October is the perfect time for many things, including pumpkin flavored everything, corn mazes, and cozy sweaters. Most importantly, it's for haunted attractions. Something about this time of year makes being scared especially thrilling. Most people can relate to that sudden urge a lot of us get to binge on scary movies as the weather gets colder and the days get shorter. It's just a fact of life. But if you're really looking for a scare-tastic experience you'll always remember, make your way to the Haunted Mansions attraction in Albion. It's quite possibly the scariest place in Idaho, and you're about to find out why.
With a population of just 260 people, it's hard to imagine that hundreds of visitors flock to this tiny town from all over the state to get the wits scared out of them.
Aside from the fact that this town is home to some of the most frightening haunts in the country, Albion is actually an incredibly scenic and peaceful town. During the daytime it seems like any other small, quaint Idaho town.
At first, the Haunted Mansions of Albion look like any other decades old, abandoned building. There's nothing particularly spooky about them...from the outside, at least.
Altogether, the campus is made up of several "haunted" buildings, including what used to be the Albion State Normal School. All of the buildings are over a century old, built sometime in the 1890s.
When October rolls around each year, the campus turns into one of the largest and spookiest haunted attractions in the northwest. Visitors travel from all around to pay the entry fee and experience what these haunted buildings have to offer.
Of the various brick mansions is an old school, a dorm room, a gymnasium, and a steam plant. A ticket purchase to the mansions includes entry to all buildings and the unique terrors that lie within them.
Each year the buildings are transformed so that they look different, and even scarier, than they did the year before. Actors prepare for their roles as zombies, clowns, ghosts, and more to bring some of the best frights money can buy.
The Haunted Mansions effectively acts as a business by bringing people in to experience a "show," of sorts, but that doesn't mean there isn't true terror hiding inside of these buildings.
The buildings are said to truly be haunted, and have been the site of many paranormal investigations including Travel Channel's "Ghost Adventures". Visitors of the attraction pay to experience "fake" scares, but they may end up leaving with real ones.
Countless employees have reported spooky happenings in the mansions that aren't part of the attraction's act, such as unexplained footsteps, smells, voices, and even full on apparitions. Even the owners, once skeptics, admit to believing in the real spirits that lurk behind the building's walls.
Visitors of the attraction make their way through the buildings many incredibly creepy obstacles, and it's all in good fun. However, there's always the chance you might just experience some real paranormal activity when you visit these buildings.
Several recurring apparitions make their presence known on the campus, including a dark haired woman who paranormal investigators refer to as "Margaret." Despite the vast amount of creepy happenings that take place on the campus, fans of the attraction will tell you that whatever haunts these buildings isn't malicious. An encounter with any of them is certainly unsettling, however.
If you're a scare enthusiast, a visit to Albion's Haunted Mansions is a must. Not only is it a one-of-a-kind attraction that is impressively crafted for October's visitors, but the real haunts provide an extra layer of creepiness. Whether you're a believer in ghosts or not, you'll surely walk away with an experience that'll stick with you forever.
Have you been to the haunted mansions in Albion? Share your experience with us in the comments! Looking for even more scary endeavors? Check out this Haunted Road Trip To The Scariest Places In Idaho!
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