• Next Generation Indie Book Awards, 2018 Finalist
  • NFPW 2018 National Communications Contest, Travel Book, Second Place Winner
  • NMPW 2018 Communications Contest, Travel Book Winner
  • NM/AZ Book Awards 2017 Winner, Best First Book, New Mexico; Finalist Best Guide Book; Finalist Best Travel Book; Finalist Best Nonfiction Cover Design



“What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes.”—Harry Houdini

I am excited to announce that my new book–The Essential Paranormal Bucket List–is ready for ordering! What qualifies as “paranormal” under the parameters of this book? Researchers use the word “paranormal” to broadly describe events or concepts that lie beyond the accepted standards of scientific explanation. These topics represent six convenient, but sometimes overlapping, groupings for the purposes of this guide: extraterrestrials and UFOs, ghosts and spirits, mysterious geographic locations, astrology and divination, magic and the occult, and mythical creatures (“cryptids”). “Supernatural” events may be further defined as paranormal concepts or beliefs—for example, reincarnation or demonic possession—inherently beyond evidence-based explanation that are unlikely to ever be proven true or false. Similarly, the term “preternatural” is sometimes used to describe unexplained events that do not currently have a satisfactory scientific explanation—for example, the Loch Ness Monster or UFOs—but might someday be proven (or disproven) as more evidence is gathered. This book includes both supernatural and preternatural topics from across the span of paranormal experiences and features more than 100 color illustrations.

How the Bucket List Was Determined

The activities and destinations profiled in this book were carefully chosen for inclusion based on their impact, novelty, and/or historical significance. All of the places and activities profiled are generally accessible and reflect a diversity of types of paranormal experiences including locations that reflect important cultural connections to the supernatural. That said, I have not featured any purely commercial enterprises within this book that do not also have some “real world” component to their paranormal pedigree. Examples of places not included are seasonal Halloween “haunted houses” and theme park rides. I also have avoided profiling sites located on private property where the public is not normally welcome. That said, always respect the hospitality and privacy of others during any of your paranormal travels! If you would like to share your experiences and suggest some favorite paranormal sites of your own, please contact me at bucketofmystery@gmail.com or through the “comments” link at the bottom of this post.

Buy a Signed Copy of This Book Here!

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The Essential Paranormal Bucket List: 100 Mysterious Things to Investigate Before You Die

