Sarah Griesbach Asbury Park has no shortage of spooky history, mystical shops, and paranormal experiences. From the iconic Madam Marie’s psychic booth on the boardwalk to crystals, aura photography, tarot readings, ghost tours, and a museum devoted to the unexplained, there are plenty of ways to lean into spooky season around town. Read on for witchy and paranormal spots to visit in Asbury Park.
Madam Marie’s Temple of Knowledge | 4th + Ocean Avenue North
Madam Marie’s Temple of Knowledge has been an Asbury Park Boardwalk landmark since 1932, when fortune teller Marie Castello opened the tiny booth. Over the decades, Marie reportedly read the fortunes of famous visitors including Judy Garland, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen famously referenced Madam Marie in his 1973 song “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy).” Marie died in 2008, but the family tradition continues at the boardwalk booth today, where visitors can stop in for psychic, tarot, and palm readings.
Freedom Rocks | 550 Cookman Avenue, Store 106
Freedom Rocks is a crystal shop and spiritual wellness destination in downtown Asbury Park. Visitors can browse crystals, jewelry, candles, oils, and other metaphysical goods or book experiences like aura photography, tarot readings, medium readings, Reiki, and sound healing. The shop also hosts workshops, private events, and other spiritual gatherings throughout the year. One of its newer additions is the Freedom Rocks Automated Tarot Machine, which dispenses tarot cards and mystery boxes filled with crystals and other finds.
A Year and a Day Mystical Shoppe | 413 Bond Street
A Year and a Day Mystical Shoppe is a family-owned metaphysical store carrying crystals, gemstones, tarot and oracle decks, herbs, incense, candles, oils, singing bowls, jewelry, smudging supplies, and other spiritual goods. The Bond Street shop also provides psychic readings, energy healings, and other spiritual services. Its community calendar regularly includes offerings like sound-healing meditations, Reiki workshops, drumming circles, full moon circles, and other classes and gatherings.
Paranormal Books + Curiosities + The Paranormal Museum | 621 Cookman Avenue
Paranormal Books + Curiosities and The Paranormal Museum have been exploring Asbury Park’s spooky side since 2008. The Cookman Avenue destination combines a bookstore focused on paranormal literature, folklore, and local history with a museum filled with exhibits about hauntings, unexplained phenomena, legends, and unusual artifacts. Museum visits are guided and reservations are recommended. The team also hosts the Original Asbury Park Ghost Tours, including downtown, boardwalk, and haunted pub experiences, with tours scheduled throughout spooky season.
Groovy Graveyard | 658 Cookman Avenue
Groovy Graveyard is a record and vintage shop with a decidedly spooky edge. The Cookman Avenue store blends vinyl, horror, punk, vintage pop culture, collectibles, and other offbeat finds, making it an easy stop for anyone putting together a witchy or Halloween-themed day in Asbury Park. Beyond records, shoppers can find plenty of unusual merchandise and nostalgic pieces that fit right in with the city’s eclectic personality.
Whether the goal is to get a tarot reading, shop for crystals, hear a ghost story, or simply browse some delightfully strange finds, Asbury Park has plenty of ways to embrace its mystical side. These spots can easily be combined into one spooky-season itinerary around the boardwalk and downtown.
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