The Halloween season is in full swing. Well, it may have seemed that way for awhile, but there are some new experiences out there to try.
Libertee Grounds
Libertee Grounds (1600 W. Girard Ave., Philadelphia) transforms its mini golf course into Frankenstein’s Putt Putt, a laboratory full of concoctions, elixirs, hazard signs and the tools of a mad scientist.
“We’re getting Libertee Grounds in the Halloween spirit this year and transforming the Downtown Course into Frankenstein’s Lab for an immersive experience fit for all ages,” co-owner Priyank Rambhia said. “We’re taking the space and our cocktail menu to the next level, with spooky components including Halloween decor, smoke and bubbles for our cocktails, and glow-in-the-dark mini golf.”
Throughout October, Libertee Grounds will offer a themed drink menu featuring the Igor (coconut rum, lime and Glacier Freeze blue Gatorade; also available nonalcoholic) and the Blood Bag (vodka, cranberry, pineapple, grenadine and lime), the Daily Dose (vanilla vodka and cherry Jell-O), plus cocktails like the Electric Jolt (tequila, orange liqueur, mango and lime) and It’s Alive! (gin, passionfruit chinola, butterfly pea, orgeat and lemon).
There will also be a litany of food specials, including a return of kimchi macaroni and cheese.
Frankenstein’s Putt Putt is kid-friendly, with adult supervision. After 8 p.m. it is for 21 and older only. Tickets start at $22 and are available online at https://www.liberteegrounds.com/. Tickets for the Monster Mash Halloween Party happening at 7 p.m. Oct. 31 are $33.
Beat the Bomb has some new Halloween-themed adventures to try. (Photo courtesy of Beat the Bomb)
Beat the Bomb
If solving puzzles is more of a challenge than putting, Beat the Bomb’s Halloween Mission might be the solution.
This year’s mission is entirely new, with five games created exclusively for the experience and a Red Slime Bomb finale. Teams of two to six players will navigate through dark rooms, past ghosts and around a graveyard’s worth of obstacles.
“A haunted house makes you move,” said Alex Patterson, founder and CEO of Beat The Bomb. “An escape room makes you think. Beat The Bomb’s Haunted Mission makes you do both. And really, what could be scarier this Halloween than having to work together with your family and friends?”
Haunted Mission’s five new games are:
• Lights Out: Players chase their assigned color through the dark, tapping wristbands to matching scanners before the lights (and the colors) change.
• Ghost Walk: Teams feel their way through a pitch-black maze, taking turns dodging obstacles without disturbing the apparitions lurking inside.
• Witching Hour: Teams must memorize a spell — a pattern of sounds — before it vanishes, then cast it back together before time runs out.
• Dead End: Players cross a shifting field of lasers that rearranges itself every time they think they’ve found the way out.
• Graveyard Shift: Teams weave a ball through a haunted graveyard, dodging lanes of tombstones as they race to complete 10 increasingly difficult levels.
Survive all ten levels of Graveyard Shift and the team escapes clean. Fail to beat the bomb before time expires, and the Red Slime Bomb detonates.
Every booking includes full protective gear along with photos and videos. See www.beatthebomb.com/locations/philadelphia for more information.
There will be costumes and animal fun at the Philadelphia Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo. (Photo courtesy of Boo at the Zoo).
Boo at the Zoo
Taking it a little slower, the Philadelphia Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo is back every weekend in October with costumes, festive fall treats and scary fun.
“We are beyond excited to bring Boo at the Zoo, a longstanding Philly Zoo family tradition, to our guests and members every weekend in October,” President and CEO Dr. Jo-Elle Mogerman said. “Autumn is such a special time at the zoo. Our animals become more active in the cooler weather and enjoy the pumpkin harvest, our canopy of 1,500 trees transforms our campus into one of the best spots for leaf peeping in the city and, of course, there will be plenty of candy and costumes around every corner.”
Boo at the Zoo is included in zoo admission. See www.philadelphiazoo.org/.
There are several new experiences to add to the candy gathering during the Boo at the Zoo. Check out:
• Cryptic Creatures inside the Small Mammal House: Insects, snakes, and … the Jersey Devil? Learn about the myths and legends inspired by wildlife around the world. See a live presentation of a misunderstood animal or hear tall tales of wild encounters with legendary cryptids — and the real truth behind them.
• Visit the Trick-or-Tree House: Inside the Zoo’s Iconic Tree House, enjoy creepy crawly decorations and an extra candy station. Guests can opt for a Tarot reading inside from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skellys Visit America’s first Zoo: More than two dozen 12-foot and 5-foot skeletons will be at the zoo.
• Costume Contests at Impala Lawn: Show off your costume for a chance to win prizes at 11:30 and 2:30 each day. Costumes will be judged by zoo staff, and prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place. There will be carnival games around the lawn.