OCTOBER 8, 2009 ISSUE
Dare To Ride
20th Annual Ghost Train at Tweetsie Railroad This Month
Elaborate costumes, makeup artists and special effects help turn the Wild West atmosphere of Tweetsie Railroad into a creepy Halloween town every October for the Ghost Train Halloween Festival.
Wild West by day—nightmare by night.
For 20 years, the ghosts, witches and demons of Tweetsie Railroad haven’t rested, returning each October to haunt the dark woods and halls of the local amusement park. Your chance for thrills and chills continues every Friday and Saturday this month through October 31. The Ghost Train Halloween Festival is open from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. each of those nights.
“We do encourage advance tickets,” said Cathy Robbins, Tweetsie Railroad marketing director. “In the past, we have had several nights that have sold out.”
Engineer Casey Bones and his creepy crew will guide the first Ghost Train from the station after dark, with rides departing about every 30 minutes through the evening. The park’s Hacienda area becomes The Boneyard, where you’ll find the 3-D Maze, the Black Hole and a new attraction for 2009—the Freaky Forest, a spooky stroll along a dark pathway where creatures and ghouls and terrors emerge from the night.
Tour the 13 rooms of the Haunted House, and take a moonlit spin on the amusement park rides at the Creepy Carnival. Along Main Street will be dancing, music and entertainment throughout the night courtesy of the Ghost Train’s cast of characters. Special treats for sale include candied apples, hot cider, candy and cookies.
Children will enjoy a black light music show at the Haunted Palace Saloon, The Tweetsie Palace Spooktacular, with start times at 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 9:30 and 10:00 p.m. Kids can also take part in traditional trick-or-treating throughout the park. The Haunted House, Freaky Forest and Ghost Train are not recommended for kids younger than 8.
Adults and children are encouraged to come dressed in their most creative or frightening costumes. Some of the most memorable costumes at the Ghost Train include Elvis, the Tweetsie engine, Hershey Kisses and a Herd of Cows, the Tweetsie website states.
A limited number of tickets are available for each evening of the Ghost Train, and advance tickets are required. Admission is $26 for adults and children, while kids ages 2 and under are admitted free.
Tweetsie Railroad is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays now through November 1. The park’s regular hours are 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Tweetsie Railroad is located on Highway 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock. For more information or tickets, click to www.tweetsie.com or call 828-264-9061.
Want To Go?
Dates: Fridays and Saturdays, October 9 to 31
Time: 7:30 to 11:30 p.m.
Location: Tweetsie Railroad
Cost: $26 adults & kids/free kids 2 & under
20 Years of Scares
Tweetsie Railroad has been open since 1957, and in 1990, the park held the very first Ghost Train Halloween Festival. Since then, Ghost Train has been named one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society.
“We were one of the first ones to do a haunted attraction,” said Cathy Robbins, Tweetsie Railroad marketing director. “At the time, we weren’t sure how well the Halloween festival would do.”
In addition to the Halloween event, Tweetsie held a Christmas festival, but because of weather issues, the Halloween festival had a much higher turnout, Robbins said.
“It’s been very successful,” she said. “There are not very many ghost trains in the country at Halloween.”
Since 1990, Tweetsie has continued to improve upon the Ghost Train experience.
“We started off with just a few attractions and have really expanded over the years,” said Robbins.
Initially, Tweetsie relied on volunteers from local high schools and college organizations to staff the Ghost Train, but now the park holds auditions for the more than 100 employees that work the Halloween event.
“We’ve also come a long way, too, with the appearance of the train,” Robbins said. Professional costume companies create costumes especially for the festival, and makeup artists are hired to transform employees into the frightening characters who haunt the park. Seven miles of drop cord are used to wire the event’s special effects.
“We’ve learned a lot in the 20 years,” added Robbins.
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