I’ve spent the last ten years chasing light across more than fifteen states. Every stop had something glowing, something eerie, something unforgettable. The spooky season has usually been my favorite time to travel, when imagination + magic meet. These are the kind of luminous adventures that led me to create Ruby Diamond’s world in A Streak of Light. Maybe that’s why I wrote it! Ruby Diamond follows the signs. And so do I.
69% of travelers planned a solo trip in 2024—and many say it’s because solo means you can follow the light wherever you choose
In 2023, about 83 million Americans were considering a solo trip—solo travelers now account for 11% of the overall U.S. travel market
Here are ten starry adventures I recommend this (or any) spooky season:
- Aspen, Colorado – A carriage ride at night. Snow sparkles. Hooves echo. The darkness closes in.
- Pumpkin Nights, Austin – Jack-o’-lantern trails. Grinning faces. October never ends. Book now in Austin!
- Commodore Perry Estate, Austin – A mansion party. A haunted past. The walls remember. The Estate runs ‘The Mystic Hour’ in the Mansion Bar, where guests can sip a cocktail and get a complimentary tarot reading, typically 5:00–6:30 pm. Their family-friendly All Hallow’s Eve festivities have featured palm readings/fortune-telling along with music, crafts, and a scavenger hunt—most recently listed around the last week of October.
- Savannah Historic District, Georgia – Gas lamps burn. Trees drip moss. Ghosts from 1820 follow you home. Stay at the Gastonian.
- Austin Candlelight Concerts, Texas – A thousand candles burn. Music swells. Halloween season is here!
- Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans – The perfect place to stay over for Halloween seeing as it’s haunted on the 14th floor!
- Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego – Lanterns flicker. Shadows stretch. The old theaters never really sleep.
- Catch LA, West Hollywood – Rooftop lights. Glittering city views.
- Wynwood Walls, Miami – Neon glows. Murals stare back.
- Seattle’s MoPOP Museum – a permanent exhibition called Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film, features over 50 original props and costumes from horror’s scariest classics.
Follow The Starlit Path for more starry adventures!
COLORADO
Aspen, Breckenridge, Denver, Vail, and Ouray all offer horse-drawn sleigh rides, the kind with jingling bells and blankets pulled tight. Aspen Carriage and Sleigh has been running them for over 40 years, and Breckenridge Stables keeps the tradition alive. On a cold October night, it feels less like a fairy tale—and more like a Halloween ghost story gliding through the snow.
Strings of lights in snowy Denver sleigh ride settings create a starlit path that makes the snowy landscape glow 
Golden lanterns outside a chapel in Beaver Creek radiate an enchanting glow in the dark 
The church lights emit a warm and inviting glow in the Beaver Creek chapel 
A Starlit Path of Christmas prayer illuminated the snow-soaked Colorado chapel 
The magical strings of lightbulbs in the snowy Colorado horse stable created a warm and enchanting ambiance 
Log Cabin Bliss: Icy Colorado Nights Illuminated by Strings of Light
TEXAS
Austin’s famed Pumpkin Nights at Pioneer Farms is the perfect glow-up for your Halloween season. Wander a half-mile illuminated trail bursting with over 7,500 hand-carved pumpkins, themed worlds like Pirate’s Cove and the Forbidden City, plus fire dancers and fall treats in the Village.
Halloween at the Driskill Hotel is all ghostly glamour—its old saloon bar is said to hold a mirror where haunted reflections linger long after the guests are gone
Soho House Austin hosts a Halloween bash themed “Boogie Nights”—a glamorous, 1970s-inspired party
Soho House Austin also transformed its space into a post-apocalyptic party one year
GEORGIA
Savannah is acclaimed as one of the most haunted cities in the U.S., offering an unforgettable spooky-night experience. Guided ghost walking tours—most around 90 minutes—wind through the city’s historic squares, graveyards, and candlelit streets, unearthing stories of war, yellow fever, and lingering spirits.
Spanish moss casts shadows, creating a moody sidewalk starry path 
The historic home in Savannah, Georgia, lit up the old town with glowing lanterns 
The crackling fireplace in the historic home burned with flames, creating a starlit path on that chilly Savannah night 
The soft glow from a radio’s light created a spooky effect in the old mansion on a dusky evening 
Soft lights cast starry light trails at the Savannah airport 
The crackling fireplace in an historic home burned with flames, creating a starlit path on a chilly Savannah night 
Bulbs adorning an old movie theater in Savannah, Georgia, create a vintage, starlit ambiance
TEXAS
If you want your Halloween nights to be wrapped in music and glow, Austin’s Candlelight Halloween Concerts deliver with haunting elegance. These aren’t your usual haunted house thrills—they’re candlelit, quiet, and spellbinding—exactly how I like my spooky glow.
