Austin Haunted Forest Trail of Fears

It may be an Enchanted Forest any other time of the year, but in October it's the Haunted Forest. No enclosed spaces. No pitch black passages. But that's no reason to relax because the forest is teeming with witches, crazy clowns, mad scientists, chainsaw-welding monsters, giant spiders, and lunatic families. You never know what you'll find around the curve in the path, up in the trees, or lurking behind a fallen log. This is the Halloween experience of the season here in Austin.

Pros

Cons

Mother nature provides an incredibly eerie backdrop for the creepy, crazy, spooky, and oddball inhabitants of this forest. Their web site describes the Haunted Forest as "part twisted performance art, part wicked art installations." That's both an accurate and inadequate description of this Halloween attraction that you can only fully appreciate by experiencing the madness in person.

SAFETY PRECAUTION: You are walking primarily on dirt in the woods. High heels are not appropriate. Although the paths are fairly clear, do watch out for roots, branches on the ground, and low-hanging leaves and branches in a few places.

After entering through a coffin door you'll find yourself taking a walk through the woods. Moonlight plus a few random lights and fire torches (yes, real fire) illuminate the path. There are some tent-like structures to pass through but the bulk of the attraction is simply a dirt path winding through the woods -- with a few bridges to cross (if you dare!). As you start to relax and begin admiring the sometimes strange tableaus you'll find you aren't alone. There are some very odd people in this forest. We went through two nights in a row and were pleased to find that a few changes from one night to the next made the second time through just as entertaining as the first.

At times you'll think you've wandered down the wrong path. At other times you'll wish you could backtrack. There's a maze-like portion where you may find yourself going around in circles, unsure of which way to go -- and wondering if anyone is going to come to your rescue. (Follow the light, yeah, right!)

This is definitely the best Halloween attraction in the Austin area this year. Both fascinating and frighteningly fun. If you're coming from the north side of town, it's worth the drive. But note the dates and times -- not open on Sundays.