North Carolina is known as being “First in Flight,” notably for being the location where the Wright brothers sent the first ever powered airplane into the sky. Now, Visit North Carolina is promoting the state as “First in Fright,” a campaign that highlights locations throughout the state with a supernatural element—it includes an eight-part podcast and NC Haunted Trails, lists of places full of paranormal history and lore organized by region. Many of these sites offer options for planners to book tours or gathering space, providing opportunities to bring an element of intrigue to events held in the state.
The NC Haunted Trails are separated into three categories: Mountain Mysteries, Paranormal Piedmont, and Creepy Coast, representing each of North Carolina’s major regions. Mountain Mysteries contains locales with event space such as The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, famously haunted by the “Pink Lady,” the ghost of a woman in a blush-colored gown said to have fallen to her death from the balcony of room 545 in the 1920s. Here, guests have reported experiencing flickering lights, cold spots, and playful pranks during stays at the inn. Attendees with downtime who want to get outside can check out the region’s mysterious Brown Mountain lights, orbs of white light that some say appear around the low-lying ridge of Brown Mountain in the Pisgah National Forest in the evening hours. Many supernatural theories surround the lights’ origin, though they were largely proven in 1922 by scientist George R. Mansfield as being reflections of light from automobiles, trains, and brush fires.
“The timing might scream ‘Halloween,’ but the spirit of ‘First in Fright’ rises from age-old narratives instead of costumes and props,” says Wit Tuttell, executive director of Visit North Carolina, in a prepared statement. “The lore surrounding the Brown Mountain lights near Morganton dates back centuries, and other stories have been retold for decades. It takes more skepticism than I can muster to dismiss the accounts, even if they’re impossible to prove.”
Planners and attendees seeking extra insight into North Carolina’s spooky locations can add to their visit by listening to the “First in Fright” podcast, which features local storytellers and first-hand accounts from people who have experienced the paranormal at some of the trails’ haunting stops. The free podcast can be accessed at ncfirstinfright.com or through Apple, Spotify, and other major streaming platforms.
“For anyone intrigued by ghosts, stories are the starting point,” says Tuttell. “The podcasts bring the mysteries to life, while letting listeners decide what to believe and what to dismiss.”
Other NC Haunted Trail locations with offerings for event planners include the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington, Duke Mansion in Charlotte, and Carolina Theatre in Greensboro, among others.
