The season of spooks is more exciting than a zombie apocalypse in Middle Tennessee with haunted houses and other creepy attractions. With your older kids in mind — ages 10 and older — we’ve put together this frightfully fun collection of haunted happenings this month. These outings are NOT FOR LITTLE KIDS, unless otherwise noted as a few do offer something for younger kids as well. Always keep in mind the sensitivities of your child no matter his age with regard to haunted excursions.
EDITOR’S PICK: MILLERS THRILLERS
1431 Carters Creek Pike, Columbia
Hours: Fri – Sat 7 – 11 p.m. (6 – 11 p.m. Oct. 22 & 29), plus 7 – 10 p.m. on Halloween night (Monday, Oct. 31 — Haunted Woods ONLY on Halloween)
Admission: $20 Zombie Paintball Hayride, $20 Haunted Woods, $30 both, $5 Entertainment Zone only; Slash Passes are $20 extra per attraction
Millers Thrillers is well worth the drive to Columbia, ranking high on the haunted entertainment scale in a safe environment. It’s owned and operated by a local family — they also run the brand-new Extreme Escape Games in Cool Springs — and this attraction DOES include something suitable for younger children (5 & older). The Zombie Paintball Hayride is a big draw, and little kids love it just as much as the big kids! It’s great fun hopping aboard the giant wagon pulled by old military vehicles to fire away at a large assortment of the walking dead as they run around the fields popping up around different obstacles — you’ll encounter them zip lining overhead and hopping up and down on trampolines, too! Go ahead and plan to fork out the additional $10 for the extra 75 paint balls; it’s definitely worth the extra few bucks as it’s easy to go through the paint balls quickly, especially for trigger-happy kids (and adults, too!).
The Haunted Woods is NOT for little ones. The woods part of the Millers Thrillers experience is for ages 10 and older. It’s plenty creepy with lots of twists and turns that bring myriad surprises and spooks, and it’s all done in a way to scare the willies out of kids and adults without resorting to the standing blood-and-guts gore that are typical of haunted excursions. This year features several new scenes, including a western ghost town and a haunted mansion that was featured on ABC’s American’s Fright Night. Inside the house, you can test your skills in a seven-minute escape game. The 3D Clown Town is back this year along with the Carnival of Screams.
For those not old enough (or brave enough) for the Haunted Woods, have fun hanging in the outdoor Entertainment Zone where fun performances suitable for all ages occupy your time like the zombie drum line, jugglers, storytellers, fire performers and a killer light show.
Get tickets online to avoid long lines at the gate and arrive early because the lines get very long as the night progresses.
BARFIELD BASH HAUNTED HAYRIDE
697 Veterans Pkwy., Murfreesboro
615-890-5333
Oct. 19 – 22, dark – 9 p.m.
Admission: $5
Ages 10 and older who love a good fright can hop aboard the hay-filled wagon for a treacherous jaunt down “Old Scream Road” to experience the ‘Boro’s scariest hayride.
BELL WITCH CAVE
430 Keysburg Road, Adams
615-696-3055
Hours: Vary daily
Admission: $12 daytime cave tours ($18 includes cabin), $25 nighttime tours, $10 hayride
Tour the cave allegedly inhabited by Middle Tennessee’s most notorious spook, and tour the cabin to hear even more frightful tale’s of how the witch haunted John Bell and his family.
BLOODY ACRES HAUNTED WOODS
318 Big Station Camp Blvd., Gallatin
615-974-8589
Fri – Sat 7 p.m. – 1 a.m., Sun 7 – 11 p.m.; Oct. 23 – 31 daily 7 – 11 p.m.
$15
Real woods and real terror! Get spooked in the woods by the new killer clowns before exploring the old mine shaft.
BOO AT THE ZOO
3777 Nolensville Road, Nashville
615-833-1534
Oct. 14 – 16, 21 – 23, 27 – 30 from 5 – 9 p.m.
Admission: $15 non-members, $12 members
While the Nashville Zoo’s annual haunted hoot is mainly set up for young children, there is component of it orchestrated to scare the daylights out of brave, older goblins in the Frightful Farm area featuring spooky tales and scary surprises with the Dying Traditions home tour and the zombie-infused Haunted Barn.
Local kids get a chainsaw-infused scare during the Barfield Bash Haunted Hayride in Murfreesboro.
CREEPY HOLLOW HAUNTED WOODS
2133 Joe Brown Road, Spring Hill
931-486-3063
Fri – Sat + Oct. 30 – 31 from 7 – 11 p.m.
Admission: $20
Three attractions in one designed to “scare the yell out of you” include Trail of Terror Haunted Woods, Halls of Horror Haunted House and the Zombie Maze. Embark on a hayride for an extra $5. New this year is an additional attraction: Panic in the Woods Escape Game available on select days and times for $25.
