Badge: Halloween Haunted Explorer

Where would you like to be haunted? Many organizations take advantage of this holiday to help give scares and shivers. So, whether you plan to go out and be scared by others or start your own venue for fun, we’ll explore attractions and events you can visit and explore.

Steps

1. Scary or fun.

Depending on the age and maturity level of those you want to entertain, you may choose to do a fun or scary event . . . perhaps even a combination of both. The best way to not only determine what you want to do, but what you want to include, is to try out different possibilities. This badge program will help you explore popular choices to make your own haunted location.

NOTE: My family has been to many different haunted events over the years. I hope you find one or more of these “fun.”

Halloween Fun

2. Corn maze.

Corn mazes can be great fun. You get a map and try to find all the points on it within the maze. We like to pair up and do it as a race. In addition, using the corn for things like a corn pit instead of a sandbox is fun for little kids. The corn maze is usually up for about a month before Halloween. Find a corn maze near you. Try it. Note what you did / didn’t like about it.

3. Pumpkin patch.

Pumpkin patches are usually for picking out a pumpkin. The one we frequently go to slowly added attractions so the kids could burn energy before getting on a wagon to be pulled back to the patch. They made things like a maze out of haystacks, boards where you put your head through for pictures, a play area and more. Visit a local pumpkin patch. Most are available about a month before Halloween. See what they have to do, the ages of the participants and note what you did / didn’t like about it.

Halloween Scare

4. Haunted trail.

The local Boy Scouts use their camp for a haunted trail that usually runs for two weeks. They do an asylum / graveyard theme. It takes about an hour to walk through the entire area and it spans multiple buildings as well as forest and fields. The trails are cleaned very well beforehand and a guide takes groups around to keep people together as well as to warn about problem areas (real and imagined). See if you have a haunted trail nearby to visit and experience.

5. Haunted ride.

This is usually a wagon ride (pulled by a tractor) through an area designed for spooks. The benefit is that no one touches the props. However, you need someone to tell the story as you go through and a way to make sure everyone can hear you. Is there a haunted ride near you? If so, try it!

6. Spook house.

There are different kinds of spook houses. At “Niles Haunted House Scream Park”, they have a pole barn split into two different haunted areas. They also have a house that has multiple different ways to start so your scare will be different each time. In other words a “house” is not necessarily a single experience. Visit a haunted house near you.

7. Tours.

Ghost hunting groups and storytellers lead tours through cemeteries, haunted buildings and more. If they are leading you, they’ve probably investigated the location and have done research on the history so they can share not only the stories of hauntings, but what really happened. Look for local ghost tours and try one.

8. Hybrid.

Locations like amusement parks add haunted elements for the season only. From faux cemeteries to employees dressed to scare, they add the horror element to the fun of the amusement park. The amount of “fun” versus “fear” is dependent on the ages of the participants as well as the desired outcome for the organization or business.

9. Perform.

For variety in your event, you might choose to add a fortune teller, magician. musician, walking minstrel, clown or other performers who fit into your theme without being a full attraction. These interactive possibilities engage your visitors and add to the overall feel of your event.

Find performers at one or more of the events listed above. How do they fit with the theme of “fun” or “fear?” Are they actually part of the entire event or an add-on to entertain those who are uninterested in being scared? Is this something you might want to include when you create your own?

10. Other items.

As you explore different venues, attractions, events and activities, note what you like or don’t like about items that seem to be only added on to make more money. This is separate from the performers as these items may or may not reflect the holiday themes. These may include:

Food
Games of chance
Rides (or equivalent)
Souvenirs or memorabilia
Photo booth
Face painting
Optional seating area
Unsupervised play area

Now that you’ve explored the possibilities, look into “Halloween Haunted Creator” to think about creating your own haunted event or attraction.

11. Explore.

These are only some of the possibilities. Continue your exploration around various venues, attractions, events and activities around the Halloween holiday. Continue taking notes abut what you might want to include in your own holiday extravaganza.

Supplements

SUPP_HH Explorer_2in_12up_larajla

Avery 2” round label printable, 12 up

SUPP_HH Explorer_Checklist_larajla

Badge checklist

SUPP_Printable_Haunt Explorer_larajla

Track the activities / attractions you find and want to recreate for your own haunt

Sites to Explore

Get the infographic here > larajla blog post

Get the PDFs of the badge program / supplements here > Full badge PDFs