Halloween is right around the corner, and if your idea of a good time involves a little bit of history and a whole lot of eerie, Texas has four small towns worth the drive. Marfa leads the list with its famous desert lights, appearing in the night sky often enough that scientists, locals, and visitors have spent decades debating what causes them. Theories range from electromagnetic activity to something far stranger.

East Texas brings a different kind of chill. The Jefferson Hotel in Jefferson has earned a reputation for hauntings, with guests reporting messages that appear on mirrors, dolls that seem to move on their own, floating orbs, and even screams in the halls. Up in the Panhandle, Pampa’s abandoned Worley Hospital draws ghost hunters chasing disembodied voices and unexplained noises inside its empty rooms. In Spring, Old Spring Town preserves the community’s original settlement buildings, along with legends about people who went missing and never returned.

This time of year, plenty of folks around Waxahachie are looking for a weekend escape, and any of these towns delivers something memorable. Whether you believe in the paranormal or just enjoy a good story, the history alone is worth the trip.

Which one would you actually visit? Tell us in the comments.