Haunted Attractions to visit this October

           By: Elizabeth Pringle '13 

           It’s that time of year again; where somewhere inside, the urge to get scared is felt. Whether getting scared is an enjoyment or the feeling is “once in a blue moon”, there are plenty of places in mid- Michigan to satisfy your request.

The most convenient place around is Shawhaven Haunted Farm at 1826 Rolfe Rd. Mason, MI. This haunted farm is only a few miles away from Eaton Rapids and holds three attractions: Samara’s Boarding House, the Dead Maze, and Wagons of Fear. The cost for all three attractions is twenty dollars or ten dollars individually. For those who enjoy the feeling of really being scared then Shawhaven is the place, because the farm owns The Last Ride, which is a one person coffin simulator. 

The Bone Yard at 5010 Green Rd. Stockbridge, MI is another scary attraction. The Bone Yard is similar to Shawhaven as it also has three attractions. However, at The Bone Yard, all three haunted attractions lead into one another: The Freak Show, Deadwood Forest, and Scarecrow Hallow. Senior Roxanne Ford went with a group of her friends to The Bone Yard and thought that, “going once was terrifying enough! At Deadwood Forest the actors were especially scary; you could tell they liked their job.” The Bone Yard ticket price is twenty two dollars for all three attractions.

The most popular haunted house in the area is Jackson’s Underworld located at 1318 Wildwood Ave. Jackson, MI. Jackson’s Underworld is about thirty minutes away and has a ticket price of twenty dollars for a half an hour to forty minutes of pure terror. To help the ticket price there are coupons available to print at www.jxunderworld.com. Last year, Ford went to Jackson’s Underworld and said, “They scare you before you even enter the haunted house. I don’t want to spoil the surprise for anyone, but make sure you watch your back!” She also looks forward to going again this year with her friends because, “nothing makes you bond more with your best friends than getting terrified together!”

To all the corn walkers out there Best Maze is literally the best and is located in Williamston just a mile west of the I-96 and M-52 interchange. Best Maze is known for their tall corn and creatively styled mazes. This year the non- haunted maze has the end of the world theme and has been shaped to look like a Mayan temple. Then, there is The Trail of Terror, a haunted maze. This is where the Best Maze’s tall corn isn’t handy: more places for the actors to hide! The Best Maze also has laser tag and zombie paintball for five dollars each, the normal corn maze is seven dollars and the Trail of Terror is ten dollars.

For those who dare to try new things, there is Darksyde Acres. Darksyde is at 11375 Rowe Rd. Jonesville, Michigan, which is, just less than an hour away from Eaton Rapids. Darksyde is home to six attractions: The Rusthole, The Catacombs, The Dark Abyss, The Labyrinth, The Hayride, and Death Race 2012. The most famous attraction at Darksyde has to be Zombie Paintball Massacre.  Check out their website: www.darksydeacres.com for ticket prices. So, If you dare to see what all of the screams are about, then join the rest of the people who drive from all over the mid- West in the hopes of being scared physically and mentally . 

The next haunted house has been rated number one in Michigan by Travel Magazine and number twenty-five in The United States by Haunted Attraction Magazine. Multiple radio stations are raving about and giving tickets away to St. Lucifer’s Haunted Asylum and 13 Feet Under. Both attractions are located at 5290 S. Dort Hwy Flint, MI in Playland Park and are fifteen dollars at the gate; coupons are also available at www.fearfest.net. When Ford was asked about St. Lucifer’s she replied, “Honestly, I am too scared to go, it looks fun but the website alone is scary enough.”

At all of the haunted attractions listed, none of the actors are allowed to touch; if you don’t touch them, then they won’t touch you. Every place uses strobe lights and suggests that people with heart problems do not enter. For the sanity of all, good luck and may the odds be ever in your f