This past Saturday I attended my first ever (that I can remember) Minnesota Blogger Bash. It was at Zywiec’s Haunting Experience on Highway 61 in Cottage Grove. Man was it a good time! I am not required to write about The Haunting Experience on Highway 61 nor am I required to mention any other sponsors that were there, but it was so fun I feel like I need to share! Please be sure to read my “things you should know” at the end of this post and enter the giveaway for tickets for you to go see The Haunting Experience for yourself!
The evening started off with some socialization with fellow bloggers and pampering by Spalon Montage Woodbury. I got a much needed massage and if you look closely at our pictures, you’ll see that the girls and I got colorful hair extensions! We also tasted Zywiec’s famous pork chops with seasoning made just for them. I highly recommend getting at least one while you are there!
Next we got a lights-on, behind the scenes tour of the haunted houses. We met a lot of the haunters, watched them put their makeup on, heard the history of The Haunting Experience, and learned how they made some of the scenes and props (lots of oatmeal and garbage bags!).
By the end of the lights-on tour, it was beginning to get dark out and the real fun could begin! We went through the haunted houses in the dark with the actors in them for a live experience. I’ll let you know that The Haunting Experience on Highway 61 is NOT for the faint of heart! I knew what was coming around every corner and I was STILL scared! (Example: This scared Nutty during the lights-on tour, and STILL got me during the live, dark tour). Don’t worry, there is a “chicken door” if you get too freaked out to continue.
One of my favorite parts of the haunted houses? The vortex…
It spins as you walk through it and is super trippy!
After the haunted houses comes the haunted hayride. We did not get a lights on tour of the hayride so we saw it for the first time live and in the dark. Chain saws…that’s all I’m going to say! Not quite as scary as the houses but still enough to make it fun.
After the haunted hayride, don’t forget to try your hand at hunting zombies! Non-scary fun for the whole family! Probably our favorite part of the entire experience!
Don’t forget to get your Zombie Hunter License!
My family ended the evening with a record game of bar Jenga while Hubby and I enjoyed a drink in the beer garden. This is where the game ended as there were no moves left!
Things you should know:
- There are some family friendly things at Zywiec’s Haunting Experience on Highway 61 but it is DEFINITELY scary. My girls (ages almost 7 and 9) were fine with the lights on tour but we wouldn’t let them go in with the lights off. I’d say the haunted houses are for a strong 10 years and above age range (depending on the child).
- Zywiec’s does have Low Scare Matinees where you can do the lights-on experience. Just a hair of scare for the younger kids but still a lot of gore. My girls were totally fine with the lights-on tour but did get just enough surprise-type scares to make it fun.
- The haunted hayride is not quite as frightening as the houses but it is still scary. My girls did do this. They were fine until the haunters actually came up on the wagon and the chain saws came out. The girls shed a few tears but were overall fine in the end and said it was fun. Use caution when doing the hayride with your younger kids.
- The Zombie Hunt is a TON of fun and friendly for ALL ages.
- The actors/haunters can not touch you and you can not touch them. This takes away some of the scare.
- The actors/haunters are extremely friendly and helpful. They are trained to know when people are overly scared and they will stay away from those people. If you can’t continue through the haunted houses, just ask a haunter for help. They’ll take you out through an escape door.
- We did not get a chance to go through the corn maze but rumor has it, it is family friendly.
- To see more photos from the Minnesota Blogger Bash’s fun at The Haunting Experience, go here.
Bonus part of the Minnesota Blogger Bash…We did the Haunting Experience on Highway 61 with Crisco from KS95’s afternoon show!
