Living in Florida, sometimes it’s difficult to feel like it’s fall when none of the leaves change color and it’s 90 degrees out. I come from an area where autumn reigns supreme and haunted hayrides, trails, corn maze, houses and penitentiaries are all too prevalent, but here in Tallahassee, they’re a rare find. Fortunately, the Tallahassee Museum works tirelessly to create a fun, thrilling walk-through trail for all to enjoy.
The museum opens the trail to the public for just two nights, but it’s no small feat. Last year’s event took around 2,000 volunteer hours dedicated to creating and planning the perfect haunted Halloween trail. The trail itself is a quarter mile of wooded area that meanders along Lake Hiawatha and takes about 15 to 20 minutes to completely walk through. Along the walk, participants come face to face with gruesome monsters, living nightmares and the eerie wilderness.
All Images Courtesy: Tallahassee Museum
Halloween Howl is a volunteer-driven event. For the preparation, planning and deconstruction of the trail, around 500 volunteers are necessary. They hand-construct sets, create lighting designs, make props, and dress up in crazy costumes to scare those who come by. The volunteers dedicate their time to making the best haunted trail they can in order to spook us Halloween-hungry citizens of Tallahassee.
Halloween Howl has been going on for over two decades and attracts over 1,200 people each year. The volunteers and education staff at the museum make most of their props and decorations by hand out of biodegradable, salvaged materials. They’re always mindful of respecting our environment. Not only will you enjoy getting spooked, but you’ll also really appreciate all of the hard work and thought that went into constructing the trail.
The two-night event takes place on October 19th and 20th starting at sunset and lasting until 10 p.m each night. If you get scared easily, I suggest going to the earlier time to walk through, but if you’re really in the spooky season spirit, then night time is the way to go. The haunted trail is fun for everyone and is Tallahassee Museum’s largest on-grounds fundraising event. It’s the perfect way to get yourself into the Halloween mood before October ends.
Aside from the trail, the Tallahassee Museum has plenty of other Halloween events scheduled for October like the Full Moon Flight (zip lining at night), and the Night Prowl and Enchanted Forest Zoobilee. So, if you can’t make it out to the trail either of the nights, there are plenty of other opportunities to have some Halloween-themed fun.
For those of you that haven’t been to the Tallahassee Museum before, it’s located off West Orange Avenue down Museum drive just a little way off from campus. For more information about the event and volunteering opportunities, you can visit the Tallahassee Museum’s website.