L.A. Haunted Hayride

On a dark and spooky night, my husband, my in-laws and I headed to the L.A. Haunted Hayride for a night of fun and terror.

Full disclosure, I’m a HUGE scaredy cat. Joel loves anything scary, and since we started dating I’ve become much braver over the years, I read some pretty scary books, and am becoming a little bolder when it comes to scary movies and television shows. But being physically scared by people is another thing entirely.

(Sorry the pictures are so weird, it was night and the only lights were orange.)

The L.A. Haunted Hayride happens every year in Griffith Park at the abandoned zoo, known as the “Old Zoo.” There is an actual zoo in the park, but there is also an abandoned one further into the park, full of empty enclosures, which makes the perfect setting for a haunted hayride. There’s plenty of parking and tons of stuff to do. Now, I have been on the L.A. Haunted Hayride before, but they change it every year, so you don’t know what to expect.

There was also a corn maze but we did not participate. I’m super allergic to hay and dried corn pollen junk, and people scare you (the combination sounds like my own personal hell). This is the truly scary part of the L.A. Haunted Hayride and definitely only for the brave.

We went the night before Halloween so it was super busy. There was a pretty long line to ride the hayride, and while we waited characters came through the line to scare and entertain you. From the time we arrived to the time we sat down on the hayride I was so nervous, but once it started it was so much fun.

Here’s the description from the L.A. Haunted Hayride site about what this year’s ride was about:

The grounds of Griffith Park and beyond have been home to murder, torture, paranormal activity, serial killers, and abduction. The area surrounding the “Old Zoo” and “B Rock” has been called one of the most paranormally active sites in all of California. Now these and other actual events will come back to life, opening the portal to a river of lost souls that scream for revelation. They are dark. They are vicious. They are all around you.

Tonight, we call on the hauntings of the real terror in history to rise from the darkest corners of hell to take possession OF YOU! Welcome to the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride 2013: “Based On Actual Events”

The costumes and sets this year were amazing, the production value was awesome, and after all the nerves and stress I had such a great time. I wish I could go back through it again and have someone explain the events each scene was based on.

After the hayride there was plenty more to explore. We went through a tent where there were scary sets to take pictures in, and some of the characters would come frighten people and take pictures with them. There was also the scary go round to ride…backwards.

You could visit with psychics, listen to a paranormal investigator regaling an audience with his adventures, or go through a mirror maze. There was also some great looking food.

We had a great time, and it definitely wasn’t as scary as I built it up to be in my mind. If you love Halloween, live performance, or just laughing and having a good time, the L.A. Haunted Hayride is definitely something to check out. They have a lot of creative freedom there and they really take it to the extreme.