WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - You know it's fall in Hampton Roads when Howl-O-Scream returns to Busch Gardens.
The park is celebrating 20 years of terror and is introducing new attractions this season.
The park has added three haunted houses (seven total), five bars (six total), two "terror-tories" (six total), two party zones and one new escape room (two total).
New haunted houses in 2018:
- The Vault: XX, creatures of the night from past Howl-O-Scream experiences are locked in one location. Characters include the Executioner from Dark Tower, Mummy from Curse of Pompeii, Pirate Captain Ghost from Sea Dog Cemetery, Little Dead Riding Hood from Deadtime Stories and Werewolf from Hunted. Park-goers can look forward to a walk down memory lane.
- Demented Dimensions: Guests will enter Sterling Manor, which is a haunted house built on top of a dimensional vortex. The energies of the vortex have opened portals to other realms where humans are hunted by monsters, where aliens are in control and the virtual has become reality.
- Dystopia: In a futuristic post-apocalyptic world, a new world order has risen. In this new system, you have a choice - join or be forgotten.
New "terror-tories" in 2018:
- Garden of the Souls: Welcome to Funeral Gardens, the setting for Garden of the Souls. Here guests may visit the graves of the deceased, but this garden has a dark secret. The dead roam free, and they'd love to show park guests what waits in the afterlife.
- Fools' Court: Guests will experience Jester characters in Fools' Court scare zone, where chaos reigns supreme. When the Motley Fools hit the streets, the joke will always be on you.
New escape room 2018:
- Jack is the original Busch Gardens trickster. He's back in the all-new No Escape: Jack's Nightmare Room, and he's had plenty of time to sit in the dark and come up with new ways to surprise and startle fans. Explore the terrors that keep Jack up at night.
For the kids, the Count's Spooktacular is the not-too-spooky place to be for families with young kids.
- Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 6-28 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Children can come dressed up to join in the costume party and participate in other family-friendly activities.
Howl-O-Scream opened September 15 and will run on select days through October 28. The park turns into a scary place starting at 5:45 p.m.
