By Anna Skinner
Through the past 53 years, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has seen haunted houses ranging from pirate ships to vampires, carnivals, a wicked workshop and more.
The haunted houses change each year. This year, the museum will be transformed into a Cursed Castle to provide two different events for families.
“We offer two unique experiences for families for Halloween. The first is Lights-On Hours, and those are for the trick-or-treaters, for kids to go through with parents and get a goodie bag,” said Bis Feldman, head witch and co-chair of this year’s haunted house. “Our haunters have no makeup and are very friendly. The second is Frightening Hours; that is more of a typical haunted house experience. Haunters don’t touch anybody that goes through; it’s more of a jump-out, creepy kind of scare situation for those that enjoy that type of thing on Halloween.”
Feldman said youth in the Frightening Hours experience range more toward junior high ages, but there have been some younger children wanting to participate in the past. There is no age minimum.
Tickets are $8 per person, and children under 2 years old are free. Beginning today, Oct. 8, Lights-On will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays and Tuesdays. Frightening Hours will be from 3:30 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Feldman is a co-chair with Mary Beth Reffett. Co-chairs serve a one-year term only.
“All the money from the haunted house goes directly back to the children’s museum for free nights and programs for the local neighborhood and exhibits in the museum,” Feldman said.
For more, visit childrensmuseum.org/exhibits/haunted-house.
