Halloweekends with kids?

My hubby and I are thinking of taking our two daughters down for a halloweekend visit. We have never been there during that time. Our daughters are 3 and 7 and both kind of scardy cats. So my question is, how scary do they make the park? Of course we won't take them to anything that is not age appropriate, but are there scary people just roaming around or anything?

Thanks for any advice!

Kelly

During the daytime the park isn't really scary at all. There are a few props and decorations (skeletons, spiders etc.) that could be intimidating to very young children, but if they understand that these are just decorations they should be fine. There are plenty of activities for the younger children during the day as well. There is a hay bail maze, fortune tellers, a children's costume contest, and a parade. Camp Snoopy turns into Camp Spooky, and all of the Peanut's Characters are dressed up in their Halloween costumes. There is also The House on Boo Hill. It's a children's "haunted house", but it isn't scary at all.

The "scary" stuff is all clearly marked and the outdoor zones are only active at night. On occasion there are some little ones who do venture in, but if they are easily scared I wouldn't recommend it.

As soon as the Halloweekends website is up, it will give you a better idea of everything that park has going on.

When night comes there are usually two or three screamsters thatroam the main midway. Usually they stay in the middle parts where theyplant flowers and stuff during the regular season. They are there forpictures and do not jump out to chase you or anything.

EDIT: My computer is being weird again and not spacing words in myposts. I thought I fixed it before, but I guess its back. Sorry forsome of the words being combined.

Great. Thanks so much for the info! It sounds like it will be fine for them!

Don't forget the daily Halloween parade, which is not scary at all. That's quite fun for young kids, if my daughter's reaction at that age was any proof.

If you have strollers, I would suggest staying out of the scare zones. There are times where you can't see your hand in front of your face. And then you have guests running away from the Screamsters and possibly run into you. I have seen parents with strollers in these zones before and have always felt they shouldn't. It is accident waiting to happen.

Our daughter was 3 last year when we took her and she had an absolute blast. Lots of candy, the corn maze, the kids "haunted house" to walk through...and yes, don't miss the parade!

Your kids, and you, will have a great time.

I'm curious - what about the shows in the Red Garter Saloon and the Palace Theatre?

The Edge of Madness: Six Feet Under
Located in the Red Garter Saloon

They're back - and this time it's your funeral. Join us at the Red Slaughter Saloon for even more bedlam anarchy and musical mahem!

Dr Cleaver in the Clink

The world as we know it is over - Dr. Cleaver is in jail! Did it have something to do with that human sacrifice? Come see this madcap adventure at the Palace Theatre.

What are these shows about? my kids don't care for scary stuff...i.e. they didn't much like the magical house on Boo Hill. they did like the Sideshow: Carnval of Magic and the Goodtime Ghouls. I just need to find out what happens in these two shows so I can decide if my kids will like it or not.

Thanks

I think I answered my own question :) I found a detailed description of the kid-friendly attractions here:http://www.funcoast.com/stories/attractions/activity-and-events/sca...loweekends

Sideshow: A Carnival of Magic
• Where: Jack Aldrich Theater
• When: 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30 p.m. Fri.; 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 p.m. Sat.; 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, 6:30 p.m. Sun.

This is Cedar Point’s newest production this year for their Halloween live entertainment line-up. This show runs for about 25 minutes and is described as a “high-energy dance” combined with an illusionary magic show. This revue features vigorous choreography, popular music and illusions combined with a little sketch comedy.

It had the longest line that I came across on Friday night, but I was still able to sit very close to the stage. The opening scene features a red box wheeled to the stage by a couple of female dancers. A young man dressed like the ringleader of a circus, complete with a top hat, pops out of the box to greet the audience with a wide, devious smile. Rhianna blares over the speakers as the ensemble of dancers is introduced to us one by one, by “magically” appearing out of a tall, curtained box. My favorite illusion? When a stack of four boxes were brought on stage and the dancers kept moving them around to reveal the mixed-up body parts of a woman.
A fun addition to this production is the spoof of a magician who comes out between sets to entertain you with a so-called “magic” trick — and then fails miserably at it. He’s very cute and silly, adding the aspect of sketch comedy to the show.

The Goodtime Ghouls: A Halloween Hullabaloo!
• Where: Goodtime Theater
•When: 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30 p.m. Fri.; 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 p.m. Sat.; 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30 p.m. Sun.

I knew that this was a specifically kid-friendly show, so I was surprised at how extensive the stage set-up was with a graveyard, staircase and plenty of room for the dancers and singers to move around. While “Sideshow” was an all-dance revue, “Hullabaloo” is a dancing and singing show. It begins with a few dancers wearing raggedy clothes and zombie makeup, “crawling” out of the graveyard as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” begins to play. I know the infamous “Thriller” routine has been done a million times and it’s starting to get stale, but it’s always fun to see and is perfect for Halloween.

