It’s Scary Season: 6 Freakishly Fun Fall Adventures

Seeking some frightful fun this fall? Here are six suggestions for out-of-the-ordinary entertainment to check out this witching season—if you dare.

Victorian Horrors, Molly Brown House Museum, Denver

Relive the darkest tales of your youth at Denver’s Molly Brown House Museum. For two weekends in October, the mansion of the Titanic’s most famous passenger offers nighttime performances of classic tales of terror by acclaimed Victorian horror writers such as Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley. As each fearsome fable ends, the audience tentatively tiptoes to the next room to hear yet another spellbinding tale.

Visit: 1340 Pennsylvania St., 303-832-4092. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Colorado Haunted History Tours, Golden and Morrison

Discover the dark side of Golden’s frontier history during a “Murder, Mayhem and Madness Tour.” These two-hour walks revisit the tales—and terrors—of lynchings, shootouts, murders, and hauntings that gave Golden its dubious reputation as a Wild West town.

Visit: Tour reservations can be made online or by calling 888-649-3849.

Scream Acres Haunted Corn Maze, LaSalle

If you have a tendency to get lost, you’d best avoid Fritzler Farm’s Scream Acres—a computer-designed corn maze filled with haunted horrors that you navigate at night. With 1.6 miles of dead ends and twisting turns amidst rustling cornstalks, you might never make it to the end (just kidding… there are “corn cops” in the maze to help you find the exit if you’re truly lost).

Visit: 20861 Co. Rd. 33, 970-737-2129. Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult.

Asylum Haunted House, Denver

Prepare to scream your head off at the Asylum, which has been called one of America’s scariest haunted houses. Within the walls of this 15,000-foot nighttime factory lurk the forsaken relics and tortured spirits of the victims of Gordon Cottingham’s insane asylum—and what remains of living test subjects exposed to a mysterious and fast-acting virus (or so the story goes).

Visit: 6100 E. 39th Ave. Not recommended for children under 12, women who are pregnant, or people with health concerns; see the website for details.

Rocky Horror Picture Show, Boulder and Denver

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of this cult classic by dancing the time warp with Janet, Brad, Rocky, and Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Featuring Colorado’s Elusive Ingredient, this reincarnated performance will be shown at the Boulder Theater on October 25 and at Denver’s Esquire Theater on October 24, 30, and 31.

Visit: Tickets and directions are available online. Participants must be 21 or older.

The Stanley Hotel’s 3 Nights of Fright, Estes Park

Famous for serving as the inspiration for Stephen King’s terrifying 1977 classic, The Shining, the Stanley Hotel offers a series of popular Halloween-themed parties during its 3 Nights of Fright in late October. The festivities kick off with a Murder Mystery Dinner in the supposedly haunted MacGregor Ballroom on October 23, followed by the hotel’s flaship event, “The Shining Ball.” On All Hallows’ Eve, the hotel hosts a Halloween Masquerade Party in the historic Stanley Concert Hall, which is also the hotel’s most active paranormal location. After so much frightful fun, you’ll understand why some guests never leave.

Visit: 333 Wonderview Ave., 970-577-4000. Participants must be 21 or older.

(Read more: The Stanley Hotel Gets Its Maze)

Terri Cook is a freelance writer and geologist based in Boulder, Colo. Follow her explorations across the state and around the globe @ColoTravelGal.