Considering the chill in the air, the leaves on the ground, and the sudden availability of pumpkin spice-flavored everything, there is no denying that fall is in full swing. With this new season also comes the favorite holiday of many college students as well as people everywhere: Halloween.
For us, here at UD, Halloween usually means dressing up in costume and heading out to the Ghetto to party. While this promises to be a fun and exciting weekend, there are plenty of other seasonal activities available in the Dayton area to help students get in the spirit of Halloween.
There are a wide array of haunted houses, hayrides and mazes being offered in the Dayton area this year, according to activedayton.com. This variety includes haunted attractions along with some less frightening attractions for families or for the scaredy-cats among us.
The Land of Illusion Haunted Scream Park is one good option, according to Alyssa Boudinot, a senior psychology major.
Boudinot said it included multiple haunted houses with different themes, including Dr. Psycho, clowns and mummies. It is located in Middletown and will be open Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.
“I thought it was pretty fun,” Boudinot said. She also said that it was pretty scary and included characters with chainsaws and blowtorches.
Boudinot said she advises students to go early, because they begin shutting everything down around 1:30 a.m. despite being open until 2 a.m. She said her group arrived a little after 11:30 p.m. and did not get a chance to go through all of the haunted houses.
Another spooky attraction is the Village of Screams at Kil-Kare Raceway in Xenia. It is described as “Xenia’s newest and soon-to-be scariest haunted attraction” on activedayton.com. According to the website, it includes a haunted maze and a Zombie Paintball Shoot where you can shoot live actors. It will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 7 p.m.
Splash Moraine becomes Slash! Moraine for the Halloween season. The attraction offers frights to guests who walk through the nighttime bayous and will be open Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. As its name suggests, it is located in Moraine.
Downtown Dayton’s oldest haunted house is just off campus on Wayne Avenue. The Wayne Avenue Butcher House is located at 508 Wayne Ave., and it is within walking distance to the Oregon District so patrons can make a night out of it and explore the area.
Another option is the Maze of Insanity, a haunted maze in Springfield. For the less daring, glow in the dark necklaces are available for purchase in order to ward off the night stalkers of the maze, according to activedayton.com. A portion of the proceeds benefit the ALS Association of Central and Southern Ohio, so you can have fun and benefit a good cause.
In addition to these frightening haunted attractions, the Dayton area boasts a variety of family friendly attractions. With family weekend quickly approaching, why not enjoy some fun and seasonal activities with the whole family?
Adventure Acres, which is located in Bellbrook, is the largest corn maze in Ohio. It provides five different mazes, cow train rides, a kids play area and a farm animal habitat and will be open Thursday through Sunday nights.
A-MAiZE-ing Fall Fun Days provide another fun family corn maze experience. The attraction is located in New Carlisle and will take place on the weekends. It features “the most fun and creative fall festivities,” according to activedayton.com, including an election-themed “Vote 2012” maze.
Finally, if you have no way of getting off campus and still want to take part in the Halloween festivities, Campus Activities Board has you covered. CAB is selling tickets to King’s Island’s haunted attraction, Fright Fest.
Sophomore biology major Katie Lenart attended last year and said there were a lot of haunted houses and other attractions there. She said that characters walked around the entire park and slid in front of people on knee pads to scare them, calling it “horrifying.”
“It was a great way to get off campus and get into the Halloween spirit,” she said.
Tickets cost $5, and transportation will be provided to and from King’s Island.
So, if you enjoy being frightened or you and your friends are just looking for something different to do, Dayton offers plenty of seasonal options. For more information about these and other Halloween festivities, visit activedayton.com.
