Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride 2019
Year after year Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride keeps enthusiasts coming back. The three main attractions are the Bates Motel, the haunted hayride, and Revenge of the Scarecrow Haunted Trail. Each year they add or tweak things within the scenes, or even add whole new scenes. We love the details they put into their scenes. It really shows the heart and passion they have for what they do. Some of the tweaking they do isn’t just in the design of the scenes, but in the placement of the actors. The actors are often in different spots, so you never know where they are coming from year after year. Some actors are camouflaged so well you just think they are inanimate parts of a scene; then, BAM, it’s too late and they got ya! The actors make it a habit to time the scares so they don’t always get the first 1-2 folks in a group. They frequently got the last person in our group. You start to let your guard down, thinking there are no actors and that’s when they get you. And boy, do they get you good!There are actors in the midway area as well. They interact with the patrons while they wait in line, get food, or watch a performer. Bubba will give you a great shock. You never know where a scare is going to come from.
Standouts this year include the mineshaft, dinosaur scene, the octopus guy, and many rooms in the motel. Of course, we don’t want to give anything away, but can’t say enough about the detail that goes into all their attractions.
This year they also added to the midway. They have had the food stand, gift shop, and coffin rides for many years. Last year they added a mobile escape room and a donut stand. We were very happy to see that the yummy donut stand was back. It’s a good thing we don’t live closer because We’d be tempted to go by every weekend just to pick up some freshly made donuts. This year they also have a mobile ax throwing cage and laser tag. They now have 4 escape rooms. We tried our luck at ax throwing while we were there. You do have to sign a waiver, but at only $5 it was worth it. The guy in charge of the ax throwing was very helpful and gave tips on how to hold the ax to help it to stick in the target. We each got 6 throws. One of us got it to stick (on the 4th try), and it was a partial bullseye. Another of us got it to stick 4 times, but not hard enough to stay. It was a ton of fun. If you have the time while you are there, We recommend trying out one or all of the other activities in the midway.
And this year, Bates has something for the entire family. The Arasapha Farms Harvest Hayride. Kids 12 and under are $20 and parents are free!! They have at least 20 activities for family fun; some have a small fee for adults. Check it out 9/21/19-10/27/19, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm.
All in all, Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride is a great haunt to go to for some scares mixed with some fun. It’s worth the drive. And, don’t forget to get the donuts!!
