scotland was constructed as a military fortress in the early 12th century. Haunted tours are offered in its dungeons and in 2001 it became the site of one of the largest paranormal investigations in history. A team of 9 researchers and over 200 members of the public explored the castle's forgotten chamber and secret passages. The public was not told which areas were haunted and 51% reported paranormal experiences, while 35% did so in the non-haunted areas.

4. Gettysburg Battlefield. The battle of Gettysburg lasted for 3 days and was one of the bloodiest in American history. 50,000 young men died and it said that the site is haunted by fallen soldiers unable to accept their untimely fate.

5. The Myrtles Plantation. This estate is in St. Francisville, La. and was built in 1795 and is considered one of America's most haunted locales. It allegedly hosts several ghosts, one of the most popular tales concerns a former slave named Chloe, who as legend has it, had her ear chopped off by her master for eavesdropping. She allegedly sought revenge by poisoning a birthday cake which killed 2 of the slave master's daughters. Chloe was said to have been hung by fellow slaves and lingers around the plantation.

6. The Queen Mary. A former luxury ocean liner and war ship, it was purchased by the city of Long Beach in 1967 and transformed into a hotel. Among the ghosts reportedly still hanging around are a sailor who died in the ship's engine room, a "lady in white," and children who drowned in the ship's pool.

7. The Tower of London. This was built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century as a prison. Among the ghosts that haunt the building are Anne Boleyn, the wife of Henry VIII who was beheaded in 1536; Lady Grey, who was spotted by a guardsman on Feb. 12, 1957, on the 403rd anniversary of her death; and Sir Walter Raleigh.

8. The Whaley House. Located in San Diego, this house was classified as haunted in the 1960s by the U.S. Commerce Department. The Travel Channel has also claimed it as America's most supernatural home. The earliest ghost was "Yankee" Jim Robinson, who was hanged on the site in 1852. When James Whaley built the house in 1857, he claimed to hear Robinson padding loudly through the halls. Whaley and his wife are also said to inhabit the house, announcing their presence with cigar smoke and perfume.

9. The White House. According to lore, some of its inhabitants felt such ties to the seat of the American power that they chose to linger long after their deaths. If you believe the whispers, the ghost of Abigail Adams (wife of John) does laundry in the East Room, while Dolley Madison's spirit likes to lurk around the Rose Garden, and the Lincoln Bedroom may be the site of visits from Honest Abe.

10. The Winchester House. This house isn't actually haunted, but it is still one of the spookier construction projects in history. After the death of her husband and child, Sarah Winchester (the wife of the rifle-maker's son) consulted a seer who proclaimed her family had been killed by the ghosts of those who died of bullets from her family's guns. The seer suggested that only perpetual construction on the family's mansion could mollify these spirits, which is what Sarah ordered. Workmen labored on the property every hour of every day for 38 years. The 160-room estate is very bizarre, with staircases leading to nowhere, doors that open onto brick walls, or ten-foot drops, and a window with an etched-glass spider-web motif.