In 1973 a young Stephen King and his wife, Tabitha, checked in for a stay at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. That one night would become the inspiration for one of the author's best-selling novels and the scariest movie ever - "The Shining".
The book follows the Torrance family after they move into the secluded Overlook Hotel for the winter. "The Shining's" plot isn't that far from King's real life experience at The Stanley Hotel where he and Tabitha happened to be the only guests in the whole place the night they stayed in Room 217. It was no coincidence the couple ended up in the hotel's former presidential suite, after all, it is the resort's most requested room thanks to its haunted past. As the story goes, a housekeeper named Elizabeth Wilson was electrocuted in the room in 1911 and dozens of guests have reported spooky sightings there ever since. Over the years, the paranormal activity has extended throughout the entire hotel, too.
[READMORE]READ MORE: This Picture From 'The Shining' Hotel Is Totally A Ghost[/READMORE]
Instead of hiding from it, The Stanley embraces its place in horror history. Though the hotel wasn't used in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 version of "The Shining", it still plays the movie on a loop in all of its rooms, along with the 1997 TV version in which the hotel does appear. They also offer nightly Ghost Tours through the hotel's most haunted places, as well as a Ghost Adventure Package with a room in one of the hotel's most active areas for ghost sightings, the 4th floor, where the voices children can often be heard up and down the hall. Guests will also recieve a K2 Meter per reservation, a glow-in-the-dark Stanley Hotel squishy ghost per person and a REDRUM mug.
Given the way the hotel embraces its paranormal history, it comes as no surprise that the best time of year to visit The Stanley is Halloween.
[READMORE]READ MORE: A Look at The Scary Hotel that Inspired Stephen King's 'The Shining'[/READMORE]
This year, the Twin Terror Weekend festivities kick-off with an evening of "ghostly gastronomy" during the Redrum Mystery Dinner on Friday, Oct. 21. A four-course meal will be served in the Victorian-style MacGregor Ballroom as a mystery unfolds before each table. The price is $299 per couple.
On Saturday, Oct. 22, one of the hotel's most popular events, The Shining Ball, returns to the Concert Hall with performances from the North Mississippi All Stars, costume contests (Halloween costumes are required) lots of food and beverages and, of course, Shining-themed decor. Couples get into this ball for $325.
The following weekend, iHeart Media's Boo Bash will take place in the hotel's Concert Hall, followed by a traditional Halloween Masquerade Party on Saturday, October 29th, for $199 per couple.
With so much going on this October, it'll be easy to scare up some film at The Stanley. Find out more about all the resort has in store at stanleyhotel.com.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
