Gatorland storms into Halloween season with haunt, humor
A natural disaster didn’t derail the supernatural offerings of Gatorland’s Halloween event, but it did make it a challenge to pull off.
The attraction’s Gators, Ghosts and Goblins event debuted last weekend, a few days after Hurricane Milton came ashore on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Most of its Halloween decor was already in place as the storm approached.
“We had to tear it all down for the hurricane, except for the haunt. It’s all got plywood around it, so it was fine,” said Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland.
After the storm — which prompted a three-day shutdown of the attraction —– went out to sea, Gatorland employees concentrated on cleaning up and reconstructing the Halloween feel in time for Saturday’s opening.
“We have a lot of displays. It’s all over the park, going back towards the train station… you got the cryptid area there, billboards all over the place,” McHugh said. “All the pumpkins … we didn’t get them all down, and they were scattered around all this half of the park. We had to go find pumpkins on Thursday.”
The centerpiece of Gators, Ghosts and Goblins is Swamp Ghost’s Haunted Museum, a spooky walk-through attraction. It’s a guided small-group tour through dark, sometimes tight spaces.
The storyline for this year’s haunt centers on the disappearance of Gatorland’s vlog team. The experience incorporates the park’s trademark down-home humor with educational moments about funeral rituals and visual special effects. Midway through, a seance is held for McHugh, who is said to have crossed over in the haunt’s story. (Visitors are told to think about things McHugh enjoys “like big trucks and money,” our host instructed.)
“I don’t know how they even dream of the concepts that they put together this year, but the special effects are world-class. I’ll put it up against any big park on the special effects. And the entertainment value is out of this world,” McHugh said.
After an escape route is offered, the haunt gets more traditional with jump-scares, skulls, characters, creepy moments and a surprise ending.
Additional Halloween offerings at Gatorland include a kids’ costume parade on Saturdays, treat-or-treating stations, a cryptid-themed train ride, vendors across the park, a DJ and unique character interactions.
There’s puppetry, large and small, in place, including a baby Jersey devil.
One stop is marked as the Skunk Ape Research Facility and Petting Zoo, a photo opportunity with a couple of unexpected twists. (Pro tip: Let the Gatorland attendant take your picture … and laugh about it later.)
Gators, Ghosts and Goblins continues on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 27. It’s included with regular park admission.
“Right after this event’s over, the next day, we’re striking Halloween, and we’re starting to put up for the Holiday Ho, Ho, Ho-down Christmas event,” McHugh said.
The summer season was strong for Gatorland, extending into September, filling up the South Orange Blossom Trail attraction’s parking lots on the weekend, he said. October storms created challenges.
“We had to close for three days with the hurricane. It’s going to be hard to make that up,” McHugh said. “But you know, those things happen every year when you live in Florida.”
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