October brings in the Halloween season and for Central Texas, that means Haunted Houses. Austin has a variety of Haunted Houses – some of them we know well, others not so much. Below is an up to date list of all the haunted houses in and around Austin for you to enjoy.
The House of Torment has been operating in Austin for a long time. If you haven’t been to it before, you probably know someone who has. Currently, the House of Torment has three separate haunted houses in one massive location up at the Highland Mall. Their shows include Slaughterhouse: The Harvest offers you a country style scare, Blackthorne District gives an asylum twist full of experiments gone wrong, and Cursed: Ancients Emerge, which unearths the guardians of the Realm of Torment. You can check out all of the attractions information on their site. The HOT is open every day in October from 7:30 – 11:00 with hours extended on Friday and Saturday.
The Scare for a Cure is an organization that utilizes a volunteer staff to organize haunted events and a unique interactive adventure of terror in Manor, TX. The shows include the Little Red Riding Hood-themed Fairy Tale Nightmare, the old west-themed Murder at Ghost Town, and cemetery-themed, Boneyard. Their main attraction is called Quest Night, an interactive medieval adventure where participants get to battle giant spiders and zombie warriors. They only allow groups for this event. Tickets are available for all shows every weekend in October leading up to Halloween and profits from their shows are donated to local cancer related charities and organizations. Visit their site for specific details.
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Night Terrors is “the realism haunted house that will shock you to the core”, according to their website. On their Facebook page, Night Terrors urges customers not to confuse them with that “Highland Mall Disney show”, House of Torment. Those are big words. Reviews online suggest that Night Terrors has the stuff to back it up, but you’ll have to see for yourself. Located off of 183 just north of McNeil Drive, Night Terrors isn’t too far from the House of Torment. Their assortment of scenes and scares features two spooky clowns, Lunatik & Gzmo (pictured below). Night Terrors is open every weekend in October from 7 – 11pm with tickets ranging from $20 to $34. Visit their website for more information.
You’ve probably seen the Austin Ghost Tours trolley car rolling up and down 6th Street and wondered what ghost stories Austin has to its name. Based on classic ghost stories about Austin and recent investigations into the paranormal, the Austin Ghost Tours is the real deal, taking visitors on several walking tours as well as the trolley adventure. You can visit haunted sites like the Capitol Building, the Warehouse District, and the Driskill Hotel. Prices for different tours can vary so please visit the site for more details.
The majority of the year, Pioneer Farms is a living history park used as an educational tool for children. But during Halloween, they open up the haunted trails of Sprinkle Corner Village, where families and kids search for hidden magical symbols left behind by the Ancient Brotherhood of the Golden Light to prevent the Powers of Darkness from ripping open a gateway “that would permit evil to gain foothold in the mortal world” during the harvest season. Quite the narrative! The Quest of the Haunted Trails is only open four nights this year: October 18-19 and October 25-26 from 7-10pm. Admission is $12 per person. Visit their website for more information.
If you’re looking for a more independent Halloween experience, below is a list of the five most haunted places in Austin as listed by Fiona Broome, one of Austin’s most prolific chroniclers and writer of Austin ghosts and hauntings. They’re not full of scares (depending on how you feel about 6th Street), but they might be fun spots to enjoy a cool October night.
• The Driskill Hotel
• Buffalo Billiards
• The Spaghetti Warehouse
• Texas Capitol Building
• Oakwood Cemetery and Oakwood Annex Cemetery on Navasota St.
This list was compiled by Realty Austin, experts in all things Austin.
