Wax Museums, Haunted Attractions and SPOOKHOUSES!

[fmofmpls]

Wow! That dark ride is a trip alright. Bizarre, surreal, abstract, and disjointed. The things that nightmares are made of. Here is the park's web site link - http://www.knoebels.com/

BTW, why is that Pennsylvania has all of the old mom and pop amusement parks? It's astonishing to see that they've managed to survive in the age of the Six Flags era. Kids are hard to please nowadays, and it's surprising to me that these old fashioned parks are somehow able to stay relevant with today's audiences.

I remember visiting a very old family amusement park in Pennsylvania back in 2004 named William's Grove. Man, I swore I stepped straight back into the 1960s. Unfortunately in 2004, it was a pathetic run down ghost of once was. It was like I was in a Twilight Zone episode. They had a dark ride named Dante's Inferno. I wonder if that place is still there?

[gracebuster]

It closed, sadly, the following year, I believe.

We were also there around 2004. The Rollercoaster was  as close as I ever came to dying.

Of course, we rode it 3 times.

[fmofmpls]

We were also there around 2004. The Rollercoaster was  as close as I ever came to dying.

So you were the guy that budded in front of me at the Roller Coaster line? I should have kicked your ass Dan when I had the chance. LOL! 

[NekroDave]

Just great stuff, I really gotta get outta the house more often.....

Love that venetian blind thing, too! Reminds me of that episode of "Police Squad" where Lt. Drebin plans to meet someone at "one of those all night wicker places"! They show up at about 2 in the morning and sure enough, not only is it open, it's hopping!! LOL

[The Phantom Creep]

Here in Georgia during fair season we still get a few good spook houses. I've got more photos somewhere, I just have to find them.

[ProfGriffin]

Greetings!

Yes, I am diggin up this old thread again to add on!~

This past weekend we went to the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo here in Austin and at the Fair they had a dark ride...a pretzel ride and it was BRAND SPANKING NEW!

Seriously, the cars, the pop-ups the lights, the paint....the entire thing was construction new!
I honestly did not think that they still made these...but it was sweet!







The fair also had a sideshow with freakish animals on display and a barker on a platform promising things, "alive Alive! alive!"

[gracebuster]

FANGTASTIC!

[monsterphile]

Before one finds there way to the wonderful amusement park in the Pocono mountains one must take an oath to TELL NO ONE who cool it is!

This park is unique in that it is situated in such a place that the rabble have never discovered it. It's calm and peaceful and there is NEVER line budding or the kinds of things that have hampered my old haunt - DORNEY PARK in Allentown, pa. Can't go to Dorney without getting into some altercation anymore.

Knoebels is like Brigadoon-appearing in the mist once every 20 years.
Quaint , calm and magical.

Too late Dan, the Tullo family rabble discovered it last summer.  It's a great old fashioned park and one of the best parts is that there is no charge to enter the park itself, so my mom was able to go in without having to spend $50 for admittance to a place when she really isn't a ride rider.  She did go on the Haunted House ride though.  I think dinner for 4 was about $20-25.  We also stopped at Clyde Peeling's Reptiland on the way out there.   http://www.reptiland.com/

Rob

[Gary D Macabre]

Wow, an actual new dark ride?  Was there anything different, or more modern about it inside?

[raycastile]

I want this to come to my town!  Thanks for posting the photos.

[ProfGriffin]

Wow, an actual new dark ride?  Was there anything different, or more modern about it inside?

The interior was very slick and glossy...everything painted new and glowing brightly.  The only PROPS were air-powered pneumatic props.
The classic Electric Chair, a few screaming women, guy chained up, demon, and a creature in a barrel.  These would be activated and lit as we passed them.

It was very nice.  The ride (and the carnival) was supplied by Crabtree Amusements.  A Texas based Carnival supplier.

It was not the nostalgic glow in the black light kind of Pretzel Dark Ride...but it was very cool to see a brand new one.

[BARON TIMOTHEUS BGG]

Dear UMA FANG-MILY,
... GLORIOUS Thread! Glorious, as in BELA'S purring DRACULA line:
      "To die; to be really dead...
       that must be... gloooorrrrius!"
To paraphrase:
      "To create; to bring to life a MONSTER ABODE...
       That is truly Gloooorrrius!"

... Your exalted, giddy, contributions have awakened many wonderful memories... This thread reflects the bread & butter of my youth, too! From the small carnival Haunt rides, to the larger, permanent Coney Island {Cinci, Ohio} Haunted House ride... my imagination was, like yours, tweaked, fascinated, and, addicted to recreating such Monstrous splendours!

... Then, when I discovered THE UNIVERSAL CLASSIC MONSTER Movies... with 4SJ's print contributions, The Road of Dreams & Nightmares was paved... and, open to the public!

... I did my first Haunt in AD 1960, when I was in 7th grade. My school had a yearly carnival, and, we did a 'maze room'... I supplied a huge GLENN STRANGE FRANKENSTEIN, sculpted in paper-mache, and, painted in glorious Day-glo, to stand, eerily, as a greeter, inside the entrance. That year, and, for the 3 years following, I wandered about, in several other carnival rooms {for my school, as well as the neighbouring school where my Mom taught}, as DRACULA, THE WOLFMAN, and, later, as FRANKENSTEIN. I still have photos of that, somewhere. When I locate them, I'll scan them, for you  to see.

... Then, in AD 1971, I began a decade-long string of HAUNTED HOUSES. Additional photos, upon unearthing, will be shared! The Haunts I did reaped in excess of $750,000 for Charity, and, to my knowledge, birthed the HAUNTED ATTRACTION Industry.

EXANIMO EVERNOW,
BARON TIMOTHEUS Von WOLFSTEIN & FRIENDS, B.G.G.

[ProfGriffin]

Baron!

It's so wonderful to see you again.  (Well, SEE in that I can read what you have written from a place far away in another state...etc)

I hope you're well my friend.

God's Blessings...

-Joseph

[BARON TIMOTHEUS BGG]

Prof Griffin writ:
Baron! It's so wonderful to see you again.  (Well, SEE in that I can read what you have written from a place far away in another state...etc) I hope you're well my friend.
God's Blessings...
-Joseph
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Beloved Brother, JOSEPH,
... Yes, thank you! Doing quite well; much is happening, which shall be 'revealed' in the near future!
You, dear Brother, Live within my heart, EVERNOW! GOD Bless you, TAMMY & EDWARD! Yikes! How the wee lad hath grown!
EXANIMO EVERNOW,
TIMMY & THE BARON, B.G.G.

[Inkfink]

This might have been covered in a previous link but if not, here are some picts from an old dark ride catalog:

http://theimaginaryworld.com/darkride.html

Some of these are in the Trimper's Haunted House in Ocean City, MD.