Let’s face it, Halloween in Athens doesn’t always live up to the hype. If the block party isn’t what you were expecting, take a drive to a haunted house or maze where you are guaranteed to jump into the Halloween spirit.
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, 71 Asylum Drive, Weston, West Virginia
The Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was built between 1858-1881 and was designed to house 250 patients. In the 1950s, the mental institution was overcrowded with 2,500 patients; it closed in 1994.
The mental institution is offering ghost hunts of the main building from 11:30 p.m.-6 a.m. on October 25, 26, 31 and November 1, as well as medical/forensics/geriatric ghost hunt on October 25, 26 and 31. The cost is $100, and groups are directed with guides into the mental institution.
Wicked Forest Haunted Attraction, 1511 State Route 664 South, Logan
The .5-mile trail features four themes: The Show, Town, Camp Howling Moon and Voodoo. This weekend, from 7:30-11 p.m. is the last weekend to scream bloody murder. General admission tickets are $15, and parking is free.
The Last Carnival Haunted House, 832 Valley Road, Waverly
The attraction is indoors and outdoors, including the woods. Tickets are $10 and a percentage of every sale goes to local charities. According to their website, “Erasmus takes pride in how unusual his carnival is but knows there is more to the carnival than meets the eye. This carnival has been moving from small town to small town for over 150 years. Erasmus has lost count of how many victims have entered. No one has ever kept count of the few that have escaped.” This weekend is the last weekend to visit the attraction. The drive from Athens is just over an hour and Spotify has a banger of a Halloween playlist, just saying.
Field of Screams, 28364 Osborne Road, Coolville
Just a 30-minute drive from Athens, the establishment runs Friday and Saturday from 7:30-11 p.m. There is two miles of walking through haunted woods and a maze so make sure you wear comfortable shoes.
The Blennerhassett Hotel, 320 Market St., Parkersburg, West Virginia
The Blennerhassett Hotel puts on their Haunted Ghost Tour on Saturday nights with their last tour on November 2. The package, priced at $193 - $313, includes two overnight accommodations, two tickets for the tour with Susan Sheppard, two grande coffee or hot chocolates from the hotel’s coffee bar, a flashlight and a $20 gift card to use at the hotel. The tour starts at 7:30 p.m. and takes about two hours.
William Chancellor, the man who built the hotel, apparently haunts the building. Guests have reported seeing children playing tag in the hallways and a man in a tuxedo in the mirrors. Strange noises, like knocking on doors and music coming from the empty ballroom, have been reported.
