There is something inherently eerie about “haunted hayrides.” Unlike your usual Halloween attraction, a maze where you walk through at your own pace, hayrides have you at their mercy – there is no way to turn around and hide, or run ahead of the scares. Common in New England, hayrides have been almost entirely absent from Southern California… until this October, when the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride begins its rides along 588 acres of woods in Calabasas known as “Gillette Ranch.”
Per the press release, the hayride will “send a tingle down the spines of Angelinos who aren’t used to being in the woods at night. And let’s face it, not many in Los Angeles can remember the last time they were in the woods.”
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride will be a twenty-minute ride from start to finish down a trail comprised of 8 major scenes that are being referred to as “high octane” scares. In addition, there will be numerous smaller scenes to fill in the gaps and a host of actors that are sure to be exactly where you WOULDN’T expect them.
Melissa Carbone, the hayride’s executive director, describes the experience as an “anti-amusement park,” that along with the 20 minute ride will also include the following additional activites:
- “Ghost Stories” told around a campfire over s’mores and cider. Professional story tellers and celebrity guests will entertain with tales of urban legends, ghost stories, and classic scary yarns.
- A “Haunted Carnival” with assorted activities from traditional rides for the ankle biters, face painting, a walk thru hay maze, and more.
In addition to promising to be heart attack inducing frightening, the hayride also promises to be “the first ‘eco-conscious’ Halloween Attraction in Los Angeles,” working in partnership with the Environmental Media Association, who will receive a portion of the proceeds.
The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride will be open October 2nd and be open throughout the month. Tickets start at $20 for the hayride only. $5 off coupons for walk ups can be found at area Gelsons, and tickets pre-purchased online in September will receive a $2 discount. For more details on dates, pricing, and the ghosts you may encounter in the woods of Calabasa, visit losangeleshayride.com.
King Gillette Ranch, 26800 Mulholland Hwy, Calabasas, CA 91302
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
OMG. This sounds amazing!
My friends and i just attended Haunted Hay Ride up in Calabassas this weekend. We did enjoy the hayride and you must admit the scenery was very cool and different. The downside was the $35 fee!
The hayride itself was 20 minutes of scares and boy did they do a great job. After we proceeded to make our way to the ghost stories-expecting to be scared while we heard the ghost stories- instead we sat around listening to the most CHEESIEST ghost stories intended to scare a 5 year old!!! The crowd agreed as we could hear peoples comments as we sat there freezing bored to DEATH!!! There was no cider served, nothing-just a stump to sit on while you zoned off to another place from boredom!!!
After- the carnival was a couple of cheezy booths were you had to PAY to play silly carnival games-all 5 of them-then we were done!!!! We figured for $35 dollars we could have hit one of the theme park attractions!!! We were done with the whole experience in less than 2 hours!!!! And you could only board the hayride one time!!!! Honestly if your like me and my friends- you expect to be scared all night!!!! Save your money-seriously!!! My 15 year old neice was totally dissapointed too!
We tried it and LOVED it! what a break from the long lined, overcrowded, expensive theme parks! OK so it costs $35, but if you get a reciept at Gelsons market, thats $5 off. and if you just do the hayride its $15 with the coupon. not a bad price for something fresh and original. Linda Blair was the celebrity reader for the ghost stories even though we didnt attend the ghost stories but we got to meet her at the end anyways. the carnival was whimiscal and amusing.. Pay for one and you can drink all the hot cocoa or hot cider you want. I loved the macabre music loafting all around. I will be back again next year! Real old fashioned Halloween treat!