Enter If You Dare: North Carolina’s Best Haunted Houses

Here’s the ultimate list of haunted attractions for North Carolinians who want to maximize the spine-tingling factor this Halloween season (or year-round) 

From haunted hotels and downtown ghost tours to zombie paintball and escape rooms, there are tons of events across the Tar Heel State that will get your heart racing and hairs raising this Halloween and beyond.

These 22 frightful attractions are divided by activity and include the location, cost, and fright level. That way, if you opt for one labeled “Very Scary,” we cannot be held accountable for what happens to you inside.

Explore a Haunted House

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx58vQwPSDb/

One of the most popular Halloween activities is to explore a haunted house, and North Carolina boasts some of the best in the country. 

There are dozens of haunted houses to choose from, but here are a few of the scariest and highest-rated options:

• The Hotel: Bedlam
  • Location: Ahoskie
  • Cost: $25
  • Spook Factor: Very Scary
• Myrtle Grove Haunt
  • Location: Hillsborough
  • Cost: $20-$40
  • Spook Factor: Scary
• Spookywoods Haunted Attraction
  • Location: Archdale
  • Cost: $25-$45
  • Spook Factor: Very Scary
• The 13th Acre
  • Location: Monroe
  • Cost: $25
  • Spook Factor: Very Scary
• Scream Dreams Indoor Haunted Attraction
  • Location: Thomasville
  • Cost: $29-$36
  • Spook Factor: Very Scary

Follow a Trail of Terror

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxQYIRRMOtI/?hl=en

Imagine a haunted house but without any walls or lights to guide you. Enter: haunted trails. Even if you’re a real daredevil, walking through a field or forest filled with scary sights and sounds at night is an experience you won’t soon forget—if you live to tell it. Here are some of the best outdoor haunts in North Carolina:

• Phillips Haunted Farm
  • Location: Cary
  • Cost: $25-$27
  • Spook Factor: Very Scary
• The Haunted Fork
  • Location: Tyner
  • Cost: Not Posted
  • Spook Factor: Scary
• Woods of Terror
  • Location: Greensboro
  • Cost: $37
  • Spook Factor: Scary
• Hickory Grove Haunted Trail
  • Location: Gastonia
  • Cost: $20
  • Spook Factor: Scary
• Hollow Acres Field of Misfits
  • Location: Fairmont
  • Cost: $15-$40
  • Spook Factor: Very Scary
• Terror by the River
  • Location: Todd
  • Cost: $15-$25
  • Spook Factor: Scary

Hunt Zombies 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CyCAqZ4t4O_/?hl=en

If you’re a thrill seeker who happens to be a fan of zombie movies, we have just the activity for you this Halloween: zombie paintball hunting. 

That’s right—at multiple locations across North Carolina, you can find out whether or not you’d survive the apocalypse by proving your shooting chops. If you think you’ve got what it takes, head to one of these three locations this spooky season: 

• Hollerin Haunts Hayride 
  • Location: Clinton
  • Cost: $20-$30
  • Spook Factor: Very Scary
• Haunted Zombie Shoot
  • Location: Jacksonville
  • Cost: $22
  • Spook Factor: Moderately Scary
• Haunted Forest at Panic Point
  • Location: Youngsville
  • Cost: $30-$45
  • Spook Factor: Very Scary

Escape Your Fate Before Time Runs Out

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cxl5abfsP1Z/

Escape rooms have become one of America’s favorite pastimes in recent years, but they’re even more fun with a sprinkle of spookiness. If this sounds like your cup of tea, check out one of these North Carolina escape rooms that all offer at least one scary scenario:

• Kersey Valley Escape: Haunted Manor 
  • Location: Archdale
  • Cost: $32
  • Spook Factor: Scary
• Scream Dreams Indoor Haunted Attraction
  • Location: Thomasville
  • Cost: $29-$36
  • Spook Factor: Very Scary
• Exit Strategy
  • Location: Charlotte
  • Cost: $29
  • Spook Factor: Slightly Scary to Very Scary
• The Box Escape Room: The Witch’s Cabin
  • Location: Charlotte
  • Cost: $30
  • Spook Factor: Scary

Take a Ghost Tour 

Photo courtesy of Southern Charm Rides via Facebook

North Carolina is home to several highly rated ghost tours, each exploring a different city’s haunted history. Whether it’s in a city you don’t know much about or in your own stomping grounds, you’re sure to not only get spooked but learn something new and interesting to boot. 

Here are some of the best ghost tours the state has to offer:

• Queen City Ghosts
  • Location: Charlotte
  • Cost: $30
  • Spook Factor: Slightly Scary
• Asheville Terrors: Ghosts of the Blue Ridge
  • Location: Asheville
  • Cost: $29.95
  • Spook Factor: Slightly Scary
• Southern Charm Haunted/True Crime Golf Cart Tour
  • Location: Charlotte
  • Cost: $48
  • Spook Factor: Slightly Scary
• Wilmington Ghosts: Phantoms of Pirates and Patriots Tour
  • Location: Wilmington
  • Cost: $33
  • Spook Factor: Slightly Scary