To help put you in the right mindset for a modern-day witch-hunt, check out the museum's blog at www.salemwitchmuseum.com/blog for more information, including suggestions for pre-arrival reading.

Eerie traditions in Edinburgh, Scotland

An international witch hunt might lead you to Scotland, where the North Berwick Witch Trials happened in 1590-1592, some 20 miles from the capital of Edinburgh. The gothic architecture and peculiar history of the Scottish capital add to the city's allure as a bewitching destination. Grave robbers are a notorious part of Edinburgh history and urban legend tells morbid tales of plague victims left to die in underground streets.

Even luxury respects the role of witches and the supernatural: October guests at the prestigious Balmoral Hotel can enjoy the perk of Halloween Afternoon Tea, but the concierge staff says the demand for tours of the eerie and bloodcurdling is high year-round.

The top draws include a castle dungeon attraction featuring actors and thrill rides and the Real Mary King's Close, a series of underground lanes and housing spaces located beneath the Royal Mile that lend themselves to visions of murder and disease. The underground area will host Dark Truth Tours from October 26-31.

Any time of year you might find a library reading, a festival or an underground tour honoring Edinburgh's darker side. If you're one to study the history of Halloween itself, you'll find plenty of claims that the tradition of All Hallow's Eve has Scottish roots.

Finding traditional haunts

From scream parks to corn mazes to haunted homes, sites that evoke ghoulish pleasures are so popular that the Haunted Attraction Association was formed in 2010, to promote the top haunted places around the world, a $300 million industry. If you want to find a scary site in a specific area, the HAA website has a "Haunt Finder" and you can also check out past winners of the organization's annual Oscare Awards.