Could This City Be Kentucky’s Premiere Halloween Town?

As we get closer to Halloween, I've been trying to scope out cool, ghoulish locations for a scary weekend road trip. It looks like I may not have to drive that far.

No, you won't find Jack Skellington, Sally, or Dr. Finkelstein in THIS Halloween town, but you will be surrounded by many street names that make well-known cameos in one of the greatest horror movies of all time. That would be Halloween.

The Halloween/Bowling Green Connection

Although filmed in California, there is a number of familiar names from the Bowling Green area heard in the film--Smiths Grove, Russellville, and Warren County to name a few. That's because Halloween director John Carpenter was once a student at Western Kentucky University and fell in love with the city of Bowling Green.

That's why the city offers the John Carpenter Driving Tour AND why the website provides all the references in a handy list.

The Old Richardsville Bridge

Just north of Bowling Green, off SR 185, you'll find the Old Richardsville Bridge. Legend has it that a woman who died on that bridge haunts it to this day and will push idle vehicles across it.

Detractors claim there's a slight enough incline that if you DO bring your vehicle to a complete stop but leave it in neutral, it WILL start to move. But I did it, and I'm still not 100% sure.

The Skeleton's Lair Scream Park

This year marks the 25th anniversary of one of Kentucky's most popular fright-fests. The Skeleton's Lair Scream Park is actually four attractions in one and is open every weekend (Fri-Sat-Sun) through November 2nd. It will also be open on Halloween which is on a Thursday this year.

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Additionally, my grandfather, who grew up in Bowling Green, once told something that happened when he was in his early 20s and returning home from a job he'd had out of town. On a backroad, he had seen a member of his mother's house staff--I can't think of his name, now--and he thought it was odd that the man was out there. When he got home and asked his mother about it, she said the man had died, like, three weeks earlier.

Plus, the ONLY terrifying experience I ever had with a Ouija board happened in my dorm at Western. We were taking it very seriously, but it still "ruffled some feathers."

So, between Carpenter, the scream park, the bridge, and just, well, a certain gothic vibe, I nominate Bowling Green as Kentucky's top Halloween town. I couldn't be THAT wrong, right?

[SOURCE: Forbes]