More Spooky Halloween Fun

Lake Shawnee  is located unnervingly close to Concord University.
If you’re looking for a good scare, grab some friends and check it out; but, don’t say we didn’t warn you. 
Photo courtesy of  Rebecca Hinkle

Halloween is about more than just getting free candy and dressing up in a costume. Many people enjoy the excitement the holiday brings with scary stories and heart-pounding attractions, and all of the fun that can be experienced by those who love this time of year. Halloween is almost here and along with it some good scares for people looking to have a good and safe Halloween this season. 

    Two famous places that offer a good time for thrill seekers this Halloween are the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum and Lake Shawnee. Both locations have been featured on the Travel Channel as some of the most haunted places in America, and are in West Virginia for those who are interested in visiting. 

    The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (TALA) is in Weston, West Virginia. Formally known as the Weston State Hospital, the building was built between 1856 to 1881 and has housed thousands of patients that are said to still roam the halls. The asylum offers paranormal tours and flashlight tours where people can decide for themselves if the asylum is haunted. People can even pay to stay the night in the asylum if they so wish. The ghost hunts allow people to stay the whole night and to be released early the next morning at 5AM. 

    TALA also offers historic tours and photography tours to visitors. The historic tours give a wide-range of information to visitors from the treatment of the patients to the different buildings located on the grounds. Photography tours offer tours of the exteriors and interiors of the buildings and the grounds surrounding the asylum. Those who purchase tickets for any of the tours must be there an hour before their tour begins. 

    Along with the tours, TALA offers several fun events to people. The haunted house attraction, Malice, is located on the grounds and offers a good time to all who love haunted houses. TALA stresses that the attraction is not for the faint of heart. TALA also offers Zombie Paintball on every Friday and Saturday until October 31. 

    Besides all the fun and excitement that TALA offers to guests, Lake Shawnee in Mercer County is offering a haunted attraction and tours to all thrill seekers. Lake Shawnee The Dark Carnival is an outside walking attraction that offers something for everyone. Visitors can tour the unique and spine-chilling grounds and learn about the history of the park. Visitors can also hear the history of the first settlers of Mercer County: the Clay family.

    Gates open at 5PM for photo opportunities only. During this time, visitors can walk around and take pictures of the rides and area before the park gets dark, and at 8PM storytelling and the haunted house attraction, Lake Nightmare: The Experiment open to visitors. The ticket booth closes at 11PM and the park closes at midnight. 

    Chris White says his family has owned the property since 1985 and is familiar with the history of the property. “I see amazing things. It is not about my experiences, it’s about what you experience while you’re here,” says White. People who visit Lake Shawnee can enjoy the thrilling sense that they experience from walking around in the park and looking at the old rides.

    Lake Shawnee has also appeared on Discovery Channel’s Ghost Lab and ABC’s Ten Most Haunted Places in the World. 

    Visitors who are brave enough can take a walk through the haunted house attraction Lake Nightmare: The Experiment. Robert Mitchelson runs the haunted attraction. “It is on the same bounds as a roller coaster, getting their adrenaline rush. It is kind of addictive,” says Michelson. The haunted house attraction is $10 for everyone. The price for the photo and history tour is $20.

    Lake Shawnee is open on Fridays and Saturdays. The last day the park is open is October 31. For more information on Lake Shawnee, people can call (304)-921-1580 or visit the Lake Shawnee Facebook page. More information on TALA, call (304)-269-5070 or visit the website http://trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com. People can also send an email to info@talawv.com.