Halloween 2023: Your guide to haunted houses, attractions near Columbus and across Ohio
Ohio has no shortage of haunted houses and attractions, which makes sense as the state is regularly named one of the most haunted in the country.
Around Columbus and within driving distance are some truly scary haunted attractions in a variety of settings, including experiences at the old Ohio State Reformatory and the Historic Licking County Jail, an old schoolhouse, a former town hall and more.
Ohio sites are named among the top haunted attractions and best theme park Halloween events in the country, according to USA Today readers. Escape from Blood Prison at the Ohio State Reformatory was named among the nominees for top haunted attractions. Kings Island's Halloween Haunt and Cedar Point's HalloWeekends were ranked 4th and 9th, respectively, for top theme park events.
Read on for 13 of the top haunted houses and attractions driving distance from Columbus.
Fear Columbus
Where: 2605 Northland Plaza Drive
When: Open through Nov. 4. Dates and times vary; see website
Highlights: Make your way through two haunted houses, one where a cult is summoning demons and a new attraction, where high school students mistakenly release an "unspeakable force" on the eve of Halloween, aka Devil's Night.
Admission: Tickets online only, starting at $19.99 and vary based on date and demand
Age recommendations: Not recommended for children younger than 13. Anyone under 13 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Information: fearcolumbus.com
Carnage Haunted House
Where: 3770 Refugee Road
When: Open through Nov. 4. Dates and times vary; see website
Highlights: Make your way through two haunted areas: The Bayou is a swamp full of cursed creatures, and The Entity is an abandoned hospital occupied by a spooky being.
Admission: Starting at $25
Age requirements: Anyone younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Information: carnagehauntedhouse.com
ZOMBIEzi Bay
Where: Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, 4850 Powell Road, Delaware County
When: Select Thursdays for 21+ adult night and Sundays, 6 to 10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 6 p.m. to midnight, Sept. 22 through Oct. 29
Highlights: Four haunted houses include Eternal Darkness, Pleasant Screams Laboratory, the Sinister Sideshow and new this year, Grave. Scare zones include Photosynthesis and Welcome to Dead River. Rides, including a bumper car experience amped up for scares and a 50-foot-tall drop tower, are also included with admission. However, the park reserves the right to close gates and stop admission if the park reaches capacity.
Admission: $29.99 in September and Sundays in October, $33.99 for Fridays and Saturdays in October, and $44.99 for adult nights, plus $10 parking
Age recommendations: Not recommended for children under 13.
Information: zombiezibay.columbuszoo.org
Escape from Blood Prison
Where: Ohio State Reformatory, 100 Reformatory Road, Mansfield
When: Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. to midnight and Sundays, 7 to 10 p.m., Sept. 29 through Oct. 29
Highlights: Tour the old reformatory by night, with abundant scares. Add a touch pass, which allows all scare actors to touch you, for a more frightening experience.
Admission: Online tickets only; Starting at $40 with parking
Age requirements: For ages 10 and older. Be prepared to show proof of age (birth certificate or school ID) for anyone who looks like they might be younger than 10.
Information: bloodprison.com
HalloWeekends
Where: Cedar Point, 1 Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky
When: Thursdays, 6 p.m. to midnight; Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to midnight; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., through Oct. 29. Operating dates and times subject to change without notice; check website before visiting.
Highlights: Along with the regular Cedar Point rides and other activities, the park will have special Halloween activities and shows during the day, and three indoor haunted mazes and five scare zones at night.
Admission: Starts at $49.99 online, or $99 at the gate plus $30 parking
Age recommendations: "May be too intense for young children ..."
Information: cedarpoint.com/events/halloweekends
Halloween Haunt
Where: Kings Island, 6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason
When: Fridays and Saturdays, 6 p.m. to midnight, and select Sundays, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. through Oct. 28. Operating dates and times subject to change without notice; check website before visiting.
Highlights: Enjoy the usual thrill rides along with a family-friendly Tricks and Treats Fall Fest by day, and four scare zones, five mazes, haunted attractions and live shows by night.
