Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail opens its third season with the addition of second ‘lights out’ trail.
By Matt Silverman
Staff Intern
Looking to get your scare fix this Halloween without breaking the bank with Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream tickets? Look no further than Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail, starting Friday, Sept. 30, and going through Monday, Oct. 31.
The event, now in its third season, promises to be bigger and better than before. Guests can purchase tickets to walk one or two trails offered this year. The event is family friendly but is unsuited for children under 12.
The main trail is themed ‘Terror on the Tracks,’ where guests will be on a train bound for doom, event co-founder Zach Glaros said.
The second trail is ‘Nightmare at the Mansion,’ an unlit trail where guests will wander through skeleton stalker Sir Henry’s mansion and haunted estate. Armed only with a flashlight and fortitude, guests will face scare actors dressed as nightmarish beasts and navigate through hand-built sets and scenery.
“Five or six years ago I came up with this top hat, bowtie-wearing skeleton trickster character. … The first year we did this I thought, ‘I want a main central character, because nobody does that in their haunted house,’” Glaros said about the event’s mascot, Sir Henry.
Glaros plays Sir Henry every night of the event.
Glaros founded Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail with his father. Growing up, Glaros embraced his family's interest in holiday
decoration, so much so that thousands of trick-or-treaters would visit his family’s Halloween displays at their home, Glaros said. This passion didn’t diminish as Glaros attended college and earned a master’s degree. After college, Glaros developed the haunted trail idea with his father, combining his passions for performing arts and business development.
“We have a core group of volunteers who [have been] helping us build from March,” Glaros said. “It takes all year to put this together … it’s a team effort. There’s no way we can do this by ourselves.”
Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail is located on South Frontage Road in Plant City.
“This is a community event,” Glaros said. “It’s local, and I think we’re able to offer a more personalized experience for guests than the bigger Halloween attractions at theme parks.”
Local radio station and sponsor MAX 98.3 will broadcast live on location opening night. In addition to walking trails guests can also dine on gourmet hot dogs from the Lakeland Eats food truck, dance to the music of Halloween DJ Spooky Steve, buy merchandise (this year’s shirts glow in the dark) and more.
A portion of this year’s ticket sales will go to Patriot Paws, a charity which provides service dogs to veterans. This cause is close to Glaros, as both of his grandfathers served in the armed forces.
“If you look at the statistics of veterans with these service dogs, the suicide rate [of veterans] almost come down to zero,” Glaros said.
To purchase tickets, visit SirHenrysHauntedTrail.com.
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