Nightmare Acres in South Windsor, CT continues to be one of our favorite haunts in Connecticut. Pulled together by folks who love visiting haunts nearly as much as they love crafting one, Nightmare Acres is nothing short of a good time in the woods. Should you make your way there, you will be treated to zippy scares and seasoned scare actors in some of the most aesthetically ambitious sets we have seen in the area. 

Nightmare acres is tucked into the folds of an outdoor adventure ropes course, so the vibe is right from the moment you step out of your car. After taking an unsettling hike up to the attraction, you will find yourself in a veritable carnival midway with tarot card readers and vengeful clowns. You start and end your journey in this area, which is perfect if you need to catch a nosh or a sip to wet your whistle after it is completely dried out from screaming. The haunt itself is beautifully constructed. And tremendous thought has gone into how to keep guests immersed in what this haunt has to offer the second you make it past the ticket booth. 

Since our last visit to Nightmare Acres in 2019, the attraction has only improved with age. First, they have updated their queue system to offer multiple access tears and varying levels of interactivity that will keep folks entertained (nay, creeped out) while they wait. We also found these changes improved their already solid pacing. We never bumped into the group ahead of us and virtually no scares were spoiled before we got to them for this reason.  Second, there have been meaningful updates to their themed zones that have made a return trip to the attraction more than worth your while if you have visited before. 

Once inside Nightmare Acres, you will be treated to many different themed zones. Stand-outs for us were our visits to a twisted greenhouse and a weirdly wonderful time with some cultists. We also want to celebrate the diversity of this haunt’s scares—far from the kind of one-trick pony that haunts of this size can be. With as many thoughtfully constructed sets as they have, you would think that there wouldn’t be moments when you’re left alone with the worst sort of monster: your own imagination. Some of our scariest turns in this attraction are those you take in the dark. Nightmare Acres has been doing a fog maze for a while now and they have mastered this kind of experience. It was my absolute favorite fog maze in what has to be the 10 others I have seen this year because they play with color, sound, and texture in ways that elevate the form. 

They do offer on-site parking, but it is a small cash-only fee if you wish to do so. Make sure to have tenner tucked into your wallet before making your way so that parking is the absolute breeze that it is! Once you do get there, we recommend ditching everything but your phone and wallet in the car. You’ll have an easier jaunt around this haunt if you aren’t weighed down by a backpack or purse. The pathway up to the haunt is dark and sparse—so, you may be tempted to leave the phone behind, but a flashlight is definitely useful to find your way up there without unintended scares along the way. 

Nightmare Acres is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays (with the exception of October 16) this year. General Admission tickets are $30, a very reasonable cost for all this haunt has to offer! If you’re in a time crunch because you have packed your night with other Halloween goodness, you may want to consider buying fast passes, starting at $40. October books up fast for haunts and haunters alike. So should you find your October nights already stuffed to the gills, we recommend checking out their touch night special event in early November! 

For more information and tickets head on over to their site at https://www.nightmareacresct.com/home