4 haunted attractions near Kalamazoo to enter if you dare

KALAMAZOO, MI — Halloween is just around the corner. And for those ready to get in the scream of things, there are multiple haunted attractions near Kalamazoo to visit the weekend before or after All Hollow’s Eve.

Here are four to choose from

1. Haunt Park

Billed as “Kalamazoo’s only scream park,” Haunt Park features four themed haunts and ticket packages that let patrons visit anywhere from one up to four attractions per trip. One of the region’s largest and longest-running haunted spectaculars, the park is in its 23rd season.

Those who dare can enter the Psycho Ward, a deranged world filled with unsettling cries and menacing patients confined within. Or they can venture into the Nightmares Haunted House, where visitors are forced to face their deepest fears as they navigate a labyrinth of unsettling dreams coming true.

For those afraid of clowns, do or don’t enter the Clown Mansion Haunted House, where the twisted humor of a haunted mansion overrun by a troupe of horrifying clowns will be on full display.

Visitors to Kalamazoo's Haunt Park wait to enter Camp Crystal Lake, where they will challenge Jason at paintball in Kalamazoo, Michigan.Provided by Kalamazoo Haunt Park

Finally, there’s the Camp Crystal Lake paintball experience, where visitors can step into the iconic setting of the “Friday the 13th” movies and test their skills against the infamous Jason in a paintball battle.

Learn more about each attraction at hauntpark.com/projects.

The park’s attractions open to the public at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24 through Saturday, Oct. 26 and Thursday, Oct. 31 through Saturday, Nov. 2.

Tickets start at $15 for one attraction and cost $5 each additional attraction. VIP and FastPass tickets are also available. Buy tickets to any or all of the attractions online here.

Haunt Park is located at the Kalamazoo Speedway, 7656 Ravine Road, just a mile off of U.S. 131, Exit 44.

2. Nightmare Realm Haunted Attraction

Located just west of Kalamazoo is the immersive Town of Cypress Hollow, where you will be greeted by a unique, story-driven haunt experience.

Waiting for your arrival will be Trista and her army of creatures, who were drained of life and brought back as twisted versions of their former selves.

The “Retribution” experience will take place from 7:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, and Saturday, Oct. 26, as well as Friday, Nov. 1, and Saturday, Nov. 2, at 23492 Red Arrow Hwy. in Mattawan. Tickets for the experience start at $25 and can be purchased at minightmare.com.

Other immersive experiences are planned for Friday, Nov. 1, and Saturday, Nov. 2, including “Slaughtered at Sleepy Hollow” from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Nov. 1. Be warned, the slaughter is not for the faint of heart. Attendees to this attraction must be 18 or older.

3. Niles Scream Park

Featuring six professionally-designed attractions on 44 acres, the Niles Scream Park is known for its marquee haunted house. To get there, visitors must make their way along a winding path filled with shaky bridges over dark ponds, through foggy woodlands and a completely pitch-black maze leading to the dead.

Once in the house, there are 100-plus paths through the attraction, making it impossible to see the whole house in less than seven trips. Each year, the rooms and themes change.

Other attractions this year include the “Pirates of Siren Seas” under the command of the icy Captain Karlo or “Viciously Voodoo,” where one can discover an unearthed crypt under the streets of New Orleans.

The popular “Field of Screams” sends visitors venturing through a massive authentic cemetery, a toxic waste facility, a rundown carnival and a forest. The problem for all is figuring out how to escape. Not enough? Traverse into the “Wicked Woods” where unspeakable horrors lurk around each bend.

Other things to do include four themed five-minute escape rooms, the hall of fear and monsters of the midway, as well as the scariest haunt of them all, “Hooded,” which requires the riskiest to sign a waiver and be 18 or older.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit haunted.org. The park opens at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25 through Sunday, Oct. 27 and Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2.

4. The Temple of Terror

About 45 minutes south of Kalamazoo is what appears to be the peaceful little village of Centreville.

But take a wrong turn onto Dean Street, and you might find yourself somewhere that’s anything but peaceful.

The Temple of Terror Haunted House is inviting those who dare to come inside between 7 and 11 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26. Admission is $10 per person and burial simulator tickets cost $5 per ride.

Check out the Jack the Ripper escape room for $25 per game (max six people) or the “Wristrained” escape room for $5 per person (max five people per game). Click here for more information.

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