More haunts and horrors
ACRES OF DARKNESS HAUNTED WOODS AND FAMILY ADVENTURE› Where: Audubon Acres, 900 N Sanctuary Road› When: 8-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, beginning Oct. 13› Admission: $15THE HAUNTED BARN› Where: 5017 McDonald Road, McDonald, Tenn.› When: 7 p.m.-midnight, Fridays and Saturdays› Admission: $20HAUNTED HILLTOP› Where: 8235 Highway 58 in Harrison› When: 7 p.m. to midnight, Fridays and Saturdays› Admission: $20
Once bound by the confines of Ruby Fall's cavern, fear has risen from the underground to seep into Lookout Valley.
Ruby Falls Haunted Cavern, in partnership with Fear Connection, is luring visitors to an all-new, 29,000-square-foot location in Lookout Valley called Dread Hollow. It is open every Thursday through Sunday this month, as well as Halloween night.
"We are building on our past haunt successes to increase the scare factor going forward," said Hugh Morrow, president of Ruby Falls. "As this season's Haunted Cavern has moved to a different location, the experience is set to thrill haunt-seekers in a brand new way."
Dread Hollow appears to outsiders as an unassuming small town, but they are unaware of its past. The haunted town's theme revolves around Mercy Harker, a respected founding member of the community who convinced prominent citizens of Dread Hollow that select girls were a coven of witches. Those innocent victims were found guilty of witchcraft, hung and burned. Mercy's spell of horror has haunted the town ever since and waits to trap those who enter.
Visitors to Dread Hollow may hear the echoes of Mercy Harker's maniacal laughter.If you go
› Where: Dread Hollow, 321 Browns Ferry Road› When: 7 p.m.-midnight Thursdays-Sundays and Oct. 31› Admission: $20, $30 for RIP fast pass› For more information: www.hauntedcavern.com
"Our actors will be in an environment with more freedom to intensify and interact with patrons. Plus, the first 50 to 75 people in the door will encounter more characters on Main Street in Dread Hollow," says Fear Connection's Todd Patton.
While the location has changed, the intense scare factors have not. The new haunted space allows for new fear tactics and more horrifying, interactive characters than before. Haunted Cavern at Dread Hollow still boasts sliders and two separate haunts, with the ability to decrease wait times for visitors.
Ruby Falls Haunted Cavern is in its 14th year of fear. It was just announced as No. 1 on TheScareFactor.com's 2017 fan-voted must-see haunt list for Tennessee and is named a Top 20 Event by Southeast Tourism Society.
It has also been awarded the sixth spot on the national haunt list by Rand McNally in recent years and listed as No. 4 on Buzzfeed's national list of "19 Terrifying Haunted Houses You Should Experience Before You Die."
Parental advisory: The scares start upon exiting your vehicle. Not recommended for children under 12; may cause nightmares.
Visitors may go online for new RIP fast-pass tickets, character and storyline info at www.haunted cavern.com.