The season for screamin' is upon us, and the foreboding attractions at Mansfield's Terrorplex promises four times the fright for fear fans.
Midnight Manor
When the clock strikes 12, will it be the dawn of a new day or dawn of the dead for those who dare to enter the lair of Dr. Morbid? A Victorian era vision by day, once the sun's light is extinguished the domain's demented denizens pass through the veil that separate living souls from the spirit world to give their guests a gruesome greeting.
Van Helsing's Haunted House of Wax
The globe's most ghastly fiends have been frozen in the form of wax figures inside Van Helsing's museum, but now the resin-encased relics have awakened. See if you can escape such classic creeps as Count Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and Leatherface.
Heavy Metal Madness
Guitar riffs drive the sane into a rabid rage within this dark den, where smoke snakes around its victim as tunes of terror make even the ears of the brave bleed.
Count Orlock's Castle of Torture
It's been said that a vampire has no soul, but some vestige of a nosferatu still seems to cling to the array of artifacts that have made their way to Mansfield, Texas. Recent sightings of the blood sucker call for an exploration of into the unexplained.....
Terrorplex Midway
Enjoy a festival atmosphere which features a DJ spinning sinister sounds, a psychic that might predict peace or peril in your future, souvenir shopping at the Gore Store, a concession area and fog machines to add to the menacing mood.
When: Open each Friday, Saturday and Sunday from September 18 - November 1, 2009.
Finding a way to fight crime with flair and flavor, this fall the community of Kirbyville is launching the first annual Car Show and BBQ Cook-off Fundraiser to benefit EasTex Crime Stoppers.
Events
Day One: V.I.P. Party and Concert
The price of admission may be $20 per person during the first day of festivities, but it's not a gamble to say that ticket holders will have a good time at the Texas Hold'em Tournament, where players ponying up a $50 buy in will see who is king of the cards. A live music act will provide the soundtrack to the soiree as attendees attempt to choose the choicest Lone Star cuisine during the Best BBQ Team Decoration Contest. Seats are limited for this evening-long event.
Day Two
Pledge allegiance to the red-white and blue during the opening ceremony, then head over to a display of hot rods, motorcycles and vintage vehicles that will get your motor running.
For a saw buck, you can savor samples of different cooking teams' culinary delights during the BBQ Cook-Off, where the public decides who will take home the People's Choice award.
Bid on a souvenir of your day's stay in Kirbyville at one of the live and silent auctions, then tap your feet to the beat of an array of musical acts.
If you're looking for a Halloween season happening that will haunt your memory, take a tour of Galveston's historic Hotel Galvez for a possible glimpse of one of the Queen of the Gulf's ghostly guests. Although typically reserved only for those who have booked a room, this year the public can explore the mystery of the ethereal elementals which reportedly have made the hotel their otherworldly home.
A commanding presence on the Texas Gulf Coast since its construction in 1911, the Hotel Galvez may have welcomed both Presidents and paparazzi magnets over the years, but perhaps its most famous patron is the forlorn phantasm which resides in room 501. Perhaps in the hope that she would be reunited with her beau in the beyond, a young woman forfeited her life on the premises upon hearing that her seafaring fiance had met his end. Not until the sailor's return to the hotel was it was learned that the news had been false. To this day her soul is said to still wait for her love in room 501, from whose windows she had peered out on the waves which she had believed had taken him from her forever.
Hotel Galvez's sad specter is not alone as she ambles through the afterlife at the regal retreat. Visitors may also feel the presence of a friendly phantom near the portrait of Bernardo de Galvez which hangs in a hallway, or even in the ladies loo. Hotel concierge Jackie Hasan will take sightseers intrigued with the supernatural on a one hour tour of the hotel, using an electromagnetic field detector and an infrared thermometer to determine if the departed make an appearance.
Interesting Fact: The Discovery Channel series Ghost Lab will turn the spirits of Galveston into TV stars when an episode filmed at Hotel Galvez airs this fall.
Tickets for the tour are available for $10 per person at the hotel's gift shop. Ticket holders also receive a 20% discount at Bernardo's Restaurant at Hotel Galvez.
When: Tours are .conducted for the public at 5:30 p.m. each Thursday from October 8 - October 29, 2009
As though rising from the depths of Hell itself, belching flames intermittently illuminate the night sky over a secluded section of Terrell, Texas each fall, beckoning unwitting wanderers to enter the lair of lycanthrope Baron Michael Verdun and his blood-sucking bride, Lady Cassandra. Meeting a gruesome end many years ago, their evil lives on in the 50 acres that surround their demonic domain.....
Along with the teeth-chattering tour of Verdun Manor, seven other terrifying attractions makes this a fright night to remember:
Dr. Lycan's Trail of Torment
Horrific hybrids will haunt your dreams after you stroll through a graveyard hunting ground for scientist Baron Verdun's psychotic subjects.
