The newest trail at Audubon Acres isn’t for hiking, it’s for haunting – the ghosts and ghouls of the Acres of Darkness will take over the approximately half-mile section every weekend through the end of the month.
“There was a lot of screams, a lot of noise coming out of those woods,” local Audubon Society president Bill Fisher said in reference to the preliminary invitation-only opening Oct. 1. “If you’re not used to them, woods by themselves are scary. It’s an intense haunt.”
Kyle Simpson, left, and Bill Fisher invite the community to check out the activities at Audubon Acres this autumn, which include the ongoing Acres of Darkness haunted trail.For that reason and due to the nonprofit’s family focus, those 12 and under can split from the trail at a designated point before the real scares begin. Another trail, devoid of terrors, leads to a bonfire where s’more fixings can be purchased, children can pick out and decorate a pumpkin, have their face decorated by on-hand face painting artists, and wander around two black light mazes as many times as they’d like … or is necessary.
“When a family comes everybody has something to do,” said Fisher.
He said the production company doing the haunt has not skimped just because the remote location requires “portable everything.” In addition to all the masks, makeup and maniacs which mark the season, traditional haunted house scenes like Freddy Kreuger’s boiler room and a mad butcher’s kitchen await them in the woods.
The company, Twisted Entertainment, has been doing haunts together for six years, according to Fisher.
For many, the economy is still a very frightening thing, which is the primary reason why Audubon is hosting the haunt this year. Money raised will help support the 67-year-old organization’s mission: education.
“Nonprofits have been hit hard,” Fisher said. “Giving is way down. We’ll use the money for operations and expanding class offerings. We’ve got a lot of people excited about doing things. We’re looking forward to having the capability of supporting them.”
The haunt costs $15 per person and includes parking and all featured activities.
In addition to the continuation of a variety of classes at the East Brainerd site, Maclellan Island, which sits in the Tennessee River between the Hunter Museum and the North Shore, will be opened up this spring for educational programs.