Halloween Activities in Southern Indiana

Halloween Haunts and Family Fun in Southern Indiana: Review of 5 Activities Worst to Best

The fun begins long before the date of October 31^st when the traditional trick-or-treaters begin to roam. Living in southern Indiana between Bloomington and Louisville, Kentucky gives opportunity for all kinds of family fun and scarier fun for the stronger at heart.

There's good, better, best and even bad. Well, that's how we're approaching this review today so you can judge for yourself from the information presented. We decided to approach it this way so you could decide the best place to spend your hard-earned dollars. Ratings are based on personal reviews, price, availability, quality of fright, family quality events, and website design and information.

Drum roll please..........From #5 to #1 (Worst to Best).

#5 is Baker's Junction Smithville Haunted Train

Located in Smithville, Indiana just 10 miles out of Bloomington, Baker's Junction has limited availability on Fridays and Saturdays in October from 7 pm to 10 pm. Right off the bat this puts a couple of strikes against the Junction because some folks like to go out haunting during the week or Sunday because of work schedules. Bloomington being the college town that it is and many of those students working on Fridays and Saturdays, it would be hard for them to even get to the Junction when it's open. On top of the limited days, the hours are way too restrictive. Most haunters are interested in the spookies after the 10 o'clock hour for sure.

The price is good for only $5 and about a 30-45 minute tour, but what you're touring is at best mid-level theatrics. To begin with the Kiddie House looks more like a condemned and trashy house not scary but dangerous for children. The mad scientist area is nothing more than a bunch of junk set up to look like some type of experiment. They even have Fisher Price toys setting under a bench. There are attempts at scary skeletons which have fake hair and top hats around.

One area actually looks like something my grand daughter would like in her room. The walls are kind of a mottled black, blue, green spacey looking scene with plastic stars and planets stuck to them. Above hangs something similar to a fish net from which the planets and various other asteroid paraphernalia descend.

Then there's the scene with the skeletons, the Count, and the Cootie bugs (yes, you know the plastic Cootie bugs that you put together and put on the legs, etc.) is just a little too low scale.

Finally, the website though put together with a lot of banners and buttons and an overall initial decent presentation falls far short of information or appropriateness once you begin to investigate the links within. The website is more consumed with John Baker's life and misfortunes and blaming the city for his overt requests for donations throughout the site. He even goes so far as to show personal pictures of actual wounds secondary to illnesses and accidents. Not what Halloween and the haunted adventurers are exactly about.

I see very little opportunity for enjoyment for the kids or the parents. #5 for sure.

#4 goes to The Baxter Avenue Morgue of Louisville, Kentucky

The Vanderdark Morgue begun in 1901 was a flourishing business until 1932 when the owner disappeared and his son Warren took over. Weird practices and mistakes began to occur and be investigated; Warren's wife and daughter disappeared. Warren changed the name to The Baxter Avenue Morgue but was forced to close anyway. Believed to have gone insane and responsible for disappearances, grave robberies, and other heinous occurrences, the morgue and Warren Vanderdark became silent in 1951. The building condemned in 1976 was never discussed because of the atrocities discovered within. Finally, revived in 1999 for retail development on the upper floors and the basement in 2001 for Halloween tours, the morgue is gut wrenchingly scary.

Great on theatrics and storyline and a little too frightening without areas of escape is the consensus of several of the visiting victims. It seems you must be insane yourself or have nerves of solid steel. Perhaps you must be absent of a heart that will jump out of your chest from fright.

They do have good hours open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and some Sundays from 8 pm until. Now that is good hours for haunting. Unfortunately because of the degree of overboard on the dead bodies, lack of escape exits and mostly the price of $20 to $30 a person, the morgue falls victim to #4.

#3 Lands in the Middle by no fault of its own. I just feel that I should reserve the top two spots for one scary and one family oriented. So here we go.

#3 Paoli Christian Church Trunk'nTreat Paoli, Indiana

One of the largest churches in this small rural town, Paoli Christian puts on this fun fall festive event every year for the kids (the adults enjoy it too though). In good weather the cars/trucks are lined up around the parking lot and open their trunks full of goodies to all the cowboys and princesses that happen by. It's like a kid's dream come true. They can hit 20-30 "houses" in a small area and walk away with a candy jackpot. The theme is always clean and good with fun as the focus. Various games include bounce houses, apple bobbing, kid putt putt, costume contests, Colts field goal kick, and bean bag contests to name a few. Great for the kids, a good time and lots of laughter.

