Celebrate Halloween With the 5 Best Haunted Places in Pennsylvania
Fall is an exciting time in the Poconos, and Halloween is one of the best parts of the season. You can’t celebrate the spooky holiday without a good scare! That’s why we created a list of the best haunted places in Pennsylvania within an hour of Mountaintop Lodge. From attractions that require you to sign a release form to more family-friendly events, there’s something for everyone’s scare level. Grab that special someone or your group and prepare to have the fright of your life!
The Pocono Mountains offer so much from endless outdoor recreation to amazing shopping. Access our FREE Poconos Vacation Guide to fully plan your fall getaway to the mountains!
Get Spooked With These 5 Haunted Places in Pennsylvania
If you are interested in one of the haunted places on this list, check the attraction’s website for their most updated dates and times. We also recommend wearing comfortable closed-toe shoes and clothes to any haunted house.
1. Halls of Horror
We’re starting off the list with possibly the scariest haunted house in Pennsylvania! Halls of Horror considers itself a “hardcore” haunt because the actors will touch you, but you are not allowed to touch them for safety reasons. This is not the Halloween attraction for young kids and people that are sensitive to offensive language and mature content. Everyone who enters the haunted house must sign a release form, and anyone under 18 must have an adult sign the form for them. The immersive experience recommends wearing clothes that can get dirty, especially if you choose to do the Blood Experience. For $40, the add-on includes a t-shirt and an even scarier and messier tour. The original haunt is $25 a person. Halls of Horror is located in Palmerton about 45 minutes from the Lodge.
2. Hotel of Horror
Hotel of Horror takes place in the 200-year-old Poconos resort once called the Lake House Hotel. It has a bleak history which many believe has left the old hotel haunted. The building is said to have been an infirmary for some time where many coal miners died. After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, things only became darker for the hotel. People who lost everything in the crash would go to the hotel to take their own lives, and Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania became known as “the place to hang yourself.”
Today, the old building houses two haunted tours that are rated PG-13, The Hotel of Horror and Altered Nightmares. The Hotel of Horror takes you to the top of the hotel, while Altered Nightmares features the “Cage of Terror.” For both tours, it costs $35 on Fridays and Saturdays and $30 on Sundays. Plus, Saylorsburg is just 20 minutes from the Lodge!
3. Waldorf Estate of Fear
If the legend is true, this may be one of the most haunted places in Pennsylvania! According to the story, a man named Oliver Sommersby murdered everyone inside the Hotel Waldorf in Palmerton in 1929 and then disappeared. More than 15 years later in 1955, a wealthy man from California built a pub and inn called Waldorf Hotel in Lehighton. Legend has it, the owner killed at least 25 people over the next 10 years until he killed a girl named Ella. Her father wouldn’t give up on finding his daughter and discovered the hotel’s owner was actually Oliver Sommersby all along. The two men fought and both died.
Now, Waldorf Estate of Fear houses two escape rooms, a traditional walk-thru haunted house, and a haunted corn trail. The old building was even the site of the film Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel. The tour and corn trail are $30, and the escape rooms are $20 each. The attraction rates itself 10-years-old and above. Lehighton is about 35 minutes from the Lodge.
4. The Haunted at The Candle Shoppe of the Poconos
This is not your average candle shop! Although you can buy plenty of quality candles in the store, the business features a creepy tour through the home for $15 because it’s said to be haunted. Doctor William Redwood Fisher owned the original house. He kept a biological research laboratory in the basement where he experimented on monkeys. His research eventually led to vaccines for both Small Pox and Yellow Fever.
Today, people say the doctor and the primates that he experimented on haunt the building. During the Haunted at The Candle Shoppe of the Poconos tour, you’ll learn the full history of Dr. Fisher and get to see his original equipment including the monkey cages. The shoppe is just 10 minutes from the Lodge in Swiftwater.
5. Haunted Lehman Park
Every Halloween, Lehman Township Community Park transforms into a horror-themed park where fears come to life. Haunted Lehman Park features a half-mile trail through four different haunted experiences. The haunts often change each year so be sure to check their website to know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. Although the attraction rates PG-13, the park also includes a Trick or Treat Trail for kids 12 and under. The haunted trail is $13, while spectators and kids doing the Trick or Treat Trail are $2. You’ll find the park in Lehman Township about 45 minutes from the Lodge.
Settle Down at Mountaintop Lodge at Lake Naomi
There really is so much going on in the Poconos in the fall. We welcome you to come for the haunted attractions and stay for the countless festivals and breathtaking fall foliage. Mountaintop Lodge at Lake Naomi is the perfect place to experience it all this fall! Our property features tall trees and a wrap-around porch with plenty of rocking chairs to enjoy the beautiful autumn days.
Browse our accommodations and start planning your scary getaway today!
