Debuting in 2011, Great Adventure's smallest
guests had a brand new Halloween themed ride to thrill and scare them.
Haunted Wagon Tales was promoted as follows:
"Families can take a wagon ride deep into the woods as a
storyteller's tale comes to life."
Departing from the area just outside of the Aqua Stadium, riders boarded
a hay wagon which exited the park through the gates between the stadium
and Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train. Immediately, the landscape
changed to a heavily wooded dirt roadway that negotiated a straight of
land between the park's Great Lake on the left and the Prospertown Lake
on the right. This gravely trail would continue winding its way
through the trees and along the lakes' banks all the way to the Switlik
Mansion.
The Switlik Mansion, which was Dracula's manor in the wagon tale, was
once the home to Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Switlik who at one time owned the
land which Great Adventure now occupies . The house, which
resembles more of a large farm house than a mansion, was
constructed around 1875.
The Haunted Wagon Tales journey paid visits to several famous monsters,
each sharing a ghoulish riddle with the passing travelers. Those
who could correctly answer the riddle were rewarded with candy and the
wagon was given a "clue" that would be a key ingredient in the witches'
spell at the end of the trail.
While by no means a nail-biting attraction for teens, the hayride did
provide the perfect mix of festive Halloween sites, scenery, dialogue,
and music to put a smile on children and adults alike. The
diagram, photos, and video below will give you a good flavor of the hayride experience. The dedicated cast and crew of this attraction
did an outstanding job sharing with us their Haunted Wagon Tales.
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