DEAD LAND SCREAM PARK
7040 Murfreesboro Road, Lebanon
615-519-3116
Fri – Sat 7 p.m. – midnight
Admission: $15 each Portal and Curse, $10 Crypt, $5 Freak Out; the $50 Slash Pass gets you everything plus front-of-line access
For ages 10 and older, Dead Land offers four frights in one location. The Portal and The Curse are wooded trails of horror not for the faint of heart. The Crypt is this year’s newest addition — a spooky excursion through grave sites. Then enter one of the Freak Out escape games where you solve puzzles in hopes of finding your way out before it’s too late.
DEATH ROW SANITARIUM OF SLAUGHTER
418 Harding Industrial Drive, Nashville
615-833-1433
Fri – Sat 8 p.m. – 1 a.m., Sun 7 – 10 p.m.
Admission: $18
Nashville’s largest indoor haunted house features more than 80,000 square feet of fright.
DEVIL’S DUNGEON
510 Davidson St., Nashville
615-256-0053
Fri – Sat 8 p.m. – 1 a.m., Sundays, Oct. 16, 23 & 30 + Halloween night 7 – 10 p.m.
Admission: $18
Nashville’s most controversial haunted house features 20,000 square feet of fright with two floors of shocking, bloody gore.
GHASTLY GULCH SCREAM PARK
2228 Old Hwy 31 W, White House
615-243-8118
Fri – Sat 7 – 11 p.m.
Admission: $25
With offerings from mild to wild, there are parts of Ghastly Gulch suitable for all ages. Five big attractions at one location, plus lots of other activities like Mortimers Mine Haunted Hayride, the Live Seance Ghost Show, Witch Crafts (pumpkin and hands-on fun for little ones), bonfires with s’mores, storytelling, carnival games and live entertainment. Do you dare to saunter into creepy Clown Alley or have the stomach to make it through Body Farm (the old Slaughterman meat packing plant)?
GHOSTS OF THE BATTLEFIELD AT LOTZ HOUSE
111 Columbia Ave., Franklin
615-400-3808
Fridays at 6:30 p.m.
Admission: $20 adults, $10 ages 13 and younger
Franklin on Foot takes you to the epicenter of the 1864 Battle of Franklin where you’ll tour the historic house while hearing stories of bloodshed and destruction — and unexplained paranormal phenomena!
GRAVE MATTERS TOUR AT REST HAVEN & OLD CITY CEMETERIES
Fourth Avenue North & North Margin Street, Franklin
Saturday, Oct. 29 from 7 – 9 p.m. — Registration Required
Admission: $15 adults, $5 ages 12 & younger
Franklin on Foot presents costumed re-enactors who portray several of the cemeteries’ most interesting people like the Carter father and son whose nearby home was the epicenter of the Battle of Franklin. You’ll also hear stories of teenager Fannie Courtney, a Union sympathizer who tended to wounded Union soldiers, and there are also non-Civil War related stories to hear along the way.
HALLOSCREAM AT NASHVILLE SHORES
4001 Bell Road, Hermitage
615-889-7050
Fri – Sat 7:30 – 11 p.m., Sun (and Halloween Monday) 7:30 – 10 p.m.
Admission: $24.99 includes all attractions; the new $40 Slash Pass includes everything plus getting you to the front of the lines
This is a teens- and adults-only experience. If you’ve got young children, hire the babysitter or bring them to the BooVille not-so-scary happening at Nashville Shores during the daytime. Halloscream features the Haunted Hayride, Trail of Terror, Zombie Attack scare zone, Corn Stalkers scare zone and live entertainment.
HAUNTED FRANKLIN TOUR
305 Public Square, Franklin
615-400-3808
Daily at 7 p.m.
Admission: $18 adults, $10 teens, $5 kids
Franklin On Foot hosts this family-friendly walking ghost tour for all ages. It covers six blocks of historic downtown Franklin exploring the ghosts and haunts that linger on the brick-lined streets and landmark buildings.
HAUNTED HELL
3930 Apache Trail, Antioch
615-832-4355
Fri – Sat 8 p.m. – 1 p.m., Sun + Halloween night 7 – 10 p.m.
Admission: $18
Face your fears among the rotting ruins and ghoulish landscapes seen in nightmares. The shock and mayhem include special effects and a demon cast of more than 35 live actors.
HAUNTINGS AT THE HERMITAGE
4580 Rachel’s Lane, Nashville
615-889-2941
Saturday, Oct. 22 4 – 10 p.m.
