Six Great Places to go on Halloween

I was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and (perhaps no great surprise) Halloween is absolutely one of my favorite Holidays.  I’m not alone in feeling this way, as it’s second in revenue only to Christmas.

Here are a few great places where you can indulge in this season’s scariness!

1.Headless Horseman Haunted Hayride and Haunted Houses, Ulster Park, New York -  The property incorporates over forty-five acres of naturally landscaped property that includes foreboding woods, surreal ponds, fruit orchards and more. It has been Named #1 Hayride in America by American Airlines Magazine, as well as #1 Haunted Attraction in the country by Haunt World Magazine, also receiving top ten national rankings from CNBC and AOL.

This attraction has a galloping headless horseman prowling around, an incredible haunted hayride, massive corn maze, and several haunted houses.

I watched a show about this place a few days ago, and it looked VERY intense.  When I went to their site to see what it was all about, just watching five minutes of their promo video freaked me out and reminded me of a Marilyn Manson video.

http://www.headlesshorseman.com/

2. Salem, Massachusetts – Now, I didn’t just put it on this list because I was born there, I promise.  Over the last decade, Salem has developed an amazing array of Halloween-related activities the entire month of October (called Haunted Happenings), particularly the last week of the month. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re interested in a Haunted Graveyard Walk, a reenactment of actual Salem Witch Trials, the Witch Museum, meeting actual Witches, or a tour through the historic House of Seven Gables.  And don’t forget the big blowout Costume Bash at the historic (and haunted) Hawthorne Hotel!

http://www.salemweb.com/hh/

3. Netherworld Haunted House, Atlanta, Georgia -  Haunted House Magazine (who knew there was a Haunted House themed magazine?) ranks this haunted house as #2 in the United States.  Here’s what they had to say about it:

“We had an opportunity to visit Netherworld last November and what else can be said but AWESOME.  They buy standard animations and props from the same vendors but they re-create them, re-invent them, and make anything inside unique, creative and horrific.  Additionally they might have the best make up crew in the industry, creating monsters so life like even Rick Baker might not be able to tell the difference.  When you add up all the parts of Netherworld you have one of our industries best haunts.”

I have no idea who Rick Baker is, but apparently he knows his monsters!

http://www.fearworld.com/

4.The Stanley Hotel, Colorado – Most of us have been freaked out at some point after watching Jack Nicholson lose his mind in The Shining. So what freakier way to spend Halloween than to stay overnight in the hotel that inspired the book? . The hotel is in actually a pretty impressive estate, with a gorgeous Colorado mountainside location, fabulous amenities, and a great restaurant.

What makes this place creepy – aside from The Shining association, of course – is Flora Stanley, the first owner’s long-deceased wife, can still be seen and heard late at night, either playing the piano in the music room or wandering around the lobby. The entire fourth floor (once servants’ quarters) has consistently had strange happenings reported by guests…..if you stay in room 418, you might hear children playing outside your door, but find nobody in the hallway when you open the door. Of course, you can always just stay in room 217, where Stephen King was a guest

5. Savannah, Georgia – Try the nighttime Ghosts of Savannah walking tour, taking a narrated guide on Carriage Tours of Savannah , or head out for a Creepy Pub Crawl . So what exactly is so scary about this beautiful city? Believers cite a long history of violence and bloodshed dating back to the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, not to mention widespread diseases and fires here. If that isn’t enough for you, quite a bit of Savannah’s historic section were built over old cemeteries.  Does that remind anyone else of the movie Poltergeist?

6. Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Studios Hollywood – Mazes are constructed just for Halloween Horror Nights, featuring some famous movie nutjobs: Jigsaw of the Saw series, Michael Myers of Halloween, Harry Warden of My Bloody Valentine, Jason Voohees of A Nightmare on Elm Street and Chucky Lee Ray. They come with all the blood and gore you’d expect.

Over 1,000 people are hired to staff Halloween Horror Nights and you’ll find them at every turn, jumping out of dark corners, chopping up victims with glee or just walking along, zombie-like. Competition is so fierce for the chain saw guy roles that they hold tryouts. These folks know how to scare people and won’t pose for pictures. If you scream, bite your fingernails or start running away, they’ll know they have their mark and keep coming after you.

Besides numerous mazes in the park, there are also special activities on the tram tour, with a chance to get out and walk past the Psycho house, Bates Motel and through the War of the Worlds plane crash site.

http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/hollywood/2009/index.php

No matter what you do this Halloween, be sure and have a great time with your family and friends, and eat lots of candy!