This week’s travel news roundup features a haunted clown motel in Nevada, a Roman crypt decorated with the bones of 4,000 monks, and a legendary honky-tonk bar in Seoul.
In 1967, commercial Ouija boards were extremely popular, outselling Monopoly in the United States. But what is the history of these alphabetically marked panels that some believe can open a portal to the Valley of Death?
In 2023, CNN visited the world’s first Ouija board museum in the witchy town of Salem, Massachusetts, and spoke with owner John Kozik about the history of paranormal parlor games and what makes them so appealing.
“The spiritualism movement in America really started in the mid-1800s because so many people were affected by death because of the Civil War,” says Kozik, who opened the second Wychboard Museum in Baltimore last year.
The ghosts of a conflict between Union and Confederate forces are said to haunt the McRaven House, an antebellum mansion in Vicksburg, Mississippi, once the site of a brutal 43-day siege. CNN visited for an overnight ghostwatch.
Clowns, Aliens, and the Mystery of Denver Airport
‘Worst sleep of my life’: CNN reporter stays at infamous Crown Motel
Nevada’s Extraterrestrial Highway (yes, that’s what it’s officially called) runs through one of the most remote and desolate regions in the United States. This road is famous for reported UFO sightings, especially because of its proximity to Area 51. Area 51, officially known as the Nevada Test and Training Range, is a classified U.S. Air Force facility famous for the alien legends surrounding the road.
After an anxious drive along the spooky twists and turns of the freeway, punishment-seeking gluttons can try a night’s rest at the famously haunted Crown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada. “Maybe the worst night’s sleep of my life,” said a CNN reporter lying in a clown town.
Airports aren’t typically known for being haunted or having frightening mysteries, but Colorado’s Denver International Airport has been plagued with rumors of all sorts of spooky phenomena, most notably the awe-inspiring “Brucepher.” This 32-foot-tall sculpture with fiery red eyes has amazed travelers for decades, but the story of its creation is even more horrifying. Look here.
British Pub and Korean Honky Tonk
The fortune teller told this woman to open a bar. Fifty years later, the bar is still open.
Fifty years ago, a fortune teller told Mama Kim to open a country and western bar in Seoul. She did what fate led her to do, and half a century later, the legendary Grand Ole Opry Honky Tonk is still going strong. CNN Travel’s Lilit Marcus visited to find out the secret to its success.
For a more traditional bar experience, check out our guide to British pub etiquette. From how to order a pint to the unwritten rules of sharing snacks, British pub culture is full of fascinating traditions and surprising customs. Look here.
Another uniquely British adventure that is often combined with a trip to the pub is a football match (although you won’t hear the locals call it soccer). The Premier League match is just one of 25 must-do experiences and must-visit destinations in travel publisher Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2026 list, published earlier this week.
National Geographic magazine also released its 2026 Best of the World list on Tuesday. Suggested destinations for next year include Dominica, Fiji and Pittsburgh.
Why are the remains of 4,000 bodies displayed in this crypt?
The walls and ceiling of the crypt beneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini in Rome are decorated with the remains of more than 4,000 Capuchin friars. Bones issues a stern warning to all who choose to trespass.
Through architecture, we say, “It’s a mess.”
America’s “Speight House” is designed to send a tough message.
A woman let ChatGPT decide where she should live.
It sent her to a medieval town in France.
Inside Mongolia’s Mars Camp.
An extreme adventure that attempts to turn tourists into astronauts.
Two billion dollars were spent on this airport.
Now we just need visitors.
