10 great places to get spooked by your surroundings

— -- A resident ghost or two can be good for business, particularly at this bewitching time of year. DennisWilliam Hauck, author of Haunted Places: The National Directory (Penguin Putnam, $16.95), says that to rate inclusion in his guide to 2,000 paranormal hot spots, the locale must have been investigated by a "reputable" organization. Still, while the author says he has witnessed "ghostly manifestations" (cold spots, poltergeist effects and the like), he has yet to see an actual apparition. Undeterred, USA TODAY gets Hauck's directions to some notable haunts.

Shirley PlantationCharles City, Va.

The 18th-century plantation house is just one of a number of "well-documented" ghostly haunts in this James River city, Hauck says. Of note: a first-floor bedroom where a painting of early resident Martha Pratt reportedly raises a ruckus whenever it's moved from a spot facing the ancestral graveyard. "Whenever it was removed, the frame would shake and make popping sounds." 800-232-1613; shirleyplantation.com

Fort WarrenBoston

The Civil War fort on George's Island in Boston Harbor reputedly is haunted by "The Lady in Black," a devoted wife who was hanged for attempting to break her husband out of the Confederate prison. Sightings have been numerous over the years, particularly when it's foggy, Hauck says. "There's a lot of atmosphere. It's a spooky site." 617-223-8666; bostonislands.com

The White HouseWashington, D.C.

The Executive Mansion is "one of the most haunted places in the United States," Hauck says. Ronald Reagan and Eleanor Roosevelt, among others, have reported ghostly sightings. Among the apparitions: William Henry Harrison in the attic and Dolley Madison in the Rose Garden and most frequently, Abraham Lincoln in his namesake bedroom. "You can hardly name a president all the way back to Coolidge who hasn't felt (Lincoln's) presence." 202-456-7041; whitehouse.gov/history/tours.

Whaley HouseSan Diego

Even before Thomas Whaley completed his house in 1857, the execution by hanging of "Yankee" Jim Robinson on the site presumably primed future ghostly scenarios. Not only are Robinson's footfalls believed to be heard in the house, but a number of other ghosts are said to occupy the Old Town residence. "There are hundreds of reports from people who have felt cold spots," Hauck says. Voices have been recorded and electromagnetic energy detected. 619-297-7511; whaleyhouse.org