Contents

Introduction to the Paranormal

The List

  • Study Astrology and the Zodiac
  • Read the Egyptian and Tibetan Books of the Dead
  • Dine at the Moon River Brewery (Savannah, GA)
  • Consult Tarot Cards
  • Visit the Houdini Museum (Scranton, PA)
  • Investigate the International UFO Museum and Research Center (Roswell, NM)
  • Use Crystals to Harness Energy from the Natural World
  • Drive the Extraterrestrial Highway
  • Attend a ParaCon
  • Tour the Salem Witch Museum (Salem, MA)
  • Ride a Boat through Manchac Swamp (Manchac, LA)
  • Read Chariots of the Gods?: Unsolved Mysteries of the Past
  • Visit a Psychic
  • Enter Bran Castle (“Dracula’s Castle”) (Bran, Romania)
  • Try to Spot the Lake Champlain Monster (Lake Champlain, NY)
  • Converse with Spirits via a Ouija Board
  • Tour the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum (New Orleans, LA)
  • Secure and Invitation to the Magic Castle (Hollywood, CA)
  • Explore the Writings of H.P. Lovecraft
  • Watch for the Chupacabra
  • Attend a Séance
  • Unlock the Secrets of Adelaide Gaol (Thebarton, South Australia)
  • Catch a Show at Bobby Mackey’s Music World (Wilder, KY)
  • Take a Walk in the Old House Woods (Diggs, VA)
  • Pay Your Respects at Boot Hill Cemetery (Tombstone, AZ)
  • Visit the Traveling Museum of the Paranormal and Occult
  • Safely Pursue a Vision Quest
  • Study Aleister Crowley’s The Book of the Law
  • Stay at the Driskill Hotel (Austin, TX)
  • Try Dowsing
  • Tour the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (Weston, WV)
  • Successfully Navigate the Dragon’s Triangle (Japan)
  • Stop by the Bigfoot Discovery Museum (Felton, CA)
  • Work with a Paranormal Investigator
  • Travel to Stonehenge (Wiltshire, England)
  • Make a Pilgrimage to Lourdes (Lourdes, France)
  • Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer Magazine
  • Explore the National Museum of Mysteries and Research Center (Columbia, PA)
  • Journey to the Seguin Island Light Station (Bath, ME)
  • Tour the Warren’s Occult Museum (Monroe, CT)
  • Visit the Edgar Allen Poe House and Museum (Baltimore, MD)
  • Attend a Day of the Dead Celebration
  • Register at the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast Museum (Fall River, MA)
  • Harness the Powers of the Sedona Vortexes (Sedona, AZ)
  • Tour the Tower of London (London, UK)
  • Watch for the Ogopogo (Lake Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada)
  • Fly above the Nasca Lines (Nazca Desert, Peru)
  • Visit the Merchant’s House Museum (New York, NY)
  • Watch the Skies (and the Water) at Lake Baikal (Siberia, Russia)
  • Stroll Père Lachaise Cemetery (Paris, France)
  • Learn to Levitate
  • Follow the Rainbow to the National Leprechaun Museum (Dublin, Ireland)
  • Attend a Georgiana Houghton Exhibit
  • Walk to El Santuarió de Chimayó (Chimayó, NM)
  • Tour Ashmore Estates (Ashmore, IL)
  • Look for Loch Ness’s “Nessie” (Drumnadrochit, Scotland)
  • Be Spellbound by the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic (Boscastle, England)
  • Camp at Devils Tower (Devils Tower, WY)
  • Tour the Mothman Museum (Point Pleasant, WV)
  • Visit Lily Dale, New York
  • Discover the International Cryptozoology Museum (Portland, ME)
  • Tour the Musée des Vampires et Monstres de l’Imaginaire (Les Lilas, France)
  • Ghosthunt at Bodie State Historic Park (Bridgeport, CA)
  • Celebrate World UFO Day
  • Stay the Night at the Myrtles Plantation (St. Francisville, LA)
  • Investigate the Bridgewater Triangle (Bridgewater, MA)
  • Survive a Visit to the Aokigahara Suicide Forest (Koshu, Japan)
  • Take a Cruise to Easter Island (Rapa Nui, Chile)
  • Search for the Jersey Devil (Leeds, NJ)
  • Check in at the Hotel Monte Vista (Flagstaff, AZ)
  • Build a Pyramid
  • Travel to the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary (Sakteng, Bhutan)
  • Visit the Museo Municipal de Guanabacoa (Havana, Cuba)
  • Investigate Waverly Hills Sanatorium (Louisville, KY)
  • Descend into Les Catacombes (Paris, France)
  • Visit the Villisca Axe Murder House (Villisca, IA)
  • Install SETI@home on Your Computer
  • Sniff out the Skunk Ape (Big Cypress National Preserve, FL)
  • Tour the Stanley Hotel (Estes Park, CO)
  • Learn to See and Interpret Auras
  • Traverse the Bermuda Triangle
  • Journey through Epping Forest (Epping, England)
  • View the Gurdon Light (Gurdon, AR)
  • Stop by Stull Cemetery (Stull, KS)
  • Read The UFO Experience
  • Walk through Hoia-Baciu Forest (Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
  • Attend a Psychic Medium Workshop
  • Join The Ghost Club (Suffolk, England)
  • Become a Fortean
  • Stroll Dering Wood (Kent, England)
  • Study The Secret Doctrine
  • Join the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON)
  • Visit the Žmuidzinavičius Museum (Kaunas, Lithuania)
  • Consult Your Spirit Guide
  • Journey to the Site of the Walton UFO Abduction (Snowflake, AZ)
  • Study the History and Rituals of Exorcism
  • Visit the Lalaurie Mansion (New Orleans, LA)
  • Earn a Parapsychology Degree
  • Tour the Winchester Mystery House (San Jose, CA)
  • Assemble a Paranormal Investigator Kit

Suggested Websites

Near Misses

Build Your Own Paranormal Bucket List

The SETI Institute

About the Author