Looking for a fun October fright? Here are 7 haunted attractions in the Peoria area

Mike Kramer, Pekin Daily Times
·4 min read

In its early form, All Hallow’s Eve was a solemn occasion in the Christian liturgical year as the beginning of All Hallowtide, a season for remembering the dead.

While Christian solemnity has largely given way to a festival of trick-or-treating and costume parties, the dead, or at least the simulated dead, still play an important role in the holiday.

Here are a few haunted attractions in the greater Peoria area where chill-seekers can have hair-raising encounters with ghosts, ghouls, and zombies of the simulated variety.

RON JOHNSON/JOURNAL STAR Bodhi Hurt of Chillicothe plays "Slasher" with fellow ghouls that hope to scare up some fun at Spider Hill at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe. The Halloween haunted park is a charitable, not-for-profit endeavor that is open for scary fun every weekend in October.
RON JOHNSON/JOURNAL STAR Bodhi Hurt of Chillicothe plays "Slasher" with fellow ghouls that hope to scare up some fun at Spider Hill at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe. The Halloween haunted park is a charitable, not-for-profit endeavor that is open for scary fun every weekend in October.

Aura Haunted House

Location: 4500 Enterprise Drive, Bartonville

About: This attraction is located at the Pollak Hospital building in Bartonville’s Peoria State Hospital Historic District. The State of Illinois operated the psychiatric hospital from 1902 to 1973. The Pollak Hospital was added in 1949 to segregate patients who suffered from tuberculosis. Hundred of patients died during the hospital’s years of operation and their spirits are said to roam Pollak Hospital’s halls today.

Aura Haunted House will be open Fridays and Saturdays through October. There will also be special “black-out” events on Halloween night and Nov. 3 and 4. General admission tickets are $30, Speed Passes are $45, and Now Passes are $60. More information is available at hauntedpeoria.com.

Blood Moon Manor

Location: 310 S. Broadway St., Forest City

About: An outdoor haunted house operated by the Forest City Park Development Committee, Blood Moon Manor is the site of the Skinner House, a home that has been featured on the A&E television show “My Ghost Story.”

During the Halloween season, the attraction is open Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 28. Access to Blood Moon Manor’s three haunted trails is $23, and Reaper’s Ride tickets are available for $6. More information is available at bloodmoonmanorhaunt.com.

Downs Haunted House

Location: 107 E. Franklin St., Downs

About: This family-friendly attraction provides a “Fright Fest” of Halloween activities including a haunted house, a haunted hayride, bonfires, apparel sales and concessions. The attraction will be open every Friday and Saturday in October. A special Downs UnHaunted House for children will be open Oct. 29 from 1 to 3 p.m.  Tickets for the haunted house are $12.

More information is available at downshauntedhouse.org.

Hallows Hall Haunted Attraction

Location: 11695 IL-29, Mason City

About: This Mason City venue advertises central Illinois’ only haunted corn maze. The twisted, turning maze features the usual seasonal collection of ghosts and ghouls. Taft Fine Food/AM Concessions will sell refreshments during Hallows Hall operating hours.

The attraction will be open every Friday and Saturday in October.  More information is available on the Hallows Hall Facebook page.

The Infirmary Bartonville Asylum – Old Mine Haunted Trail

Location: 4400 Industry Drive, Bartonville

About: Located on the asylum grounds of the Peoria State Hospital, this Bartonville attraction promises “an outdoor trail experience with an indoor line.” Visitors will explore a mining village that has been taken over by an evil entity known as “Doom,” and tour the mine, the Olde Towne, and the Darkwell Museum while trying to dodge Doom and his minions.

Tickets are sold at the gate for $15 and are available online or $53 for a reserved VIP Experience. Old Mine Haunted Trail will be open Fridays and Saturdays through October. More information is available at oldstatemine.com.

Spider Hill Haunted Attractions

Callie Heneger-Ring prepares her makeup as "Disarray," one of the characters at Spider Hill.
Callie Heneger-Ring prepares her makeup as "Disarray," one of the characters at Spider Hill.

Location: 17189 N. IL-29, Chillicothe

About: Spider Hill Haunted Attractions offers tours of the 8,000-square-foot Massacre Mansion, as well as long and winding walks along the wooded Trail of Terror. Evil creatures lurk in abundance at both locations, ready to spring out at visitors. Beginning this year, Spider Hill has teamed up with Enlightened Souls Paranormal investigation group to offer investigations of an historic building in Chillicothe’s Three Sisters Park.

Spider Hill is open every Friday and Saturday in October. Massacre Mansion and Trail of Terror tickets are $23 each or $35 for fast passes. Paranormal investigations are $45, and advance tickets are required. More information is available at three-sisters-park.com.

Spook Hollow

Location: 613 LaSalle Blvd., Marquette Heights

About: The Marquette Heights Men’s Club of Central Illinois has been running this attraction for over 40 years and promises three “truly horrifying events” for a single admission price of $30, or $45 for an R.I.P. Speed Pass. The Spook Hollow Trail, M.C. Mansion, and the M.C. Nightmare industrial complex are centered around the career and “curious death” of ruthless coal mine owner Montgomery Crescent.

While visitors of all ages of welcome, the Spook Hollow web site cautioned that the events are not recommended for children under 13. 2023 season dates are Oct. 13 and 14, 20 and 21, and 27 and 28.

More information is available at spook-hollow.com.

This article originally appeared on Pekin Daily Times: Here are 7 haunted attractions in or near Peoria, Illinois