Episode 23: What haunted houses tell us about ourselves

In this episode of “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz talks about haunted houses with Colin Dickey, author of “Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places.” Whether or not you believe in ghosts, haunted house tours offer a lot more than entertainment or unexplained phenomena. They reveal unsettling chapters of history, telling stories about people who lived tragic lives or who didn’t quite fit in. They sometimes showcase unusual architecture: a Gothic monstrosity or mansion whose owner built lots of strange additions. They also bring needed tourism dollars to fund preservation of historic sites.

In this episode of “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz talks about haunted houses with Colin Dickey, author of “Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places.” Whether or not you believe in ghosts, haunted house tours offer a lot more than entertainment or unexplained phenomena. They reveal unsettling chapters of history, telling stories about people who lived tragic lives or who didn’t quite fit in. They sometimes showcase unusual architecture: a Gothic monstrosity or mansion whose owner built lots of strange additions. They also bring needed tourism dollars to fund preservation of historic sites.