Austin’s ‘Concerts by Candlelight’: A Hall of Flames Flickers in Musical Harmony 
Candlelight Sets the Stage Aglow in Austin Performance 
Austin’s ‘Concerts by Candlelight’: A Hall of Flames Flickers in Musical Harmony 
Candles added a warm glow to the San Antonio wedding 
Pan’s Pipe and a Moody Sunset: Magic at Austin’s Commodore Perry Hote
CALIFORNIA
San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter is a beautifully preserved Victorian-time district brimming with gas-lamp charm and nightlife buzz—all primed for Halloween’s eerie glow.
The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills hosts a festive pumpkin carving contest on The Rooftop, with sweeping city views and jack-o’-lantern glows
Hanging fairy lights in Los Angeles transform a restaurant into a starlit path of shimmering magic 
Lights in a toy replica of Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego magically bring the hotel lobby to life, even in miniature 
The glowing turret of Hotel Del Coronado acts like a luminous beacon 
San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter: Where Bulbs Transform the Spooky into Spectacular 
San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter: Where Bulbs Transform the Spooky into Spectacular
NEW YORK
New York is a glowing labyrinth of history and hauntings—but the area around Carnegie Hall? That’s a stage for spirits. The hall itself, an icon since 1891, is draped in music, but just beyond its gilded doors, the shadows whisper of secrets. Check out the best ghost tours in NYC here.
The crown jewel of Halloween glamour in New York? Heidi Klum’s annual Halloween Party
Discovered a starlit path of red velvet, leading the way to swanky New York tourist spots 
Radio City’s Neon Lights painted a Starlit Trail on the Sidewalks of New York 
The electric buzz of the neon lights 
Striking a starry pose on Avenue of the Americas in New York 
Hail to the city lights winding their way to live TV 
Flashing bulbs at Randolph’s in New York illuminated the night 
Following the twinkling lightbulbs, we stumbled upon an enchanting ice cream shop in Brooklyn 
Carnegie Hall Windows capture the essence of New York afternoons 
Entertainment Shines Through Golden Doors at Beaumont Theatre New York 
Shadows and Sunlight Paint a Picture at New York’s SYN Lawn 
Dusk skies painted a starlit trail of clouds over the New York skyline
FLORIDA
Miami isn’t just a beach city—it turns into something downright uncanny when October arrives. Think haunted mansions, jungle scare zones, and neon-drenched nights that feel like they’re glowing from another dimension.
WASHINGTON
Seattle’s MoPOP houses a permanent exhibition called Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film, featuring over 50 original props and costumes from horror’s scariest classics—think dangling bodies, Michael Myers masks, and jump-scare galleries that feel oddly alive.
LOUISIANA
New Orleans is a city that glows darkest at Halloween, and the French Quarter is its haunted heart. Imagine sipping a drink at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, one of the oldest bars in America, lit only by flickering candles said to guide the ghost of Jean Lafitte himself. Just down the street, the Hotel Monteleone’s Carousel Bar spins slowly like a circus ride, pulling you into its strange, enchanted orbit. Step into Muriel’s in Jackson Square and you’ll find a reserved table for the resident ghost, plus psychics offering readings in candlelit corners. Antique shops brim with relics that feel alive, and fortune tellers line Bourbon Street with tarot decks and crystal balls, whispering futures to anyone who dares. In New Orleans, Halloween isn’t just a night—it’s a season, and every glowing doorway promises another brush with the otherworld.
Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, one of the oldest bars in America
Spectral Visions: Crystal Ball Enchantments at Muriel’s in Jackson Square 
Starlit Hauntings: Tales from Enchanted Rooms in New Orleans’ French Quarter 
Casting Rainbows: Prism Magic in the Crescent City 
Starry Silhouettes: Light’s Play in the Starlit Town 
Starry firelight trails in the black sky pointed to the starlit path across the Mississippi in New Orleans 
Amid the lively ambiance of Bourbon Street, twinkling garlands in a charming pub cast a starry spell 
A starlit path of Christmas trees twinkled with holiday magic in New Orleans 
The lamplight wove a starry path through New Orleans, illuminating the city’s enchanting secrets 
Orbs in the Spotlight: Starlit Path Photos Reveal Hidden Spirits 
The neon lights on Bourbon Street blazed a multicolored starlit path 
The jazz echoing on Bourbon Street crafted a starlit path of musical cheer 
The blacksmith shops, aglow with lantern light, painted a starry scene that transported us to another time 
The carousel circus bulbs provided a starry escape 
The Neon Watcher: On the Hunt for Ghostly Spirits at Muriel’s in Jackson Square 
Catching the Light: Reflections in a Drinking Glass 
The Christmas trees adorned with twinkle lights created a magical starlit path, guiding us through the festive wonderland 
A starlit path of saxophones electrified the spirit of the city, filling the night with soulful melodies that danced through the air 
Mardi Gras beads lit up the night, weaving a magical starlit path through the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans 
The Gleam of the Past: held shiny appeal in Antique Silversmiths 
Strings of bulbs transformed the dim alleys of New Orleans into enchanting, starlit passages where jazz melodies and whispers of voodoo secrets merged in the sultry night 
Bursting like celestial jewels, fireworks over the Mississippi River painted the night sky with a mesmerizing starry display
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