Visit haunted prisons for a Halloween creep out

by Jamie Rhein on

Old prisons look creepy in the day. In the dark, they can really spook you. Perhaps it’s those rusted locks, the way cell doors sound when they clank shut, the stairs where people don’t tread anymore. Add a hangman’s noose or an electric chair, and you have a real chills up your back shudder.

Pair a trip to a prison on Halloween and you’re in for some screaming good times.

Or, if you can’t swing by one of these prisons before Halloween, take in a night tour when you get the chance. Each of the these three prisons featured offers night tours year round. And each have tales of being haunted.

Haunted or not, I can vouch for their chill factor. I’ve visited each of them.

(photo of stairway at Mansfield Reformatory taken by thadman.)

My most recent visit was to the Mansfield Reformatory. In its heyday, the prison was a reformatory for boys but was closed in the 1980s.

This goreous gothic building that looks both elegant and forbodding even in daylight acquired its most recent fame as the setting for the movie The Shawshank Redemption. Through Halloween weekend there is a haunted house here that is a guareenteed screamfest. People under 13-years of age are not allowed.

The reformatory’s Night of the Evil Dead haunted house experience takes in most of the prison that is now a museum. I met some folks who had been on the tour the night before I visited here during the day. They loved it and mentioned several times how they felt hoarse from screaming.

I’ve been to Alcatraz Island in San Franciso twice. Although haven’t been on the night tour here either, in the daylight wandering through the rooms where the likes of Al Capone hung out creates a chill factor straight off.

Add in the tales of the guys who tried to escape by swimming for the distant shore but never made it, and you have another creepy detail. There’s also the soliary confinement cell where you can experience the dark in a way that is different than perhaps you are used to.

The night tours at Alcatraz are Thursday through Monday and include special talks around certain themes. How about the Shadow of Death? There are others from which to choose. A bonus of Alcatraz’s night tours is the view of San Francisco.

The view was terrific by day. If you do go on this tour any time of the year, whether during the day or night, make sure you bring warm clothes. Even in the summer it gets chilly.

I did take the night torchlight tour of the Fremantle Prison in Perth, Australia. Very cool. I was hanging out with a group of adolescent boys as a field trip chaparone. This age is a hard crowd to please, but I promise, they were pleased big time.

The Fremantle Prison, built in 1850 by convicts, was a place where British citizens who committed crimes were sent along with people who already lived in Australia and were naughty. Later the prison was used as a military prison.

The night view of this prison is quite imposing. Of all the places we visited in Western Australia, this was one of the highlights.

One website is your guide to local etiquette

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Ever wondered how much you need to tip at restaurants while abroad? Or how many cheek kisses to give a new acqutainance? Or whether, in a particular country, it’s proper to wear shorts? (I’m looking at you, Andrew Zimmern!) One website has all the answers to those questions, and more.

While most guidebooks have sections on local etiquette, I haven’t found too many websites that aggregate all that information in one place. Thankfully, I’ve just stumbled across Travel Etiquette, a site with dozens of articles explaining the everyday customs and traditions of many of your favorite travel destinations.

From the Sri Lanka entry:

“Women should not touch a Buddhist monk under any circumstance and should also never try to give anything directly to a monk… It’s OK to take pictures of statues and images of Buddha, but it’s not acceptable to pose in front of Buddha.”

From the Saudi Arabia article:

“If you are planning on giving your Saudi acquaintance a gift, remember that men presenting women with gifts, especially flowers, is not always wholly appropriate. A gift for the whole family would be well received.”

Got it? Trying to pose in front of Buddha = bad. Giving flowers to Saudi women = also bad.

Check out more tips here. (thanks to AlphaTangoBravo for the pic)

Museum of Funeral Customs

by Meg Massie on

If you’re looking for another great Halloween fun house, this isn’t it, but if you want to learn a few things about death and funerals, you’ll probably enjoy a visit to the Museum of Funeral Customs in Springfield, IL, conveniently located near the most popular tomb in America.

As one of few things every human experiences, death and grieving rituals have a wide, multicultural and ancient scope. Exhibits at the museum shed light on many different types of funeral rituals, and offer visitors a behind-the-scenes look into body preservation and presentation. You’ll see lots of different gadgets and tools used in the embalming process as well as a postmortem fashion display, showing popular funeral outfits for the deceased.

Of course, there’s a gift shop. The most popular souvenir, according to the director, are the locally-made chocolate coffins. When you open the lid, there’s a chocolate mummy inside. Now there’s something you can give out to trick-or-treaters!

After your visit to the museum, go less than a mile to Lincoln’s tomb, and while you’re there, be sure to visit the defiant tomb of Mr. Accordion, which is another fascinating and amusing story. Read about it here.

Civil War driving tours in Southeast Tennessee

by Jamie Rhein on

Here is a part of the U.S. that makes travel to it easy–and inexpensive with planning.

Southeast Tennessee tourism has handily divided aspects of travel to this region of the U.S. into various themes. There’s the Music Trail, the Farm Trail, the Artists and Fine Crafters Trail, the Religious Trail, and the Civil War Trail.

Each theme highlights a unique aspect of Southeast Tennessee culture, traditions and history. Click on the Music Trail link and there you are in a history lesson from Blues to Bluegrass. A calendar provides info about where you can hear the area’s music and purchase music-related items.

The Civil War Trail is a do-it-yourself driving tour that takes travelers past the places where soldiers traveled. There is a mix of museums, battlefields, railroad beds and historic houses that span 10 counties. (Click here to order a brochure.)

Even if you don’t have the chance to head here any time soon, the Web site offers a fascinating trip into the past.

For example, did you know there was a group of female rebels who made up an all female unit? Click here to find out more.

How to pack for a 5-day trip in a carry-on bag (laptop and video camera included)

by Jamie Rhein on


How to take as much as you like in your hand luggage from Matador Network on Vimeo.

Packing is a one of the subjects we watch closely here at Gadling. This time last year we posted a series “What’s in Your Pack?” dedicated to the art of carrying belongings from the people who know a thing or two about schlepping goods.

Every once in awhile, someone drops us a comment about a packing tip we haven’t thought of before. That’s what happened when Benny Lewis’s video “How to Get as Much as You Want into Your Carry-on Bag” posted at Traveler’s Notebook captured our attention–at least it did mine.

Lewis, “an Irish polygot and a freelance translator” demonstrates his packing techniques, a couple that I’ve used to keep down luggage weight. Wear your heavier clothing, for example. Heck, wear most of your clothing. As he points out, body weight does not count as extra weight, so go for it.

My most favorite tip is the one Lewis presents at the end of his video. He has a creative, although a kind of weird way to bring your towel along. It has something to do with superheroes.

On second thought, Lewis’s method could come in handy for doubling up as a blanket since it’s becoming harder to find one of those on an airplane.