It’s the last week of September and that time of year again — Halloween. Whether it’s a simple ghost tour that makes you think twice about where you live or a heart-pounding, bone-chilling haunted attraction, we all can find enjoyment in a good scare.
Unfortunately as college students, money isn’t exactly in abundance for students at McDaniel. Luckily, there are many haunted attractions, both local and not, that are relatively close as well as cheap.
Legends of the Fog, located in Aberdeen, Md., is the farthest attraction from McDaniel on this list. Despite its one hour and 24 minute drive, Legends of the Fog contains two haunted houses, the Sinister Circus, Carsin’s Manor, Maryland’s “best haunted hayride,” the Maze of Darkness, and a “Last Ride” coffin simulator. Legends of the Fog promises to make the trip (and the gas) well worth your time and a $25 ticket. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to www.legendsofthefog.com.
Mountville, Pa. plays host to the infamous Field of Screams. Being “America’s #1 Haunted Attraction,” the Field of Screams’ three attractions — The Den of Darkness, The Frightmare Asylum, and the Haunted Hayride — are the longest and scariest in the nation. With all of this for only $23, the travel costs seem well worth the result. For more information, go to www.fieldofscreams.com.
Located in Kingsville, Md., Creepywoods Haunted Forest is slightly closer to campus, with a one hour and five minute drive. Creepywoods was featured on the Weather Channel as one of the “Top Ten Halloween Screams” in the fall on 2011. Established by the creators of the notorious Bennett’s Curse (which will be mentioned later on in the article), this attraction is guaranteed to provide tons of terror-all for $20. To find more information on this attraction, go to www.creepywoods.com.
About an hour and three minutes away, Boyds, Md.’s Nightmare Screamplex is about the same distance away as Creepywoods. Featuring the Nightmare Forest, the Field of Terror, and the Lost Asylum, this attraction costs a grand total of $15 to $25, depending on the date and type of ticket. For a direct link to the website, go to www.nightmarescreamplex.com.
For the first attraction that’s technically under an hour away (59 minutes, according to Google Maps), the aforementioned Bennett’s Curse, based in Jessup, Md., has been voted as one of America’s Best Haunts, and is one of the Top 25 “Must See” Haunted Houses in the country. Bennett’s Curse features three haunted house: the House of Vampires, Zombie Kingdom in 3-D, and the Sanctuary of Insanity. To get a closer look at the attraction (and its really cool website), click the following link: www.bennettscurse.com.
On a more local level, Carroll County hosts year-round self-guided ghost walks. These walks begin at the Carroll County Visitor Center, which is about a four minute drive from campus, and a 24 minute walk. For more information, visit www.CarrollCountyTourism.org.
The Westminster Branch of the Carroll County Public Library holds annual ghost walks through Westminster to learn about local ghosts and legends. From campus, the drive takes about four minutes and the walk takes about 14. For more information, go to www.library.carr.org.
