St. Louis’ Hottest Spots for Halloween Fun

Friday October 16, 2015

By Explore St. Louis Guest

October in St. Louis can bring on the chills not to mention screams. Conditions happily sought after at the area’s top-rated haunted attractions.

Counted among America’s most extreme haunted houses are Creepyworld and The Darkness, creations by St. Louis’ head honcho’s of horror, Larry Kirchner and Jim Kelly.

“Jack o Lantern’s are nice but they’re not scary. We’re into scary, ” said Kelly as he explained how people like to being scared. “ Of course, it’s all about having fun. And while we work hard to scare you to death and we work just as hard to keep everything safe for our visitors.”

Kelly and Kirchner, Halloween’s mavens of the macabre, delight in scaring the pants off guests who visit their three area haunts where thousands eagerly line up each October for a night of good times and screams. It’s largest attraction, Creepyworld, dubbed as a Screampark, is perhaps the most unique of their terrorizing trio. Located in Fenton, about 30 minutes south from the Gateway Arch, Creepyworld comprises 13 attractions, including zombie paintball hayride, 3-D haunts, cornfields, haunted houses, of course. Adding a little more creepiness to Creepyworld’s 2015 ghoulish season, Kirchner and Kelly has debuted Whispering Woods Graveyard and The Doll House Mansion, home of lost dolls who stalk visitors for their souls.

The Darkness, occupies an old warehouse in the Soulard historic district. This year Darkness has crept outdoors with its new expansion of the Scream Zone. Designed as diversion for patrons waiting in line Scream Zone provides zombies and monsters to terrorize would be guests. The Zone also screens horror flicks nightly on its Mega Scream outdoor movie wall.

Too much screaming - then go to The Abyss where there’s a little less noise, so to speak. The Abyss is housed in the deserted old Lemp Brewery where haunted tours go underground (no one hears the screams underground). It’s the ultimate fright cave experience.

Places for Not So Frightening Nights

Looking for something not so scary? Consider a trip to The Great Pumpkin Patch with Charlie Brown on The Great Pumpkin Express. Train rides depart from St. Louis’ Union Station on Saturdays and Sundays through November 1. Before boarding the pumpkin excursion kids have a chance to gobble cider and cookies and decorate take home pumpkins.

A favorite for the past decade is Halloween in Grantsylvania, aka Grants Farm. Located in South St. Louis County, Halloween at Grant’s Farm has become family favorite. The night features tram rides through the “haunted” deer park. Keep a lookout for the ghosts of General Grant. He’s been sighted around his old cabin and around the Bauernhof near the concession stand.

Adults looking to encounter a different kind of Halloween spirits are directed to the Missouri Botanical Garden on October 30. Spirits in the Garden allows guests over 21 to sample spirits from local distilleries and munch snacks with the garden’s monsters while exploring the Garden’s past with ghost hunters from Monster Paranormal.

Finally, those hungry for haunted history and dinner should make a reservation at The Lemp Mansion Restaurant. The Lemp mansion is the former home of one of St. Louis’ infamous beer barons whose family’s suicides, which took place in the house has made it one of the most haunted places in America.

Guest Blogger Suzanne Corbett contributed to this blog.