The date varies every year depending on where October 31^st falls in the week. The times are generally from around 7 pm to just after dark or a little later. In the event of rain they move the whole shebang inside. Oh yeah, regardless there is a bounty of food for all.

A good fun time and a rock solid #3.

#2 Harrodsburg Haunted House

27 years running. This Indiana legend is outside Bloomington and within an hour of Indianapolis. Visited by thousands each year and rated 4.6 out of 5.0 by its guest, it sure seems to measure up to expectations quite well.

A stagecoach inn built on forbidden Indian burial grounds in 1889, a child's death down a well, the angry child murders six guests, and the father burns the inn before he and the family disappear to hide the crimes. The inn revived in 1915 as a school and morgue of teaching was transferred in 1922 to a demented student.

The student named Gore began to care for pauper's burials until a time in 1929 when authorities inspected and raided to find no bodies or bones in the grave yard. Gore is said to have disappeared or others say he still resides committing gruesome acts as before. During the raid the authorities found rotting bodies hanging from the walls, sickening bone sculptures, and obvious experiments gone awry.

Harrodsburg Haunted House opens once a year so others can witness Gore's madness and remains. Only those brave of heart and of little fear need attend this fright fest of an adventure.

This year Indiana legendary scary king Sammy Terry, who's been chilling the spines of many since the 1960s, comes to visit on October 11^th and is sure to scare the bejunkers out of even the most formidable skeptic.

With reasonable hours of 8 pm to 12 am every Friday and Saturday through October, the House loses first place because of its limitations on availability. Price is right for $8 an adult and $5 a child.

The most impressive features that put Harrodsburg up to the top are its award winning website, longevity, and sincere concern for the clientele. As safety is a key concern, the staff requests to be told if guests have heart conditions, asthma, or epilepsy so an emergency care provider can escort them through as well as use precautions throughout their experience. They also o not tolerate drinking or drunks with police on staff to prevent problems and remove riffraff.

Hooray for the effects, the concern for the people, and the obvious honest intent to just help people to have a good and scary good time.

Now, for what we've all been waiting for. Drum roll please. #1 goes to:

#1 The Lark Ranch and Corn Maze

Located in Loogootee and Indianapolis this is the height of a fun family good time at a reasonable price. Owned by an Indianapolis attorney who loves giving back as a hobby, the Ranch only charges $6 admission fee, five and under are free, and they give discounts to groups. Friday 4pm to 10 pm, Saturday noon to 10 pm and Sunday noon to 6 pm give a good array of hours for plenty of visiting time. From September 19 through November 2^nd make sure you find the time to go out and experience this wonderful family good time.

Boasting a petting zoo, an animal observation area, popcorn of red, blue, yellow and white, free pumpkins for little ones, big ones for sale and more favorites at the ranch store like soy candles for sale. It's educational too in trying to grow a variety of things for teaching the youngsters. Corn, cotton (a not so northerly crop), soybeans, sunflowers and many herbs the owner likes to grow to experiment and teach about new things.

The corn maze might be designed as a sunflower or a Colts fan mail. There are hayrides, buffalo, pony rides, and dinosaur digs and plenty of food to be found. For small additional fees there is the pumpkin train, a bouncy barn, pony rides, and a gem mine. You're sure to find something you'll enjoy at the Lark Ranch and Corn Maze.

The only fault we could possibly muster in reviewing the Lark Ranch is that it is not meant for that scary adventure if your season is only complete once you've had the crappers scared out of you. In spite of this missing link, the Lark Ranch and Corn Maze soars to number one because of its wide array of fun and services, the keen interest in the kids and the community, the extremely good value, and availability make it top notch.

So check them out and let us know your favorite. Whatever you do have a wonderful, save and happy fall adventure season.

David Barnett. Paoli Christian Church. http://www.paolichristianchurch.org/node/496

Harrodsburg Haunted House. http://www.hauntedindiana.com/h3intro.html

John Baker. The Haunted Train. http://www.bakersjunction.com/

R.E. Denton. Paoli Indiana Info. http://www.paoliindiana.info/

The Baxter Avenue Morgue. http://www.baxtermorgue.com

Indiana Find: Your Indiana Search Engine. Harrodsburg Haunted House. http://www.indianafind.com/Attractions/Haunted_Houses/Harrodsburg_Haunted_House_L9988/

The Lark Ranch and Corn Maze. Southern Indiana Corn Maze. http://www.larkranch.com/