Share your room with a Ghost this Halloween

SHARE YOUR ROOM WITH A GHOST FOR HALLOWEEN

Regardless whether you believe in ghosts, haunted hotels can be a real hoot. Haunted America Tours has put together a Top 10 Haunted Hotels of the United States at www.hauntedamericatours.com/toptenhaunted/toptenhauntedhotels/.

Topping the list is Hotel Provincial in New Orleans, where guests report seeing the ghosts of soldiers in what was once a Confederate hospital. Building No. 5 is reputed to be the most haunted. (www.hotelprovincial.com; 800-535-7922; rates from $79). You can find reports of haunted hotels all over the country. To narrow the choices, look for one that embraces its ghostly brethren.

• The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colo.: Horror novelist Stephen King stayed in room 217 while writingThe Shining, but rooms 408 and 418 are said to be the most haunted. The hotel offers the Historic Ghost Tour, which includes visits to haunted rooms and an underground tunnel, for $15 per person. Reservations are recommended; call 970-577-4110. (www.stanleyhotel.com; 800-976-1377; rates from $129).

• Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach, Calif.: During select nights in October and on Nov. 1, the ocean liner-turned-hotel hosts ``Shipwreck: 15 Nights of Terror,'' which includes five scary mazes. Tickets start at $29. Get two tickets and accommodations on board for $225 with the Shipwreck ``RIP'' Overnight package. (www.queenmary.com; 800-437-2934).

• The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Ark.: Once a cancer hospital and girls' school, this hotel is packed with ghosts, including a regular in room 218. Mediums conduct nightly tours for $18 per person, $7 for ages 5 and younger. (www.crescent-hotel.com; 877-342-9766; rates from $149)

• Le Pavillon Hotel in New Orleans: Capitalizing on its four resident ghosts, the hotel offers the Le Pavillon Haunted Experience with evening seance-inspired turndown service, two adult passes for the Ghost Expeditions French Quarter Investigation and more. Package starts at $149. (www.lepavillon.com; 800-535-9095)

• Queen Anne Hotel in San Francisco: The hotel lobby is the starting point for the San Francisco Ghost Hunt, a walking tour that leaves daily at 7 p.m., except Tuesdays. Cost is $20 per person, $10 for ages 16 and younger (not recommended for 8 or younger). Reservations are not required; visit www.sfghosthunt.com or call 415-922-5590. (www.queenanne.com; 415-441-2828; rates from $159)

-- ANN TATKO-PETERSON

from www.miamiherald.com