Overview
Gold Winner—Travel, IBPA Book Awards 2026
Go legend hunting with explorer of the unexplained Jeff Belanger, visiting haunted places, where monsters lurk, and other roadside oddities.
“Legends have always run deep in New England—thankfully, Jeff Belanger is here to uncover them and bring them to life. This collection of mysteries, secrets, and folklore from America’s birthplace is as illuminating as it is fascinating.” —Josh Gates, explorer, host of Discovery’s Expedition Unknown
Wicked Strange is a journey and a celebration of all the things that make New England like no other place on earth. In a time when so much of the world is becoming homogenized—as big-box stores and chain restaurants move in and so many communities lose their identity—we still have these legends. They belong to specific towns and streets. These are stories locals will share with you . . . if they trust you.
This travel guide takes readers on a journey to the strange and frequently unseen world that is often right under their noses. Covering numerous haunted places, environs where mysterious creatures have been spotted, areas where unusual events have happened, eccentric locals, and roadside oddities to explore, noted expert of the strange Jeff Belanger is your guide to all that’s local and strange. Haunted locations from all over New England are covered:
- The Haunting of Conimicut Lighthouse—Warwick, Rhode Island
- Maine’s Sistine Chapel—South Solon, Maine
- Edith Wharton’s Haunted Mansion, The Mount—Lenox, Massachusetts
- Emily’s Haunted Bridge—Stowe, Vermont
- The Sleeping Giant—Hamden, Connecticut
- The Haunted Mt. Washington Hotel—Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
New England is also full of monsters and devils that lurk in the woods, lakes, and seas. Explored are some of the best known and most obscure, including Lake Champlain’s Champ; the Cumberland Vampire of Rhode Island; Gloucester’s Sea Serpent; the Black Dog of West Peak in Meriden, Connecticut; and the Flying Moose of Maine.
Also covered are unusual events, such as UFO sightings (Connecticut’s UFO crash at Bantam Lake / Betty and Barney Hill’s UFO experience), and roadside oddities, such as the World’s Tallest Filing Cabinet (Burlington, VT), Boston’s Big Steaming Tea Kettle, and the literal Fork in the Road of Westport, MA. Wicked Strange takes you off the beaten path, revealing a hidden world right under your nose. Come journey through the towns, hamlets, and hills that hide the strangest of history. Uncover the wickedly strange.
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