Definitely a favorite time of the year for the Angry Koala Gear team is Halloween time! We have attended quite a few Halloween attractions, big and small and we have always made the best of them. Born and raised in Southern California, we were fortunate to have Knott's Berry Farm close by and we had to attend Knott's Scary Farm every year. It is definitely still at the top of our list and the Travel Channel's list as well.
In celebration of the Halloween season, TravelChannel.com
names the “Travel’s Best” Halloween Attractions for 2013. WARNING: These are not for the faint of heart!
The 2013 “Travel’s
Best” Halloween Attractions expert panelists include: Scott Cummins
(Artist & Pro Pumpkin Carver); Elvira (Mistress of the Dark); Nick
Groff (Paranormal Investigator,
“Ghost Adventures”); Ed and Marsha Edmunds (Owners of Distortions
Unlimited, “Making Monsters”); and Aaron Sagers (Geek Culture &
Paranormal Expert).
“Travel’s Best” Halloween Attractions for 2013 (in alphabetical order by state):
Knott’s Scary Farm (Buena Park, California)
In late fall, Southern California’s Knott’s Berry Farm morphs into Knott’s
Scary Farm, one of the most-attended Halloween attractions
in the world. In addition to such heart-stopping rides as “GhostRider”
and elaborately-themed mazes including the brand new “Trapped: The New
Experiment,” Knott’s Scary Farm showcases
six sinister live shows including Elvira’s Sinema Séance – all of which
add up to the ultimate horror experience!
Disney's Haunted Mansion (Anaheim, California & Orlando, Florida)
With its beautiful sets
and wonderful illusions, Disney’s Haunted Mansion is a classic family
attraction. Whether visiting Disneyland in Anaheim, CA or
Magic Kingdom in Orlando, FL, travelers experience Halloween
year-round. The mansion is fun and spooky, but not so scary for
children to enjoy.
Spooky Empire's Ultimate Horror Weekend (Orlando, Florida)
Spooky Empire is a
horror convention that takes place in Orlando, FL every October. With
the likelihood of being surrounded by such horror icons as George
A. Romero, John Carpenter, Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Bruce Campbell
and Elvira, the convention can feel like a three-day Halloween party
full of treats.
Markoff’s Haunted Forest (Calleva Farm in Dickerson, Maryland)
Ask anyone in the
Washington, D.C. area for a Halloween pick, and they will be directed to
Markoff’s Haunted Forest, where visitors have been enjoying thrills
for over 20 years. Haunted hayrides, zombie hunts and a walk through
the “Not-So-Fun House Maze” are just a few ways the creepy adventure
will unfold.
Salem Haunted Happenings (Salem, Massachusetts)
Salem’s notorious
history is an indescribably tangible addition to any one of the town’s
attractions for history and Halloween enthusiasts alike. The Halloween
spirit ramps up as the date nears with everything from Count Orlok’s
Nightmare Gallery to tours of the Salem Witch Museum.
Twin Cities’ Zombie Pub Crawl (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota)
Whether it’s to support
a charitable cause or simply for fun, zombie crawls are organized for
the public to dress as zombies and gather together. There
are zombie crawls held all over America. The largest one in 2012 was
held in the Twin Cities with an estimated 30,000 in attendance, making
it the largest gathering of zombies according to Guinness World
Records.
KC West Bottoms Haunted Houses (Kansas City, Missouri)
The West Bottoms area
is made up of several late 19th-century buildings that were seemingly
made to be haunted houses! This “village of the damned” has
four epic haunts: The Beast, The Chambers of Edgar Allan Poe, The Edge
of Hell and Macabre Cinema. Added attractions include the world’s
largest python and two terrifying multi-story “slides to hell.”
The Haunting of Lemp Brewery (St. Louis, Missouri)
The 100th
episode of “Ghost Adventures” was filmed around Lemp Brewery in St.
Louis. The building alone is considered quite creepy, and now that
a haunted attraction has been built inside, it’s an absolute must-see.
Spooky World Presents Nightmare New England (Litchfield, New Hampshire)
There are a variety of
haunted attractions offered at Spooky World with activities for all
ages. One popular offering for visitors is shooting zombies with
paintball guns.
Eastern State Penitentiary – Terror Behind the Walls (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
The
abandoned Eastern State Penitentiary is one of the most well-known
haunted locations in the country, and for six weeks every fall, “Terror
Behind the Walls”
transforms the
prison into a massive haunted house. For the first time in the event’s
history, visitors will be confronted with a critical decision: should
they explore the prison
and watch the action, or should they mark themselves to truly interact
with the denizens of the cellblocks? Those who opt in for true
interactivity may be grabbed, held back, sent into hidden passageways,
removed from their group
and even occasionally incorporated into the show.