Admission: $13 adults, $7 ages 4 – 12
The first part of the evening from 4 – 7 p.m. is less frightful as it’s tailored to young children. The really scary stuff ramps up from 7 – 10 p.m. for older kids who love a fierce fright. Activities include a haunted hayride, ghosts in the Jackson Cemetery, potion making, storytelling, fortune telling, food, crafts, mansion tours, a scary movie and more.
MEYERS CREEK HAUNTED WOODS
4734 John Bragg Hwy., Murfreesboro
Fri – Sat 7 – 11:30 p.m.
Admission: $18 ages 10 & older, $10 ages 9 & younger (must be accompanied by adult)
The woods await, and you never know what’s crawling around them at night!
MONSTER MOUNTAIN
273 McMurty Road, Hendersonville
615-338-4632
Fri – Sat 7:30 p.m. – midnight
Admission: $19
Journey through the decrepit mining town of Cavern Hills “where people disappear and the unspeakable horrors they bear witness to are never spoken of again.”
NASHVILLE CITY CEMETERY TOUR
1001 Fourth Ave. S., Nashville
Saturday, Oct. 15 from 3 – 6 p.m.
Admission: $5 individuals, $10 families
This year’s living history tour of the graveyard is “Tales From the City Cemetery” as told by costumed re-enactors.
NASHVILLE GHOST TOURS
Sixth Avenue North & Union Avenue
Hours: 8 p.m. Sun – Fri, 8 & 9 p.m. Sat
Admission: $15 ages 12 & older, $8 ages 7 – 11, free ages 6 & younger
A lantern-bearing guide leads you on this 90-minute tour through the dark mysteries of the streets of downtown Nashville, including landmarks like the Ryman Auditorium, Tennessee State Capitol, Printer’s Alley and more. Tour is suitable for younger kids.
Franklin On Foot’s Grave Matters Tour takes place at Rest Haven & Old City Cemeteries on Saturday, Oct. 29. Reserve tickets in advance.
NASHVILLE NIGHTMARE
1016 Madison Square, Madison
615-752-5663
Fri – Sat 8 p.m. – midnight, Sun 7:30 – 10 p.m., Thursdays (Oct. 20 & 27 only) 8 – 10 p.m. (Night Terrors & Fairy Tale Hell only), Halloween night 7:30 – 10 p.m.
Admission: $30 for all four attractions; $45 includes the Slash Pass
Now in its sixth season, Nashville Nightmare has expanded to include four distinct haunted attractions within its 50,000 square feet of space: Night Terrors, Horror High: The Final Exam, Fairy Tale Hell and Industrial Undead.
NASHVILLE ZOMBIE OUTBREAK AT NASHVILLE AIRSOFT
406 Davidson St., Nashville
Oct. 14, 15, 21, 22, 28-31 from 7 – 11 p.m.
Admission: $22
Use realistic replica M4 rifles to fight your way through a 30,000-square-foot facility filled with live-action zombies clawing toward you to eat your brains! Admission includes gun, soft ammo and safety equipment. Fill out the waiver online to speed up your check-in process.
SAM DAVIS HOME GHOST TOURS
1399 Sam Davis Road, Smyrna
615-459-2341
Oct. 21, 22, 28 & 29 from 7 p.m. – midnight
Admission: $10 ages 12 & older, $5 ages 5 – 11
Explore ghost stories from Tennessee and Southern America in the 1800s with the theme “Dreadful Demises: Deaths of Antebellum America.” The tour includes historical facts and folklore. While there are no jump-scares to frighten little ones, the stories do include those of people who died in underhanded ways, so parental discretion is advised on this PG-tour.
SCREAM CREEK HAUNTED WOODS
1765 Martins Chapel Church Road, Springfield
Fri – Sat thru Oct. 29, dark – 11 p.m.
Admission: $19.95 for both all attractions
It’s located at Honeysuckle Hill Farm, but don’t let the family friendliness of the farm by daylight fool you — Scream Creek is NOT for kids ages 9 and younger! Ages 10 and older only for this experience that’s touted as “Your Worst Nightmare!” It includes the horrifically haunted outdoor trail through the woods, the House of Terror featuring all kinds of creepers, a hayride and flashlight corn maze.
SLAUGHTERHOUSE
3445 Lebanon Pike, Hermitage
615-840-5069
Fri – Sat 7 – 11 p.m., Sun + Halloween night 7 – 10 p.m.
Admission: $20
Nashville’s longest-running haunted attraction celebrates 30 years of intense slaughter, blood-and-guts haunted horror, now located at the Full Moon Cineplex.
ZOMBIE PAINTBALL AT RING FARM
2628 Greens Mill Road, Columbia
615-207-5768
Fri – Sat 7 p.m. – midnight, Sun + Halloween 7 – 11 p.m.
Admission: $25
Hop aboard a haunted hayride where you’ll be equipped with paintball guns to fire away at the walking dead as they try to take over the wagon.
