Columbus, OH

With Halloween coming to Columbus, our attentions turn to those who have gone on from this world–and those who cannot, or will not, go.

One of the most well known haunted places in Columbus is a two acre plot of land on the city’s near west side. There, a lady in Gray weeps. But for whom?

The Lady in Gray is the spectre that haunts the Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. I took the time to check out the cemetery myself. It is a sad place. There is a calm sort of melancholy that encompasses all cemeteries. But for Camp Chase the place is especially sad. There lie the remains of 2087 Confederate soldiers. American boys so far from what was home, most of whom were fighting a war that they really didn’t understand and were destined to lose. Regardless of your personal politics, it is hard not to feel compassion for these young men.

A quick internet search will tell you that visitors in the evenings have sometimes seen the ghost of a lady in a gray Civil War period dress. During the day, visitors claim to have heard sobbing, though no one was there. Fresh flowers are placed on graves, particularly the graves of Benjamin Allen and an unknown.

While I was there I did not see or hear anything. I noticed the mature trees and the well kept stones. They line up one after the other as in many other military cemetaries. Many are now unreadable. Some older stones have been replaced with new ones. As you enter there is a large monument reading “2260 Confederate Soldiers of the War 1861-1865 Buried in this Enclosure.” Above the stone is an arch with one solitary word as a tribute to these fallen men, “AMERICANS.”

Camp Chase is located at 2900 Sullivant Ave. and is officially open 8-5 daily, though I was there after 7 on a Saturday and the cemetery gates were open and I was undisturbed.

As an honor to our men in uniform and a shout out to my “fellow” blogger, please check out Being an Air Force Wife, and pray for the safe return of our current military men and women fighting all over the world to keep us safe at home.

Columbus, Ohio, OH, Camp Chase, ghosts, Lady in Grey, Confederate

Columbus, OH

With the leaves changing colors and the nip of fall just starting to caress the air, many of you will be looking for the best places to get your annual dose of terror. Here in Central Ohio we have plenty of places just waiting to terrify you. Yes, the Halloween business is alive and well in Central Ohio. This is one that I myself have experienced.

Dead Acres (or the Haunted Hoochie) is a walk-through haunt just east of Columbus. It is actually in the little town of Summit Station, a “barely there” place between Columbus and Pataskala. Dead Acres is easy to get to. You simply take state route 16 (also called Broad St.) east out of Columbus toward Newark. About five miles east of town you will see a crowd that is nearly impossible to miss and the slow down of traffic will tell you you are there.

Dead Acres is probably Central Ohio’s most well known haunt. The radio blitz that starts in late September covers WNCI and nearly every other local station. There is also some powerhouse sponsorship going on here. Even Taco Bell gets in on the scares by sponsoring the Hoochie.

It consistently winds up in Hauntworld’s Top 13 Scariest Haunted Attractions. This is a well deserved honor. I’m not sure that my definition of scary is the same as Hauntworld’s so I won’t address how scary the place is, but I will say that this haunt is extremely well done. It is clear that the people who put Dead Acres together have been doing this for a long time and they know what they are doing.

In the line outside there is a real sense of excitement. Costumed actors are out there, giving the crowd a teaser for what they will soon be experiencing. There is often a radio station doing a live show from the Dead Acres lot as well. Once inside the tension is brought up and stays up for the entire experience. If you enjoy “Haunted” attractions, Dead Acres is one I would definitely recommend.

Good to Know before You Go:

Dead Acres is an OUTDOOR attraction. You may be there for a very long time in whatever weather there is. Dress appropriately.

Dead Acres is WAY up there in the GORE factor, if you don’t like that, please don’t go.

NO REFUNDS

If you aren’t sure if your kids are too young, they are too young. Wait until you are sure they are more than old enough before you take them.

One of the things that I really like about Dead Acres is that this is a guided haunt. If at any time you decide it is really truly too much for you. Tell your guide and they will get you out of there without ruining the experience for the rest of your group.

Tickets are $15 per person.
VIP Tickets are available for $25 per person, but I have no idea what qualifies a VIP or what your extra $10 gets you.

Dead Acres is open every Thurs., Fri. & Sat. from now until Halloween, as well as the 29th, 30th & 31st. They open around 8:30 and run until just after midnight on Thursdays. Friday and Saturday they go until the crowd dies down, so you may just find you can still get tickets after the clubs close up the weekend before Halloween.

There are concessions and merchandise available, but I would wait until you’ve been through to wolf down anything that might not sit easy on your tummy. Like I said, the GORE factor is high at the Haunted Hoochie.

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Columbus, OH