From the moment you turn off the highway onto the small country road, you know this is going to be something different. Unlike most parks with huge signs bringing people in, there was nothing along the road even indicating where we should turn. We only had our GPS to navigate us. The assumed secrecy and lack of alluring beacons was sending chills up my back before we even got out of the car…. and it was still daylight!
As part of our Scary Bastrop Texas Weekend, we had a blast at Scream Hollow Wicked Halloween Park! The park consist of 4 haunted houses, with a cafe and Vampire Bar, shops, live music and much more! We loved it!
A huge Thank You to Screams Hollow for inviting us out and offering complementary tickets for our visit! We loved every goosebump! As always, all opinions are my own, and I was not financially compensated for this review.
A small sign on the fence outside the field used for parking was the only indication of what lie ahead!
TIP! As I said, we were there just a little before they opened. Get there early! You’re going to want to have time to do everything, and 5 hours seems like plenty of time… but it’s not! Each haunted house takes about 15-30 minutes in line, and 20-45 minutes inside, depending on how fast you can run!
Before going in, we did a double check, because there are some things you need to know.
The Haunted Houses are located in woods, and it’s DARK, and you don’t have a flashlight. Wear close-toed shoes! NO flip flops, sandals or high heels! Running shoes would be perfect, because I truly could not get out of one house fast enough….
Make sure you have deep pockets for important things, like wallet, phone and car keys. It’s a lot of ground, and it’s dark, you might not find them!
Here’s how it works, you can purchase a ticket to all the haunted houses, just a couple, one, or just admission to the grounds for $5. Click HERE for pricing, and don’t lose your ticket!
Once inside, you’ll be tempted to check out the cafe and shops, but head straight to the haunted houses, because now is when the lines are the shortest! I suggest doing Slaughter Circus or Zombie City first. The lines for Mansion of Terror is the longest, but you’ll want to save it for later!
Before you go to the Houses, though, visit the restrooms. There are port-a-pottys out front for men, and real restrooms for women. Go! “So scared you’ll pee you pants” is not an advertising slogan, and we actually saw a couple of people with peed pants leave the houses!
At the suggestion of one of the girls at the ticket booth, we headed to Slaughter Circus first. They only allow 6 people to enter at a time. I’m not going to give too much away about any of the houses, but it’t long, and there were several times we were heading out, only to be redirected. Also, be prepared that your group could get split up, with some of you be redirected. It’s not a bad idea to have a meeting place for afterwards.
Next we headed to Wicked Darkness, and again, I’m not going to give anything away, but learn from my mistake and do this one last! If you even dare to do it at all…
It’s ridiculously dark, and there’s no way to get out, and while you’ll see horrible sights and sounds, it’s very sensory driven, with plenty of physical scares! As in all the houses, the actors won’t touch you, but it’s completely dark and you must feel your way around to get out of the maze, with several tight spaces, noises and there’s no telling what you’re actually touching! It was a complete sensory overload, and for me, this was much more frightening than the actors! All that was missing was the smell of something rotting….
Honestly, I had to take a break after that. We grabbed some drinks and muffins from the cafe, and sat down outside under the big trees to listen to the live band for a few minutes while my heart slowed down!
They have a big fire pit you can sit around, too. It was much too warm a September evening when we visited, but it would be great later in the season!
Next, we headed to Zombie Town. I literally ran out of this haunted house screaming!
The Mansion of Terror is what started it all. It was Scream Hollows first haunted house and still the best. I’m not going to give it away, but even my 17-year-old son said it was disturbing! We still don’t know if the graveyard was real or just really good props, and no one is telling…
Before you do the Mansion of Terror, read the history of Adella and her orphange by clicking HERE. It’s makes it SO much better!
Hey, my son found a date for homecoming, too!
Children at Scream Hollow
So, I broke two rules at Scream Hollow. First, we took our nine-year-old, who doesn’t get scared very easily, but also doesn’t really like haunted houses. He did the first house with us, Slaughter Circus, even though they REALLY try to persuade you not to bring children into the houses. As the park is really geared to teens and adults, some of the language was a little inappropriate for children. I winced when the entrance to the circus was described as a “vagina to the world of the undead”, or something like that. My son never blinked.
When we entered, the lead clown asked his name, and shouted it down, and every clown called out to him! I thought at first that they were going to lay off him a little, but I actually think they might have been a little more intense. They even separated he and my daughter from our group! He’s a champ, but then asked to sit out of the Wicked Darkness Maze.
The second rule I broke was leaving him alone at a table while we did the Maze. I did introduce him to Stephanie at the Bakery, in case he needed something, and loaded him up with cotton candy, a muffin and a drink. I assumed he would be okay, but when we came back, I found him cowering under the table, with an undead bunny standing over him!
Now, my son had instigated it, and they were just playing! He really isn’t afraid costumes.
After we finished the haunted houses, I had to go buy more tickets so my 9 year old could go back again with his sister! He even did the Wicked Maze by himself. That’s probably also a no-no, but he loved it!
By the way, when I picked him up from school on Monday, he was enthusiastically telling his teacher how one of the demons had him cornered in a room of the haunted house, and he had barely escaped with his life….
He also ate all this cotton candy by himself. It’s ridiculously expensive at $10.00, but lights up and it comes with FREE refills, which means it came to about $.50 each by the time we left!
The park even offers primitive camping for those truly crazy enough to want to try to sleep here! Click HERE for more information!
Things To Do in Smithville
Play
Rocky Hill Mountain Bike Ranch offers trails and even camping! Click HERE to visit their website.
Hiking, fishing, canoe rentals, camping and mountain bike trails make Buescher State Park a favorite in the state! Click HERE to visit their website.
Eat
Old World Bakery and Cafe in Smithville does breakfast right! Click HERE to visit their website.
Stay
Check out our Spooky Bastrop Texas Weekend, with a night spent at The Gas Station from the original movie, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, plus more fun things to do in Bastrop, by just clicking HERE!
Scream Hollow Wicked Halloween Park
149 Split Rail Ln., Smithville
Click HERE to visit their website.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
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