Is your family up for a fright? With fall in the air and Halloween around the corner, we’ve rounded up four family hotels to help you get your hocus-pocus on - including some kid-focused ghost tours. And if that’s not enough, we just watched last year’s creepily beautiful flick, A Haunting in Venice, and decided it’s the perfect time to dish on our stay in an incredibly well-located villa offering close-up canal views that our kids were absolutely mesmerized by.

Do you have tips we missed? Suggestions on family stays? We’d love to hear your feedback. Simply hit “reply” on this email to send a note!

Four Frightfully Fun, Haunted Hotels

Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, California
This beachfront resort is full of haunted history. In 1892, a young lady named Kate Morgan checked into a guestroom on the third floor and tragically took her own life. Since then, she's rumored to haunt the room (the most requested by guests, it turns out) with reports of flickering lights, unexplained footstep sounds and more. Today, guests ages 12 and up can learn more first hand via the hotel's nightly Haunted Happenings tour, which details Kate's stay and more hauntings.

When not spooking out, guests can soak up the charm of this beachfront resort, with beach cruiser rentals, movie nights under the stars and private s'more bonfires. The summertime Ocean Explorers program offers supervised educational fun for ages 5-12 for a fee.

The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Dubbed America's most haunted hotel, The Crescent is uniquely historical. In the early 1900s, a millionaire purchased the property and began operating it as a hospital that could cure cancer - despite having zero medical training. Today, his spirit (and others) haunt the halls. Families can book a Ghost Tour for Kids (ages 5-12) detailing the spooky history.

Basic but comfortable, this Ozarks outpost is family friendly. Guests have access to family games set up each day on the back patio, a self-guided hotel scavenger hunt, yard games, bonfires and plenty of kid-friendly seasonal activities.

Hotel Alex Johnson in Rapid City, South Dakota
Visited by the TV show Ghost Hunters, the legendary Hotel Alex Johnson doesn't shy away from its spooky reputation. In fact, it quite embraces it, even offering a package that includes a K2 meter ghost detector with your stay. Upgrades to haunted rooms are available, if you dare.

Don't be fooled by the hotel's modern day, Hilton-standard appearance. It's reported that in the 1970s, a bride flung herself from the window of room 812 and haunts it till this day. She's known as the Lady in White.

Omni Parker House in Boston, Massachusetts
This historic hotel has been rumored to be haunted for decades, though recent claims have waned. If you're brave enough to book a stay, you may want to avoid the tenth floor. That's where guests have long reported spooky sightings, including misty apparitions of an old man, giddy whispers outside an empty doorway, and the smell of cigar smoke wafting through the air. Read more here.

Families looking to book a stay might consider the luxe Freedom Trail Suite, which offers a king bed and separate bunk bed space. This suite sleeps up to four guests. Deluxe guestrooms, offering two double beds, also sleep up to four at a far more affordable rate.

Up-Close Canal Views in Venice

Perhaps the most stand-out features of this Venetian villa are two bedroom windows that look out directly onto one of the city’s busy canal waterways. Ripples of glee erupted from our children as they perched on the windows ledge, peering out at passing gondolas.

Tucked off the beaten path, but still offering amazingly easy access to Venice’s most bustling piazzas is this stylish two-bedroom, one-bath vacation rental called Corte Rubbi 5514. Only a few minutes walk from many of the island’s attractions – like St. Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal – the ground-floor unit offers something that a lot of accommodations in Venice aren’t able during the summer months: peace and quiet. It’s location will take you a minute to find; it’s tucked down a narrow ally, behind a church, and within a small residential courtyard. The main door spills right into the small living space of the apartment (though you’ll find it much larger than a hotel!); no need to worry about lugging suitcases or little ones up and down flights of stairs.

P.S. If you’re noodling a visit to Venice, consider a book or stuffie from the sweet Leo and Venezia collection of kids products, created by local artists. It tells the story of Leo’s experience throughout the city and is a darling way to introduce kids to Venezia ahead of arrival!

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