Maze of Chaos
Lost your way? You just might also lose your mind if you linger too long in this labyrinth of lunacy.
Granny Lupus' Seance Theatre
The departed denizens of this depraved domicile are reawakened by an animatronic elder in a "spirit"ed show.
Cassandra's Labyrinth of Terror
Lady Cassandra D' Arque lost her head long ago, and now her mission is to make you lose yours.....
Voodoo Bayou
Visitors of Verdun Manor are just a heartbeat away from horror as villainous ghouls vying for victims invade the grounds.
Six Feet Blunder
Sit down for a spell and watch as special effects bring mortuary madness to life in a 4-D experience that will turn your blood cold as the embalming fluid begins to flow.
Thorn Hall
Mortimer Thorn stabs at your senses in this black-as-night foray into fright.
Recognition: The mayhem of Thrillvania Thrill Park has been immortalized on The Travel Channel's "America's Scariest Haunted Attractions."
When: Opening weekend September 25th and 36; also open October 2nd and 3rd, then every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from October 9 - Halloween.
Where: Interstate 20 and Wilson Road in Terrell, Texas.
As Halloween approaches, Galveston is offering a number of "spirit"ed tours that may provide proof that some of the city's dearly departed denizens may still consider the Gulf Coast area home.
Each Tuesday through Saturday in October at 7:30 and 6 p.m. on Sundays, paranormal professional Dash Beardsley of Ghost Tours of Galveston will take tourists on a two-hour trip back in time. Starting at the Railroad Museum at 25th and Strand, where a headless haunt is said to hover, the sojourn into the supernatural continues at a former bank building, where sightseers can search for a sighting of a police officer from yesteryear who lost his life at the site. Before the "Boo"fest concludes, a visit to an old infirmary which once gave shelter to Civil War soldiers may offer a viewing of an incorpeal vision.
The Galveston Historical Foundation is offering three haunted happenings tours throughout the month of October:
Guests arriving for a one-hour tour of Ashton Villa (seen in the photo to the right) will be greeted by a guide, but perhaps also by the ghost of Miss Bettie, the daughter of the Italianate mansion's original owner whose ethereal presence reportedly lingers among the family heirlooms. Visitors will get an up close look at the restoration of the residence's ground floor after the devastation of Hurricane Ike, and walk through the send floor, which remains just as it was in Miss Bettie's day. Ashton Villa's Are We Haunted? tour will take place throughout the month each Friday at 5, 7 and 9 p.m. and on Halloween at 3 and 5 p.m.
Seafaring specters might be spotted at the Haunted Harbor Tours aboard Seagull II. One-hour tours will take place every Friday and Saturday at 4:30 pm. at the Texas Seaport Museum, Pier 21, and on October 30th and 31st at 4:30 and 6 p.m.
As a person remembered never truly dies, pay your respects to the residents of seven Broadway Cemeteries during a guided tour of the grounds. Perhaps a few phantoms will cross the veil to welcome visitors on October 29th, 30th and 31st at 6:30 and 8 p.m.
A Lone Star tradition since 1937, the tiny town of Gilmer greet more than 100,000 guests in October for a salute to the sweet potato during the yearly Yamboree.
Events
Classic car enthusiasts will get revved up over the vintage vehicles on display at the antique automobile show.
Look for the Junior Livestock Show each day of the festival.
Americana at its best, folks can wave to the Queen's court during a parade.
Competitions
The sweet potato takes center stage in several culinary-inspired contests, including the yam growing and yam pie competitions, while a variety of vegetables, fruits, sauces and jams vie for first prize in the home canning competitions.
For spectators in search of food for the soul, stop by the fiddler's contest to cheer on participants from all age groups, then get an introspective look at life as seen through the lens in the photography contest exhibition and check out the works of promising Picassos in both the Junior and Senior Art Show contests.
Burn off any calories gained from eating sweet potato treats at the Tater Trot, which will feature both 10k and 2k runs.
From trombones to trumpets, competitors get ready to strike up the band in the marching contest. A staple of the four-day festival for the past 40 years, prizes will be awarded for best majorette line, outstanding drum major, first division bands and outstanding band in each class.
Entertainment
Gilmer Civic Center will play host to the heavenly sounds of Southern gospel, while country crooners will get your toes tapping during the barn dance at Trinity Street Gym.
Children's Activities: let the giggles and squeals of delight guide you to the carnival area, where
When: October 14 - 17, 2009
Where: Events take place at the Upshur County Courthouse, Trinity Street Gym and Yamboree Park in Gilmer, Texas.
Scarecrow Invasion and Comfort Village Fall Antiques Show in Comfort
Warding off blackbirds may be their traditional function, but the array of scarecrows standing outside the houses of the tiny town of Comfort each autumn seem to take on the role of a greeting committee, their outstretched arms waiting to give visitors arriving for the Comfort Village Antiques Show a welcoming hug.
