These pictures created a media frenzy similar to (or greater than) the sightings of the Virgin Mary. The Italian media continually broadcast these pictures to the public. Religious websites posted them, only to experience a server crash when too many people tried to access the sites. Many people believe that the fiery apparition is Pope John Paul II, waving to them from beyond during a ceremony that honored the second year of his passing.

Is this really Pope John Paull II or a trick of the flame? I have to admit that the silhouette looks remarkably similar.

If you are looking to stay at haunted hotel, you’ll find plenty to choose from. Many of these hotels were built in the late 1800s or around the turn of the century. They have a rich history as well as guests and employees who have become permanent residents.

1. Admiral Fell Inn in Baltimore: A scientist staying in Room 218 woke up when he heard the floorboard creaking and watched the apparition of a nurse walk through a wall.

2. The Driskill Hotel in Austin: The spirit of a little girl is seen in the first floor lobby, the ladies’ restroom on the second floor and the staircase leading to the mezzanine. She is believed to be the daughter of a Texas senator, who died in 1887 when she tried to catch her ball as it bounced down the staircase.

3. The Hawthorne Hotel in Salem: In one month, two guests staying at different times recalled seeing a woman moving down the 6th floor hallway and pausing in front of 612. Many guests have reported feeling a strong presence in the area. The identity of this woman is unknown.

4. The Hotel Galvez in Galveston: There is a legend of a woman who took her life after she lost her fiance at sea. The hotel was built in 1911 an is the only beachfront hotel in Galveston.

5. Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg, West Virginia: Guests and employees have witnessed clouds of cigar smoke in the hallways, wafting through doorways or rising from the bar. Although the source has never been discovered, many suspect that the smoke comes from the ghost of William Chancellor who built the hotel in 1889. Another candidate is the ghost of Mr. Stealey, who worked as a general manager. He also smoked cigars.

6. The Hotel del Coronado in San Diego: Kate Morgan checked into the hotel on Thanksgiving Day in 1892 but never checked out.

7. Radisson Lord Baltimore: Long-time employee, Fran Carter received quite a shock when three visitors suddenly vanished before her eyes.

8. Hatt Mill building, the Napa River Inn: A maintenance worker watched a heavy box lift itself into the air and move across the shelf.

9. Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans: The International Society of Paranormal Research spent several days investigating the hotel, which was built in 1886. One of the spirits was John Wagner, who called himself “Solemn John.” Wagner committed suicide when he became despondent over business deals that went bad during the Depression.

10. Goldfield Hotel in Goldfield, Nevada: Once a bustling town of 35,000 people, this Goldfield is a near ghost town. Its hotel is considered very haunted and was featured on Fox Family TV’s World’s Scariest Places in 2001.

11. Stanley Hotel in Estes, Colorado: This hotel was the inspiration of Stephen King’s The Shining.

12. The Marshall House in Savannah, Georgia: Was featured on the Travel Channel’s “Haunted Hotels.” The hotel has been used as a hospital three times — twice during Savannah’s 19th century yellow fever epidemics and during the Civil War by the Union Army. Don’t be surprised if you wake up and find a ghost sleeping next to you.

13. The Queen Mary, permanently moored in San Pedro Bay: This historical ship-turned-hotel was featured on Sightings, where the late psychic Peter James communicated with several spirits, one of them an eight year-old girl who had drowned.

Cries and screams are frequently heard in the halls and some claim to have heard children on the rooftop chanting verses from “Ring around the Rosy.” Spirits of children are believed to linger because young patients were taken to the rooftop for heliotherapy, where they were exposed to the supposed healing rays of the sun as part of TB treatment.

In 1928, the head nurse hanged herself from the light fixture in Room 502. In 1932, another nurse also working in Room 502 supposedly committed suicide by jumping from the roof.

When patients died, they were sent down the body chute to an awaiting hearse. The body chute, or death tunnel, is actually a 500 foot-long tunnel that leads from the hospital to the railroad tracks located at the bottom of the hill. This was done to keep moral high, so patients wouldn’t see the hearses or bodies leave the building.

Today, owners Tina and Charlie Mattingly, hold tours of the sanitarium year round. Every Halloween, they convert the building into a haunted house attraction for the Halloween season. Proceeds go toward restoring the property. Considered one of the most haunted (and scariest) places in the US, Waverly Hills Sanitarium has been a hot spot for ghost hunters, both amateur and professional. Because of its popularity, all tours are completely booked for the rest of the year. If you’re going to be in the area or plan to visit Waverly, you’ll need to make reservations starting January 2, 2008.

For more information about the tours, visit waverlyhilltbsanitorium.com

This was one of the sites I wanted to visit on our family vacation this summer, but we never made it. I’d read stories about how visitors would hear maniacal laughter as they walked past Death Row. Much to my disappointment (although not a surprise), Tiffany Stine explains the source of these sounds in her article, ESP, a Real-Life Haunted House.

I was searching for a picture of the penitentiary when I found the complete episode of the Ghost Hunters investigation of this place. After enjoying two unrelated Ghost Hunters episodes, I decided to watch this to see what happened. The highlight of the episode came in Part 2, when the team caught something forming on film in front of cell block 12. It looked like a person running down the walkway with a blanket over his head. I saw what looked like a white pant leg toward the bottom of the anomaly. Jason confirmed what I saw when they watched the film footage.

Was it an apparition or a hoax? In the end, the TAPS team wasn’t quite sure. Neither am I. If this was a hoax, it was a very good one. Watch it for yourself, if you haven’t already.

As for my disappointment in not visiting the penitentiary, I’m glad in some ways we didn’t go, due to the playacting. I wouldn’t want to pay $30 to get a cheap thrill, but rather learn about the history and explore the place on my own.