They’re sure to give you a scare and get you in the Halloween spirit.Ī word to the wise: Most of these attractions are meant to terrify. Many of them have been in operation for decades and have earned acclaim for being the best of the best. Even if you’re not a die-hard but you enjoy a thrill or two, check out the destinations closest to you on the list. If you count the days until it’s appropriate to decorate your front porch with cobwebs, watch scary movies on repeat, and think people should have off work on Halloween, you might want to consider taking a road trip to these haunted destinations over the next month. Some are set up in creepy abandoned prisons, others are made to terrify in warehouses, but all have the end goal of making sure you’re scared out of your mind. Many of them now use Hollywood-quality sets, props, FX, and makeup to ensure your $15 to $25 ticket is worth the price of admission. In return, these class-act haunted houses put on quite a show.
Many of the top attractions work year-round to thrill and terrify guests from mid-September until Halloween, with the average haunted house or hayride bringing in 8,000 paying guests (though local events tend to be on a much smaller scale. And as the demand for better attractions has grown, so has the offerings of haunted houses.
In the past few years, Americans have spent $7 billion or more on costumes, candy, and lawn decorations to get into the spooky spirit. There’s no question that Halloween has become one of America’s favorite holidays.