‘Tis the season for a sense of fear factor. And kidscommons staffers hardly wish to disappoint.
The first-ever Haunted Museum will rise from the Halloween happenings Oct. 29 and 30 with ghouls, goblins and more at the nonprofit facility at 309 Washington St. in downtown Columbus. And if your innocent little pumpkin can’t deal with the dastardly darkness, take heart: There will be a friendly, lights-on version with opportunities for candy.
The witching hours will be 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for the lights-on version for those 8 and younger, and 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. for the dark lords. But organizers are requesting that visitors register online ahead of time at kidscommons.org.
Organizers hope they will arrive in costumes, and all visitors must wear masks beyond any seasonal apparel. Staff estimate that there are spots for about 160 people total, following along a marked, seven-station route that could stretch about an hour, including stops along the way.
“We just want to make sure that, as families come in, they are appropriately spaced out,” said Whitney Hartwell, the museum’s operations manager, referring to social distancing safety. “We’ll do that instead of just having people running to different stations. People have to follow the line (of the route).”
Besides, the werewolves, vampires and other characters, played by members of the museum staff, need some elbow room to scare up some fun. Hartwell said the idea for the effort came collectively from the staff. She still recalls warm memories as a youngster at an IUPUC haunted house.
“That really was so fun,” she said.
She herself will be playing a character at the event. But she prefers to keep that under wraps.
“That is actually meant to be a surprise,” Hartwell said.
At each station in the makeshift house, youngsters will get either a prize of some sort or candy. The route will include a makeshift swamp, a graveyard, and a witch hut.
“I think some people may be wary of going to a haunted house with little kids right now,” she said. But this definitely will be little-kid friendly.”
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What: Haunted Museum with candy and more.
When: Oct. 29-30.
Where: kidscommons children’s museum at 309 Washington St. in downtown Columbus.
Cost: LIGHTS ON VERSION: Not-so-scary (for ages 3 to 8)
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
$9 Member (age 2 plus)
$11 general admission (Age 2 plus)
LIGHTS OFF – Spooky fun (AGE 8-12)
7:30PM-8:30PM
$10 Member (age 2+)
$13 General Admission (Age 2+)
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