Ohio’s Occult & Curious Culture – An Autumn Scavenger Hunt
There’s something about September in Ohio—the crisp air, fiery trees, and long shadows—that makes the strange feel even stranger. It’s the season when you can wander streets under lantern light, stumble across eerie statues, and step into places that blur the line between history and mystery. Think of it as an autumn scavenger hunt through Ohio’s weirdest and most wonderful corners.
Stop #1: Neon Dreams at the American Sign Museum (Cincinnati)
I have always found neon signs both intriguing and haunting—relics from the past lighting up dark nights. Walking into the American Sign Museum takes me back to that feeling. Neon tubes hum and flicker against vintage storefronts, casting a glow that feels both nostalgic and uncanny.
Curator Tod Swormstedt, as quoted in Atlas Obscura, explains, “All the beautiful, elaborate, and idiosyncratic signs can go once the thing they were advertising is no longer around”—a reminder that even neon light carries a ghostly echo of lost eras.
Opened in 2005 by Tod Swormstedt, the museum spans over 20,000 square feet and is the largest public museum dedicated to signage in the U.S. Its collection includes more than 600 illuminated signs and artifacts, with nearly 200 on display at any given time.
Visitors stroll down a recreated “Main Street” lined with storefronts and glowing neon, where you’ll spot relics like the original McDonald’s Speedee sign, a 20-foot-tall genie, and vintage advertising mascots that once loomed over diners and motels. A working neon shop lets you watch artisans bending glass tubes into glowing art—a rare glimpse into a fading craft.
That eerie quality is precisely what makes neon unforgettable. Who can forget the glowing Bates Motel sign in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960)? Film scholars note it as one of the movie’s most haunting uses of light and shadow.
Stop #2: Occult Curiosities at the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick (Cleveland)
Tucked into Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood, the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick is a rare American sanctuary of the occult. Founded in 1966 by Raymond Buckland—the man who introduced Gardnerian Wicca to the U.S.—this intimate space houses thousands of artifacts. You’ll find ritual robes, spell books, ancient idols, tarot decks, and even a shrunken head.
The Buckland Museum celebrates witchcraft, the occult, the paranormal, and their cultures. Some visitors stumble upon it while looking for things to do in Cleveland, while others plan their entire trip around stepping inside. It’s designed to be a fun and exciting experience for everyone, whether you come alone or with your coven. Don’t miss their metaphysical shop, which offers t-shirts, crystals, herbs, and magical supplies.
The museum is not a space for practicing rituals but instead a place to encounter the history of the craft. Its thoughtful exhibits allow Pagans, Wiccans, and the simply curious to view items once belonging to elders of the tradition. Curator Steven Intermill offers engaging tours while underscoring that witchcraft can be educational and meaningful rather than frightening.
With a collection praised for both its depth and quality, the Buckland Museum continues its mission to celebrate and demystify witchcraft. It also strives to honor those who practiced it despite misunderstanding and stigma.
For context, the Gardnerian tradition of Wicca began in 1950s England with Gerald Gardner. Though debated, his teachings helped shape modern witchcraft, and many U.S. groups still follow his rituals. The Alexandrian tradition, created by Alex and Maxine Sanders, is one variation of this path (Harvard Pluralism Project).
Check their calendar for special events—September often brings evening talks, tarot readings, and art showcases.
Stop #3: Where Sorrow Stands Eternal — The Haserot Angel (Cleveland’s Lake View Cemetery)
At Lake View Cemetery, the “Angel of Death Victorious” guards the Haserot family plot. Sculpted in 1923 by Herman Matzen, the bronze angel holds an inverted torch—a symbol of a life extinguished and commissioned by Francis Haserot after the death of his wife.
But upon gazing at this captivating stature, visitors are haunted to her eyes, which appear to have black tears.
Bucky Cutright, author of Haunted Cemeteries of Ohio, was quoted in an interview with Spectrum News as saying, “A lot of the statutes in cemeteries tend to be uplifting and sort of hint at a reward beyond death, but this one is plainly saying that death is a scary thing and you know, it’s frightening, and quite possibly, final.”
Standing before her in the quiet September dusk, with fallen leaves crackling underfoot, the angel feels almost alive, a reminder of the mysteries that linger long after we’re gone.
Follow the Strange on Your Unusual Road Trips
September in Ohio is more than pumpkin spice and fall color tours. It’s about chasing stories that linger—haunted angels, buzzing neon relics, and secret museums where the past refuses to stay silent. This season, take a different kind of road trip. Follow the strange, explore the uncanny, and let Compass Ohio point you toward unforgettable autumn adventures.
Read more about this captivating cemetery in “How One Cemetery Continues to Inspire The Living for Over 150 years.“
