Okay, so admittedly I’m a big freakin’ chicken when it comes to investigating haunted houses of the Halloween variety, but I love them nonetheless. I love their spirit (or spirits as the case may be) and I love what they represent. I love that they allow people of all ages to get in touch with their inner fears, scream and shout, and in general embrace the darker side of life in a creative way.
This past weekend was Open(ing) House weekend for a lot of haunted houses. (Some had opened earlier, but it seems I ran across a fair share that waited until the last weekend of September to open their doors. And then there are the ones that will let the suspense build and wait for October’s high season before they open. Their arrival will be much anticipated in their areas, I am sure!)
At any rate, here’s some links to places I’ve come across about Halloween haunted houses. Best of lists and sites listing haunted houses (as well as corn mazes, haunted barns, pumpkin patches, etc.). If you’re looking for a haunted attraction to visit this Halloween season, either in your town or somewhere you may be visiting, these sites will definitely help!
P.S. If you ventured to a haunted house this weekend, I’d love to hear about it. Or if you’re planning on going, share that too!
- America’s Best Haunts 2009 – The 13 haunted houses on their list are the crème de la crème this Halloween according to them.
- Haunted Attraction Magazine’s 25 Must-See Haunts – Interestingly, their list has some of the same ones as America’s Best Haunts, but not entirely. And, of course, they include a few more.
- HauntedHouse.com‘s Jack-o-Lantern Find Haunted Houses Near You Map – Lists all kind of Halloween attractions in your state, from haunted houses to corn mazes and everything in between!
- HauntedHouses.com’s Find Haunted House Attraction map – Note, this is not the same site as above. There is a HauntedHouse.com and a HauntedHouseS.com…notice the extra S. Both have neat click-on maps, but this map is a standout. Drips blood, has lightning bolts flashing across it and there’s even a crawling spider. Way cool Halloween fun!
- HauntWorld.com‘s Halloween Haunted Houses map – This map is scary! Blood-splattered jack-o-lantern face with eyes that follow your cursor as you pick a state. Creepy!
- HorrorFind.com has two lists of interest for planning hauntingly fun Halloween jaunts: One is for haunted houses (which includes corn mazes, pumpkin patches, etc.); the other lists horror attractions.
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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Oh boy! Oh boy! The only thing that would make it better would be for me to go to another state up north to enjoy a haunted house–here in the desert, waiting in line at 9 pm while it’s still in the 80s outside is not very fall-like. Thanks for the listings. You’re always up on everything!
WOW! What a compliment! “Up on everything?” SHAZAM! That’s compliment of the month for sure! (Not that I get many, so I appreciate the ones I do get. But some are true standouts…like this one. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!!!)
Oh, and I’ve been thinking of you A LOT! We finally got some fall-like weather here. It was 50 this morning! (Maybe even upper 40s. It was pretty nippy.) Today’s high will be 67!!!!
After hearing you guys were still 100 last week (and living there once myself and remembering how SICK of hot I was by this time!), I can appreciate the change of season and why you crave that. And why taking a haunt jaunt somewhere cooler to do a haunted house would be a BLAST!
I got a light-on tour at Hundred Acres Manor in Pittsburgh on Saturday. They had an open house for media types with catering and personal tours and such. Even with the lights on it totally freaked me out. My son is going to act there since it is a charity event and they take volunteers. I figured a charity haunt was like a school gym or church kind of thing, but this place was huge and creepy. Apparently it takes 45 minutes+ to walk through it, and they have like 150-200 actors. I was astounded.
Oh wow! That sounds like a total blast! And what a cool thing to say…that you were an invited guest. Media connections! That’s my dream that one day my blog opens doors like THAT! VERY COOL!
And a lights on tour…now there’s something I would like to do! THAT’S right up my alley. Also, that this is for charity…thanks for letting me know. I have a blog idea I’m compiling in regards to that. This info ROCKS!
Thanks so much for the comment!
HAUNTEDHOUSES WILL BE CLOSED IN 2011. THER WILL BE NO HALLOWEEN NEXTYEAR.