September 30, 1999
Haunted attractions open in area
By Christine Brucker
Staff Writer
With the autumn chill creeping into the air, thoughts turn to images of monsters and mayhem. Haunted attractions across Ohio throw open their doors, inviting the brave and the faint of heart to enjoy the terrors within.
The Haunted Hydro Dark Attraction Park at Fremont is one of the largest Halloween spooktacles. What began as a single haunted building has taken on a macabre life of its own. New attractions are added annually. This year features Crazy Bob's Toll Road of Terror, Immortal Studios, the Freakshow Mega-Maze and the Psycho Clown House.
The Toll Road of Terror invites the visitor to drive a golf cart on a path littered with monsters and mayhem. The Freakshow Mega-Maze is a 6,000-square-foot, chain-link and camouflage net maze with lights, sound effects and wandering monsters. The Immortal Studios offers a unique souvenir to Hydro guests. Visitors can have their pictures taken in a coffin with Count Dracula or his Vamp assistant having a late-night snack. The Psycho Clown House is a full haunted house offering a three-ring circus of terror with clowns running amok.
The featured theme of the Hydro changes yearly. This year, rooms will tap into our most primal fears ... phobias. Rooms deal with fears such as bats, spiders, closed-in spaces, heights and bridges.
Back by popular demand is the Shock Showcase with eerie entertainment from the Bay Players, the Helter Shelter costume and souvenir shop, Ghostown Mini-Golf, Alejandro the Fire-Eater and Madame Rose the Psychic.
The Haunted Hydro offers several admission options. Tickets begin at $10 for one haunted house and one side attraction through $20 for both houses and up to four side attractions. The Toll Road of Terror and photos at the Immortal Studios are an additional $5. The Hydro Attractions are not recommended for children under 9.
The Haunted Hydro is open 7 -11 p.m. Thursday and Sunday and 7 p.m. - midnight Friday and Saturday
If you are looking for something closer to home, the Nightmare Within in Tiffin returns with some new excitement and some haunting favorites.
The Nightmare Within features 16 rooms with a little bit of everything. Back by popular demand are the electric chair, the Exorcist room and the monster maze. New this year are rooms with moving walls and ceilings.
The Nightmare Within is open 7 p.m.- midnight Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout October. Admission is $10 and not recommended for children under 8.
If you are looking for something a little different in your Halloween experience, HalloWeekends are going on at Cedar Point. In addition to the roller coasters and and other attractions, Cedar Point offers three haunted houses, tricks, treats and tales for young children and meandering monsters on the midways.
The three haunted houses offer a variety of thrills. The Toxic Tunnel of Terror has a science fiction theme with zombies and genetic mutants. Eerie Manor is a traditional haunted Victorian mansion with ghosts and corpses. The Cedar Point Cemetery is a mausoleum with mummies and high-tech surprises.
Children are not left out of the Halloween fun. New this year is Camp Spooky with Snoopy and friends, straw-bale mazes, trick or treating and a costume contest.
HalloWeekends run this weekend and Oct. 8-10. Hours are 6 p.m. - midnight Friday with limited rides open, noon to midnight Saturday with all rides open and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday with all rides open.
Admission is $26.95 for kids and adults 48 inches and over and $8.95 for kids under 48 inches tall.
For a truly unique haunted getaway, consider a drive to Mansfield for the Phantom House Tour at Malabar Farm and a Haunted Prison Tour at the Mansfield Reformatory.
The Phantom House Tour is the ideal Halloween experience for young children. Visitors will hear story of Prince the dog who haunts the grounds. Guides share tales of their own ghostly encounters at the farm. Guests can enjoy hayrides and hot apple cider.
The Phantom House Tour runs 12-8 p.m. every Saturday in October. Admission is $3 for the house tour and $2 for hayrides.
The Haunted Prison Tour offers visitors a little history and a lot of fright. Guests are shackled together in groups of 10 to 15 and led through the old Mansfield Reformatory. They are brought before the judge, convicted and sent through the prison into the belfry and a visit to solitary confinement.
The tour runs 6:30-9:30 p.m. every Thursday through Saturday in October and is recommended for children 10 and up.