Prepare To Be Scared

The night of goblins and ghouls, witches and warlocks, black cats and jack-o-lanterns, is just around the corner. Halloween is the one time a year where we get to torture ourselves with some terrifying fun. Haunted attractions have always been one of the best ways to celebrate the spooky season, and this year, "scary" is being given a whole new meaning. If you are anything like me, you ve exhausted your local haunted hay rides and have been to Six Flags  "Fright Fest" one too many times. You are ready for bigger and better. How about trying some of the most terrifying haunted attractions in the WORLD? The Bates Motel and Pennhurst Asylum, Philadelphia, PA are ranked the number one haunted attraction by hauntworld.com's "Top 13." The Bates Motel features a second-to-none haunted hay ride through a 200 year old forest in complete darkness. Armed with a full team of pyrotechnics, this attraction has more fire than a Kiss concert. Not far from the Bates Motel, and owned by the same company, the Pennhurst Asylum is an abandoned mental institution that is over 100 years old. Some of the props used in the attraction are real artifacts from the Aslyum's prime, 1908. The Pennhurst Asylum has even been featured on Ghost Adventures and Ghost Hunters for its truly haunted nature. Trust me, the high-tech animatronics and captivating actors, will leave you shaking. One thing that could be a mess is waiting to buy your tickets. Tickets for the Bates Motel attractions range from $12 to $20 depending on the day that you go. However, you can print out a coupon to be used at the ticket counter for a five dollar discount on their website. http://www.thebatesmotel.com/flash/index.htm. The tickets for The Pennhurst Asylum, though, are better bought online. Admission is $15 per attraction and when you go to buy the tickets you will have the option of entering a discount code. The code "GHOST" will work to save you an extra $5 per ticket. If you do plan to make the trek into the city for a haunted night, I suggest taking full advantage of your day in Philly. Here are some ideas to make the planning a little easier, PHILADEPHIA
Ellen Styder
BestWeekends.com