Mansion tips

When the McNeal Mansion was built in 1890 as a family home for New Jersey industrialist Andrew McNeal, it was one of the grandest in the area.

Enter if you dare, foolish mortals!

When the Ranch at Malibu opened in 2010 as a luxury health resort on 200 acres in California’s Santa Monica Mountains, its approach was somewhat radical: Guests signed up for a full week of group hikes, fitness classes, spa treatments, nutrition consults and communal, organic meals without caffeine, gluten, soy or dairy. The goal, says its founder Alex Glasscock, was “for people to mentally and physically reset and recharge.” On April 15, a second location, the Ranch at Hudson Valley, is scheduled to open near Tuxedo Park, N.Y., in a slate-and-stone lakefront mansion surrounded by state parks. Glasscock hopes the 25-room property, which he describes as “like a big, luxury dorm,” will facilitate connections between those who stay. Guests will do yoga under the ornate plaster ceiling of the former ballroom and, in Glasscock’s ideal world, come to dinner in their pajamas and robes. This new outpost offers a few additional treatments including colonics and energy healings — which incorporate techniques such as hypnosis and sound therapy. In winter, guests can sled or snowshoe, and in summer there’s paddleboarding on the lake. The Ranch has also relaxed a few of the restrictions: You can book three nights at the Hudson Valley property instead of the seven required in Malibu, and, in concession to the most common request of all, caffeine is no longer taboo — organic Nicaraguan coffee is served at breakfast in both locations.

Soon after the death of Sarah Winchester in San Jose, California, in 1922, the new owners opened her mansion as an attraction for tourists drawn to tales of the bizarre. Winchester was the heir to the gun manufacturer’s fortune, and rumors swirled around her constant home building and renovation. She constructed elaborate extra rooms (more than a hundred), stairs that led nowhere, and empty corridors that turned the house into a bewildering maze.

Foolish mortals can enjoy their spirits with a side of spirits — three hitchhiking ghosts and a late ship's captain, among others — when Disney Cruise Line's new ship debuts in 2024. The line confirmed Tuesday that Disney Treasure's newest onboard bar will be themed around the beloved Haunted Mansion attraction found at Disney parks in Florida, California and Tokyo.

"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," premiering on November 17 and based on the book by Suzanne Collins, focuses on the villainous President Snow of Panem during his teenage years.

Located just off 162nd Street in New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood, there is a historic mansion dating back to the Revolutionary War that is said to be terribly haunted.