5 Coastal Towns Shrouded in Dark Secrets You’ve Never Dared to Explore

Missed out on that perfect East Coast summer getaway? Don’t sweat it—there’s still a whole season of mystery and charm waiting for you in Widow’s Bay this fall. As summer’s golden rays give way to thick fog and the crowds vanish like ghosts, New England’s coastal towns transform into something else entirely—a mix of maritime magic and spine-tingling lore. Ever wonder what it’s like to stroll streets where history and hauntings are as intertwined as sea salt and sea breeze? From eerie ghost towns to legendary sea monsters, these six towns from Rhode Island to Maine serve up more than just picturesque views—they offer a look into the supernatural stories that have been whispered through centuries. So, are you brave enough to trade sunbathing for spectral sightings? Dive into the less-traveled, often creepier side of New England’s coast. LEARN MORE

If you missed out on an East Coast summer, there’s still time to lean into Widow’s Bay fall. As the sunshine shifts to thick fog and the summer crowds clear out, New England’s coastal towns take on a whole different feel.

In Apple’s Emmy-winning Widow’s Bay, a journalist tasked with putting the island on the map offers the mayor some advice after a rather ominous meal together: “I see what’s going on here. You don’t want to be Nantucket. You want to be Salem,” he says. “It’s a nice town. You don’t need the gimmick.” But as the show makes clear, the spookiness isn’t just a schtick—it’s a fact of life.

The same goes for these six quaint—and in some cases, creepy—coastal New England towns. In places as old as the country itself, ghost stories are part of the historical record, not a sales pitch. Forget Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard; these stops, from Rhode Island to Maine, deliver all the maritime charm and supernatural lore you could ask for.

Rockport, Massachusetts

Rockport is the real-life “road less traveled,” at least when faced with obvious stops like Salem on the train line. Perched on Cape Ann around 40 miles northeast of Boston, Rockport and its historic Bearskin Neck served as the main exterior of Widow’s Bay. But beneath the scenic harbor views and quintessential cedar shingles lies a darker past that rivals its fictional counterpart.

From the neighboring ghost town of Dogtown—located directly between fellow Widow’s Bay filming location Gloucester—to local legends that Elizabeth Proctor hid at Rockport’s own Witch House after escaping the Salem Witch Trials, this coastal town carries a storied history that makes it well worth the ride to the end of the line.

Peaks Island, Maine

If you can tear yourself away from the cobblestoned streets of downtown Portland, Peaks Island lies just a 15-minute ferry ride away, with ocean views, pine trails, quiet beaches, and oftentimes noisier ghosts. Tucked in the interior woods lies Battery Steele, a sprawling WWII bunker whose pitch-black concrete tunnels are known for ricocheting whispers and creepy metallic clanking. Between the bunker’s unsettling corridors and local tales of phantom marbles rolling through Pond Grove Cemetery, this island neighborhood off Maine’s mainland shows that tranquility and spectral activity often share the same shore.

Gloucester, Massachusetts

The serene shores of Half Moon Beach, where the inaugural mayoral swim scene in Widow’s Bay was filmed, make it hard to believe the haunting maritime lore that often gets pulled under the currents. Just steps away is Gloucester’s Cressy’s Beach, famous for its swimmable waters and a sea serpent mural dating back to 1955.

The creepy coastal artwork isn’t just for show: it reflects the lore of Massachusetts’s own version of the Loch Ness Monster. English traveler John Josselyn first documented a serpent coiled “like a cable” on Cape Ann rocks in 1638, but the real spectacle came in August 1817, when locals spotted a massive, horse-headed sea monster swimming off the coast. So while you might not see the show’s Sea Hag, keep your eyes peeled for the town’s real-life supernatural entities in between sunbathing sessions.

Mystic, Connecticut

Mystic certainly has a mystical energy radiating through its wood-framed storefronts, historic drawbridge, and 19th-century ships. There are plenty of quaint shops and restaurants in the coastal Connecticut town to make a haunt-free day out of, but history casts a long shadow here, tracing back to the tragic 1637 Mystic Massacre during the Pequot War. Today, museum workers at the Mystic Seaport report phantom footfalls and pipe-smoking apparitions aboard historic wooden vessels like the Charles W. Morgan, proving this seaport town’s ghosts are as timeless as its coastal history.

Block Island, Rhode Island