When but Halloween can you finally indulge your fantasies of visiting the best-haunted houses in the country? If you’re a true scare-seeker with a lust for fear, then it’s worth booking a visit to one or more of the country’s best haunted Halloween attractions. Here are five that will spook you in no time.
1. Erebus Haunted Attraction
Since 2000, Erebus has earned a reputation as one of the leading haunted attractions in the country. In 2005, it was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest walk-through Halloween exhibit — and it continued to earn the honor for five consecutive years! At more than half a mile long, the house in downtown Pontiac, MI, features four floors complete with truly spooky effects and visuals that are so authentic you could easily find them on any big-screen movie.
What exactly goes on inside? The house belongs to Dr. Goldberg, a quirky character who developed a time machine. He didn’t test it himself, though — he employed others to be his guinea pigs. Each portion of the house is devoted to a different dimension and period in time. You may encounter a dinosaur in one space and an alien in another. Things definitely don’t go very smoothly in this time machine! There’s plenty of physical contacts, too, so be prepared to be handled as you make your way through this house of horrors.
2. The Dent Schoolhouse
The word “schoolhouse” is hardly likely to conjure up haunting imagery, but one visit to The Dent Schoolhouse in Cincinnati, OH, will quickly change your mind. Often recognized as one of the best haunted Halloween attractions in the nation, the schoolhouse lives up to every expectation you probably have of a terrorizing educational facility. There are the requisite scary schoolgirls singing “Ring-Around-the-Rosie” in a creepy singsong tone, the ghoulish classroom led by a decaying teacher standing before an aging American flag, and the filthy halls lined with unsavory characters of all kinds.
As the legend goes, the school opened in 1894 and was closed for good upon the discovery that Charlie McFree, the longtime janitor, had murdered a slew of students in previous years and hid the bodies in the basement. There’s no actual confirmation about the validity of this haunted history, but it makes for an intriguing backstory — and, for those who can’t get enough of a good scary story, it’s just another reason to make it to class on time this Halloween. (If you can’t make it during October, there are also frightful opportunities during Lights Out in November and A Christmas Nightmare in December!)
3. Eastern State Penitentiary
The ruins of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA, set the tone for a shockingly terrifying time on Halloween. The annual attraction, Terror Behind the Walls, is set within the confines of the notorious prison that opened its cell doors in 1829. The 10-acre facility functions as a museum during the rest of the year and is a United States National Historic Landmark, but you’ll be too distracted by the startling characters and events you encounter during your Halloween adventure.
You have options once you’re inside: You can watch or you can take an interactive approach. If you choose the latter, you could be extracted from your group of friends, sent down a chilling hall, thrown into a cell, or grabbed by an unknown figure in the darkness. There are six attractions in total, so choose wisely — if you love a good fright, you may want to be a real part of the action! Keep in mind that many people think the penitentiary is genuinely haunted. It’s even been featured on paranormal television programs on the Travel Channel and TLC. With that little fact in mind, enjoy your journey inside what could easily be rated the world’s scariest prison.
4. The Queen Mary
It wouldn’t be a true list of haunted attractions without a mention of the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. The ship has long been touted as one of the spookiest in the country, and with good reason. The ship’s actual maiden voyage in 1936 set the stage for decades of strife and unusual events at sea. Among them was the occasion when the boat mistakenly sank an escort ship in 1942 by slicing it in half. It’s been reported that more than 45 people have died on board over the years. Ghosts of passengers past reportedly remain in attendance even today. There’s the mysterious lady in white, the engineer who apparently died in the engine room, and the giggling children who run around the pool in first class — an amenity which, it should be noted, has been empty for decades. The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor event is among the scariest Halloween attractions in Southern California, and it conveniently runs from September through November.
5. The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park
If you’re more of an outdoorsy type, you might want to tackle something different in San Diego, CA. The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park is a one-mile trek through the park’s twisted, deformed trees. This, of course, is no ordinary hike: There are all kinds of ghouls and goblins who do their best to throw you off the trail — you’ll encounter everyone from Michael Myers to Pennywise, who is very likely hanging out in the sewer just waiting for you to arrive. There’s even a Stranger Things house, along with a beyond-spine-tingling farmhouse possessed by none other than Annabelle and the Nun (you may want to watch the Conjuring franchise in advance of your visit). Before you reach any of that, however, you’ll need to make your way through the notoriously tough “eXperiment” maze, a 3,500-square-foot preview of the scarier things to come. You’ll never look at a hiking trail the same way again!
Book Your Halloween Bus Getaway Today
If you’re properly spooked by the best haunted Halloween attractions in the country and ready to make the most of the holiday this year, head straight to BusTickets.com. You can snag tickets to the destination of your choice for reasonable rates. No frights for your wallet here!
References:
http://hauntedpontiac.com/ https://frightsite.com/ https://www.easternstate.org/halloween/ https://www.queenmary.com/ https://hauntedtrail.net/
