Scares, screams and thrills: Most chilling Halloween attractions in Bucks County and beyond
Love the anticipation of a good jump scare?
While there are plenty of family-friendly fall attractions around — from pumpkin picking and horse-drawn tractor rides to corn mazes and scarecrow competitions — sometimes you need a downright hair-raising, skin-crawling adrenaline rush to really get into the Halloween spirit.
So, for an experience that goes beyond the imagination of your most terrifying nightmares, check out our list of chilling Halloween attractions around Bucks County and beyond, but be warned, these are not for the faint of heart:
Valley of Fear, Feasterville-Trevose
Now in its 33rd year, Valley of Fear, located at the Phoenix Sports Club, offers three spine-tingling attractions that will leave you trembling: The newly redesigned Original Haunted Hayride, a horrifying ride through the dark woods on a twisting, disorienting trail; Willie’s Shipwreck Cove, a haunted pirate-themed walk; and Miles Manor Haunted House, an outdoor haunted maze with up-close character interactions.
Save money and skip the lines by purchasing your tickets in advance online.
Valley of Fear runs on select nights now through Oct. 30.
Go: Phoenix Sports Club, 301 W. Bristol Road, Feasterville-Trevose; 215-942-9787; valleyoffear.com
Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres, Newtown
Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres, located on the 230-acre Gunser family farm, consists of three frightening attractions designed to shock and disturb its visitors.
The House in the Hollow is known for rivaling the scariest of haunted house attractions with its professional actors, elaborate set designs and top-of-the-line special effects for an interactive experience that will haunt you for days to come.
The Sleepy Hollow Hayride takes you on a winding mile-long ride through acres of darks woods and fields where you will encounter ill-fated spirits across sites that include tragedy-plagued farmland, burning mines, gothic graveyards, lawless badlands and sideshow spectacles.
The Field of Fright is a terrifying adventure through the Forbidden Village of Sleepy Hollow where you will make your way past cornstalks and through buildings that will leave you on edge at every turn.
Tickets tend to sell out early, so order online to guarantee admittance.
Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres runs on select nights Sept. 29 to Oct. 29.
Go: 881 Highland Road, Newtown; 215-860-6855 or 267-517-1771; sleepyhollowhayride.com
Fright Night: Drive-in Halloween movies to fill October nights at farms in Yardley and Morrisville
Scream Mountain at Spring Mountain, Upper Salford
Venture into the wooded trails at Scream Mountain, for two fright-filled attractions. The Haunted Hay Ride heads onto the mountain where vengeful quarrymen lurk in the shadows. The Haunted Lift & Walk takes visitors up the mountain on a chilling ski lift ride before dropping them off at the top, where they must make their way down a winding dimly lit path full of surprises.
Tickets can be purchased online.
Scream Mountain runs on select nights Sept. 29 through Oct. 28.
Go: 757 Spring Mount Road, Upper Salford; springmountainadventures.com/scream-mountain
Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia
Halloween Nights transforms all 10 acres of the abandoned prison’s cellblocks and yards into a massive Halloween festival that includes five haunted houses, several scare zones and more themed attractions and entertainment throughout.
For those looking for a more intense experience, visitors are given the option to “opt in” for added interaction. Those guests will be issued a glow bracelet and throughout the experience, may be grabbed, sent into hidden passageways and even temporarily separated from their group.
Halloween Nights runs on select nights now through Nov. 11.
Go: 2027 Fairmount Ave., Philadelphia; www.HalloweenNights.org.
Pennhurst Asylum, Spring City
Named one of the 10 best haunted houses and attractions in the U.S. by USA Today, this closed down asylum has become the grounds for four haunted attractions designed to “push you to the limits of your sanity,” which includes Legendary Pennhurst Asylum, The Morgue, Pennhurst Tunnels and the all-new Catacombs.
Tickets can be purchased online.
Haunted attractions at Pennhurst Asylum run on select nights through Nov. 4.
Go: 250 Commonwealth Drive, Spring City; pennhurstasylum.com/attractions
Halloween Haunt at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, Allentown
Halloween Haunt returns to Dorney Park with haunted mazes, scare zones and live entertainment. Confront your fears in their newest haunted maze, Ghost in the Machine, takes you on a heart-pounding journey through the abandoned McTavish Steel Factory. Other mazes and scare zones include Roadside Stop & Chop, Necropolis, Carnevil and Midway Misfits.
Park admission includes Halloween Haunt, as well as The Great Pumpkin Fest, Dorney’s family-friendly daytime Halloween event.
Halloween Haunt runs on select nights now through Oct. 28.
Go: 4000 Dorney Park Rd, Allentown; dorneypark.com/events/haunt
More: Halloween is coming: Here's what Sesame Place, Six Flags and Dorney Park have scared up
The Bates Motel, Glen Mills
Featured in CNN Travel’s 10 best haunted house attractions across the US in 2019, The Bates Motel takes horror to terrifying new levels with this up close and personal haunted house experience thanks to high-tech special effects and skilled acting.
Next, head out on the Haunted Hayride, a 25-minute heart-pounding journey through the woods where you’ll be immersed in scenes like a drive-thru insane asylum, a full-scale mockup of a New England church and a 200-foot long cave. And top it all off with Revenge of the Scarecrows Haunted Trail, a chilling walk through a tall corn field where evil lurks around every turn.
Tickets can be purchased online.
The Bates Motel runs on select nights through Oct. 31.
Go: 1835 N. Middletown Road, Glen Mills; thebatesmotel.com
Fright Fest at Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson NJ
With six haunted houses, several blackout amusement rides and five scare zones, Six Flags pulls off a chilling experience for all its guests looking for a thrill. This year’s haunted house themes include Aftermath, Big Top Terror, Bloodshed, The Conjuring, Fears, The Manor, Reflections of the Dead and Saw X.
Park admission is required and is sold separately from Fright Fest passes.
Fright Fest runs on select nights through Oct. 31.
Go: 1 Six Flags Blvd., Jackson, New Jersey; sixflags.com/greatadventure/events/fright-fest-2023
Scary places: Halloween haunts and attractions sure to scare and delight in NJ and beyond
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Haunted Halloween attractions in and around Bucks County
