BY: Caitlin Gallagher
Happy Fall, Y’all! It might feel like we are still in the middle of August, but it is officially Spooky Season. October is the month for pumpkins, haunts, and hayrides. Luckily for us, there’s no shortage of any of those in Alabama.
If horror is what you prefer, I’ve got a list of hauntingly good attractions that are sure to “creep” it real. Although there aren’t any haunted houses here in Montgomery, Paintball on 111 is one of the closest fright-fests for the Halloween season. Located in Holtville, about 25 miles from AUM, they are offering a haunted hayride and a haunted maze, shooting live zombies with paintballs and zombie target shooting. These attractions will be open every Friday and Saturday from now until November 2.
If you head north on I-65, you’ll find numerous spooktacular haunted houses. Warehouse 31 in Pelham, 82 miles from AUM, has three different attractions located within its walls: a traditional style haunt, a 3-D experience, and an escape room. About 20-30 miles further are three more places to give you a trick-or-treat. Sloss Fright Furnace in Birmingham has a wide variety of things to do. There is a traditional style haunt, a haunted outdoor maze in a zombie-infested forest, a 25-foot outdoor movie screen showing all your favorite horror flicks on a continuous loop, and live entertainment while you wait. Up next is Nightmare at 3008 in Fultondale. They have three attractions, two of which are new for the 2019 season. Atrox Factory in Leeds is dubbed the “largest indoor haunted attraction in the southeast.” The scaring at Atrox covers 50,000 square feet.
Fifty-five miles south on I-65 is Greenville’s Haunted Firehouse. Produced entirely by volunteers, this might be a cheaper option for those on a budget—$8 on Friday nights and $10 on Saturday nights. A haunted farm in Auburn should also be on your list. Sleepy Hollow Haunted Farm, 45 miles North on I-85, has five scary stops: Clown Cabin, Murder Maze, Rip Ride, Haunted Hayride and Zombie Paintball. Another haunted farm option is Pope’s Haunted Farm, located in Salem—a 60 mile drive from AUM. There, they have four big events that will be more than enough to keep you on your skele-toes: a haunted buggy ride, a haunted hayride, a traditional style indoor haunt, and the haunted forest.
Hopefully this list peaks your spooky interests and you and your #SquadGhouls find some fun this Halloween season. Don’t forget… if you’ve got it, haunt it.