In celebration of the harvest season, the straw sentinels which appear each year have fast become local celebrities in the town dubbed "The Star of the Texas Hill County," complete with competitions for the town's best bird control structure. Sightings of the scarecrows, which occur in mid-October, coincides with the annual antiques event, where visitors can search for that elusive Shawnee vase or McCoy cookie jar amid covered booths brimming with treasures of times gone by.
When: The Comfort Village Fall Antiques Show is held October 17th and 18th; the Scarecrow Invasion will take place between October 15th and November 2nd.
Hyatt Hill Country Resort and Spa's First Hill Country Halloween This October
For a frightfully fun time this All Hallow's Eve, book a stay at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio during their first ever Hill Country Halloween, taking place October 30 and 31, 2009!
On day one, decipher whodunit during a Murder Mystery Dinner at Antlers Lodge, then sink your teeth into some S'mores as terrifying tales unfold over an open fire. After an outdoor movie for the mini-monsters, the late night fun has just begun as grown-up ghouls get ready to do the time warp during a showing of the camp classic Rocky HorrorPicture Show.
Say "Boo!" on day two at Spooktacular Central, a pumpkin patch party where everyone from tiny terrors to their Mummies and Dads will be gussied up in Fright Night fashion. See if the gruesome grin you've carved can win a pumpkin-carving contest, then move to the groove of some terrifyingly good tunes at the Halloween Bash. Finally, dine on some devilishly decadent dishes at dinner, then mosey in the moonlight along Aunt Mary's Trick or Treat Haunted Trail, where you can tickle your taste buds at 12 different candy stations.
3-Day Passes for Austin City Limits Festival Available Through Austin CVB Site
The Live Music Capital of the World will welcome an array of recording artists for the 8th annual Austin City Limits Festival this fall, and in celebration the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau is currently offering music lovers specially-priced passes ($165 each) to the October event.
This Austin CVB Festival Travel Package not only offers three-day entry to one of the city's most-anticipated musical extravaganzas, but also a minimum of two-nights accommodation at one of more than 15 Austin hotels. A hotel room must be booked in order to receive the discount tickets-- you must enter your ACVB hotel reservation confirmation number when purchasing tickets. A four ticket maximum per person/address/credit card is enforced. (As three-day general admission passes purchased through the festival web site have already sold out, no doubt the CVB Festival Travel Package passes will soon be snatched up.)
While on the Austin CVB website, music buffs can also buy the new compilation CD Austin Music, Volume 8. A 15-song soundtrack to the city, featuring tunes by Okkervil River and Jerry Jeff Walker, among others, also contains a mini-map of Austin music venues.
From October 2 - 4, 2009, Zilker Park will pulsate with the sounds of 130 acts, including Pearl Jam, The Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, Lily Allen, John Legend, The Beastie Boys, The B-52s and Asleep at the Wheel. Purchase your ticket today!
Texas Renaissance Festival Celebrates 35th Anniversary Year
Rennies will yell a resounding "Huzzah!" when the Texas Renaissance Festival opens for its Emerald anniversary this year. In celebration of its 35th season of swarthy swashbucklers, noble knights and regal revelry, the world's most popular pageantry of the past is offering advance discounts tickets, with one day admission to opening day weekend (choose Saturday or Sunday) only $12 for adults age 13 and older and $6 for children ranging in age from 5 -12. Advanced one day tickets for any festival day ($16 for adults, $9 for children) are also available both online and at the festival's main office through September 25th.
This year also marks the festival's 5th annual School Days where girls and boys in grades K- 12 can mingle with the master minds of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, from William Shakespeare to King Henry VIII and Christopher Columbus. Held October 27 - 28th, kids can participate in a costume contest or try to best the Bard's works in an essay or poetry contest.
Enjoy a different theme each weekend:
• Oktoberfest-- Join in a rousing rendition of "Du, Du liebst Mir in Herzen" during this Deutschland-style do.
• 1001 Dreams-- Leave reality behind at a fantasy fete featuring faeries, wizards and elves.
• All Hallow's Eve-- A fright fest to remember, join in His Majesty's Annually Decreed Tricks or Treats event.
• Pirate Adventure-- Enjoy hijinks from the rulers of the high seas.
• Roman Bacchanal-- Carpe diem by tossing on a toga!
• Highland Fling-- Bagpipes will bellow during this Highland-inspired happening.
• Barbarian Invasion-- Brutes will pillage the village during this rowdy weekend.
• Celtic Christmas-- The young and the young at heart will enjoy this Yuletide celebration, complete with a visit from Father Christmas and booths brimming with holiday purchases.
When: Each Saturday and Sunday (and Thanksgiving Friday) from October 10 - November 29,2009.