Admission: Starts at $44.99 online, or $99 at the gate plus $30 parking
Age recommendations: "Halloween Haunt is intended for mature audiences and is not recommended for children under 13." Guests younger than 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years old after 4 p.m., a year-round rule.
Information: visitkingsisland.com/events/haunt
Things to do this fall: Where can you find pumpkin patches near Columbus? Check out our list
Mohican Haunted Schoolhouse
Where: 155 W. Third St., Perrysville
When: Select Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., through Nov. 4; Sunday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Highlights: A 30-minute, 1920s, haunted schoolhouse experience over 3 floors, including an "ominous" basement and an outdoor exhibit featuring "terrifying creatures."
Admission: $24 online, $30 at the door
Age recommendations: Children 12 or younger must be accompanied by an adult, and "do not bring children that cannot capably navigate a haunt by themselves."
Information: mohicanhauntedschoolhouse.com
Brimstone Haunt
Where: 525 Brimstone Road, Wilmington
When: Friday and Saturday nights in October and Nov. 4. Ticket office opens at 7 p.m. and closes at 11:30 p.m. Hayride queue closes at 11:45 p.m. Attractions start running at dark and run until lines are empty.
Highlights: The Ohio Renaissance Festival's scary sibling serves up five horrific experiences: a relatively tame Haunted Hayride, a high-intensity Forgotten Forest adventure, a Psychosis maze rated five out of five skulls for creepiness, and zombie attractions, including a Dead Shot paintball shooting gallery where guests attempt to shoot zombies.
Admission: Online prices (prices at the door are $5 more): Haunted Hayride, $20; Forgotten Forest, $18; Psychosis, $11; Zombie Assault, $7; Dead Shot Paintball, $11; Axe Throwing and Cranium Crusher, $5 each. Combo and fast pass packages are also available. $3 parking
Age recommendations: Some attractions for ages 8 and older, others for ages 13 and older
Information: brimstonehaunt.com
Jail of Terror
Where: 46 S. Third St., Newark
When: Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. through Oct. 7; Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. to midnight through Oct. 28; Sunday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Highlights: Meet the spirits haunting the Historic Licking County Jail, which first opened in 1889 and is the death site of three sheriffs and 19 inmates, according to the Jail of Terror website.
Admission: Starting at $25
Information: newarkjail.com
Haunted Town Hall
Where: 103 S. High St., Lafayette
When: Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. to midnight
Highlights: Two-story indoor haunted attraction in Lafayette's original town hall built in 1899. Scenes depict a terrifying mayor and the town hall's many uses as a fire station, school, theatre and library over the years. Also features a five-minute escape room.
Admission: Escape room, $7, Haunted Town Hall starting at $15. Combo and fast pass packages are also available.
Information: hauntedtownhall.com
Haunted Hoorah
Where: 311 Rose Ave., Marion
When: Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 28, 8 p.m. to midnight
Highlights: A 15,000 square-foot, ten-acre, interactive, military/sci-fi-themed attraction where "recruits" come face-to-face with a doctor who runs a frightening super soldier program.
Admission: Starting at $30
Information: hauntedhoorah.com
J&J Field of Screams
Where: 5482 State Rte 61, Shelby
When: Fridays and Saturdays, Sept. 30 through Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Highlights: A newer haunted attraction located on J&J Rietschlin Farm, features a quarter-mile hayride, haunted corn maze and new in 2023, haunted woods.
Admission: $20
Age recommendations: Not suggested for children under 10
Information: jjfieldofscreams.com
Haunted Hoochie
Where: 13861 Broad St. SW, Pataskala
When: Thursdays through Saturdays through Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Highlights: Haunted attraction also known as Dead Acres, features a hayride, paintball gallery, movie screen, and walk-thru haunt with actors, animatronics and robotics. Known for its intense and realistic atmosphere. Expect graphic violence and horror.
Admission: Starting at $30
Age recommendations: "If you are wondering if your kids are too young, your kids are too young."
Information: deadacres.com
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 13 of the best haunted houses near Columbus