The Hullabaloo had many more songs than any other show I saw on Friday, and they had twice as many performers in their arsenal, as well. There were renditions of “Tainted Love,” “Superstitious,” N’Sync’s “Dirty Pop” and Britney Spears’ “Toxic.”

The cast moved quickly through all the songs and costume changes, and while the choreography doesn’t require as much athleticism as “Sideshow” did, they all have fantastic voices. Personally, my favorite moment was a rendition of “Young Frankenstein,” where the monster and Dr. Frankenstein perform a tap dance in top hats with canes to “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

Edge of Madness: Still Crazy
• Where: Red Garter Saloon
• When: 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30 p.m. Fri.; 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 p.m. Sat.; 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 p.m. Sun.

The Red Garter Saloon, dubbed the Red Slaughter Saloon for HalloWeekends, has a singing and dancing show housed on their smallest stage. But there’s one benefit: this is the only show where you can eat and drink while watching it. The cast is four men and four women who are great performers, and who harmonize their voices very well together.

What I don’t get is what’s so “maddening” about it. It’s pretty much the exact same show that I can see during the park’s regular season. It’s more of a classic rock revue than a Halloween show, where you’ll hear favorites such as “Heartbreaker,” “Hurricane,” “Thunderstruck” and more from ZZ Top, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi.

The men wear some fun Halloween makeup and usually upstage the ladies with their great charisma and infectious energy. I really loved when they sang Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life,” featuring a singer at the tip top of the stage belting out the lyrics with a voice to rival Amy Lee’s. Despite being nearly the same show, it’s still fun, and a great stopping point for a beer and some food.

The Return of Dr. Cleaver
• Where: Palace Theater
• When: 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30 p.m. Fri.; 4:30, 5:30, 6:30, 7:30, 8:30, 9:30 p.m. Sat.; 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30 p.m. Sun.

This short one-act play is about a doctor (duh) and his trusty hunch back sidekick Wolfgang, who have to try and figure out how to break the spell of the treasure of Transylvania. I had a bit of trouble trying to find the Palace Theater, so take it from me: there really is a show back there close to the entrance of the Maverick. You have to navigate your way through all the dry ice smoke and crazy Screamsters, but it’s well worth it. I was really excited to finally see a show with some actual dialogue and real acting in it.

The main characters Dr. Cleaver and Wolfgang really made the show with their perfect comedic timing, Wolfgang’s noose belt and their ability to ad lib beautifully. I don’t want to give away the whole story, because I want you to make the trip back there to see this great show! It’s about a half hour long, slightly perverted and very well performed. They make a delightful dynamic duo, but Wolfgang definitely steals the show with his hilarious one-liners and props.

While those are pretty close to what the shows are, that is last years review and all of those shows have changed a bit. All of them are about 40 or 50% the same as last year but still keep the same basic theme as described above. I have heard from a lot of people and agree that this seasons versions of the shows are the best out of the run.

Excellent - that's even better news.

My main concerns was how scary and gory the shows were...and also what on earth would I see. CP's description was confusing for me and I had no idea what to expect. Knowing the edge of Madness is a dance/rock musical revue and that Dr Cleaver is a one act play helps a lot!

Nothing in the park is really "gory", you should be fine with all of the shows, it would just depend on if your kids get bored with sitting down for a period of time. The parade runs at 4 down the main midway from the front to the back of the park. And as for the outdoor zones or even houses, generally there is a Screamster at the very front of the zones, so even if you wanted to take them there to see if they get scared and if you ask whatever Screamster is there would have no problem talking to your kid out of character to show it's just normal people dressed up. And if you do go into a zone and they do freak out, we can escort you through to the end.

elainesj said:
Excellent - that's even better news.

My main concerns was how scary and gory the shows were...and also what on earth would I see. CP's description was confusing for me and I had no idea what to expect. Knowing the edge of Madness is a dance/rock musical revue and that Dr Cleaver is a one act play helps a lot!

As Bruce said, nothing scary or gory. 'Clever in the Clink' at Palace has some suggestive adult humor but nothing a smaller child would even pick up on. Red Garter has some more "adult" costumes but again, nothing any more revealing then what is on a magazine cover at the checkout stand.

Ah.

I so miss the Tell Tale Heart that used to be shown in the Glass-Blowing theater. Kids and adults alike used to love that show. :)

well we popped in to the park for an hour today to watch the Edge of Madness. We loved it and the kids had a fun time. The park was madness though. MF's line stretched down the midway. We got to the theatre about 15 mins before start time and it was already standing room only. We eded up next to a family who had saved additional seats for others in line for MF and just before the show started, they let us sit down there.The show was great and I was glad we got a chance to see it. plan to catch the other 3 shows tomorrow :)