Haunted Trails Family Amusement Center
- Good for Kids: Yes
11 Reviews for Haunted Trails Family Amusement Center
Good variety of fun for all ages. I enjoyed HT when I was 11 years-old and I enjoy HT now, and I'm a bit older. Clean restaurant with great service.
This place is sick. I could live here, nestled between the row of pinball machines and the claw machine that has tiers and tiers of silver plated bling.
I was here last weekend and while taking a break from some pinball, I stood by the go kart track trying to predict who would cross the finish line first. Maybe it will be the Taco Bell car? M&M? Oh but none of that mattered because a kid spun out on the track and I saw liquid spilling out of the front of his car and in the blink of an eye, that shit was on fire! Now I could understand the joy of NASCAR as I was watching a miniature version of it and the crowd was visibly horrified but more importantly, entertained. The kid struggled with his seat belt then finally hopped out in a rush and the Haunted Trails staff came with a fire extinguisher and the fiasco was over.
Just another day at Haunted Trails.
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It's important that you know, that somewhere on the outskirts of Chicago (Burbank), there exists a mini-golf course where all of the fountains are dyed red to resemble blood...not because it's Halloween, not because people have died in them (though this is a possibility), but simply because these trails....they's haunted!
p.s. when i was a scout, I could get extra tokens for bringing in a report card that had good grades.
Not sure about the age cut off for this...
But, if you've failed everything in your adulthood like I have, you may want to bring some extra bones.
Every time I remember this place, I think of the fact that I need to go there again before it closes. Rumors to this effect have been circulating for years, but to my knowledge, it still stands.
Haunted Trails was the site of many a childhood birthday party (never my own, and I was so jealous of the birthday kid, who got to stand in the fabled Money Machine--a glass box that blew dollar bills around while the chosen child frantically tried to collect as many as possible), Brownie/Girl Scout pizza parties, and general Friday nights in high school, being too young and broke to go anywhere interesting and too unhip to be invited to any parties.
Mini golf.. God. A few bucks got you 18 holes, a club, and a neon ball--which, if you were lucky, you did not chip into the blood bath on the sixth (?) hole. Challenging to hit your ball into a haunted house and a ghost's mouth while Frankenstein loomed menancingly. One of my oldest stuffed animals (Chompy the shark) came from an impromptu competition that my brother and I ended up winning (illegally, I might add.. the host took pity on me and gave me the prize after a hole-in-eight.)
Ah, nostalgia. Haunted Trails marked various moments of my childhood and adolescence, from triumphantly "winning" Chompy the shark to batting cages to being caught making out with my high school boyfriend outside the arcade. Good times.
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My fella makes fun of me whenever I beg him to take me here. He thinks it's lame, but I love it! Mini golf, batting cages, go carts, arcade, and a pizza place, what more do you need?
I first read about it in Joe Meno's book "Hairstyles of the Damned" (a great book about growing up punk on the Southwest Side of Chicago). When I realized that it actually existed, I knew I had to check it out. It's campy, slightly downtrodden, and lots of fun. The haunted houses, ghosts for trash cans, monsters, and huge Frankenstein statue all add to the Haunted Trails experience. Going here reminds me of my high school days when I would cut out of last period with my friends and we'd go mini golfing.
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EEEEE! I love this place so freaking much.
A giant skull at the 18th hole? Check.
Ghost garbage cans? You got it.
Houses that moan at you when you hit your ball into them? Hell yes.
Batting cages? Three kinds of skee-ball? Spider stomping DDR? YES, YES, and TRIPLE YES!
I loved the ghostie trash cans and all the fun haunted things. The best part was winning enough tickets to "buy" a squeaky toy whale so annoying that my companion threatened to take out his squeaker. What a jackass. Actually that isn't the best part. The best part is that both me and my bff got one so we can make a squeaky whale harmony to terrorize my companion and anyone else that crosses us.
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When I was 8 years old I got a surprise visit from my pen pal, Carrie. Our parents arranged an awesome sleep over weekend that involved horseback riding, trips to the mall, and haunted trails. Unfortunately on our way to haunted trails I stuck my gum in Carrie's hair. We spent a good half hour trying to get the damn thing out, only making it worse. Eventually one of the arcade workers had to cut it out with a pair of scissors. I don't think Carrie ever answered my letters back after that.
Anyways...it's nice to know that Haunted trails hasn't changed much in almost 2 decades. Sure the arcade games my have been updated, or there are some new rinky dink rides, but essentially, it's 1988 all over again. This time I made sure not to stick gum in my friend's hair.
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Some say it's haunted.
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OMG!!! I can't believe I'm the first one to rant and rave about the go-karts here!!! I had a very competitive father growing up, Kinda of Ricky Bobby "If your not first- You're last" thing going on, which has had a MAJOR impact on how I do...well...EVERYTHING!
I can remember one time my brother, uncle, father and I went as a special treat, We had to be separated, my dad went with my brother and I went with my uncle and these 2 other suburban bratty chicks, that I still want to punch in the face. First one practically knocked me over to take the #11, it wasn't faster, just had my lucky number (which I had commented about while in line next to her). So we pull outta the gate, she is in front of me swerving all over the track so I can't get around her, till the 2nd to last lap when we hit the "S" curve and she goes wide, I knock the back quarter panel of her go kart and spin her out to hear my father scream-"THAT'S MY GIRL!!" She got stuck on the tire edging for the last lap and the guy couldn't get her out. I'm evil but I took first place that's all that mattered to me!!!
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Haunted Trails is like just fucking great!!!! This was one of the highlights of my little life when I was 9 years old! A SUPERNATURAL THEMED MINI GOLF PLACE! There are giant monsters and "blood" lakes and silly screaming haunted houses on the golf course and it's just really fun! They also have creepy carnie rides that aren't fun but you ride them anyway, a crummy looking go-kart track, batting cages, and two seperate arcades. The first one is more win your ticket type of games and the second one has DDR and "violent" games and that's where all the 15 year olds who are desperate for pussy hang out.
It can get really crowded here on weekends and it costs more too, but weeknights aren't nearly as expensive and you're not stuck waiting forever for your turn. I seriously loved coming here SO MUCH when I was a kid. I always loved Halloween and blood and guts and monsters and this was just the perfect place ever in my mind. Too bad I'm a shitty mini golf player. More of my balls (hehe) have ended up in Blood Lake than I care to admit.
This is SUCH a great place to bring your kids! It's silly, fun, kooky, and just wow...Haunted Trails is awesome!
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I have been coming here for years. Not just as a kid either. It turns out to be a good place to go on a fun date. They have a miniature golf course that has a ghostly theme, with all the water traps and fountains running with a red colored water. Not only that they have go-carts for adults and children, and batting cages for both baseball and softball. Tired of outdoor activities, go inside to the game room and indulge in the childhood fun of skee-ball, shooting games, video games, and all kinds of carnival type games. Starting in mid to late September, they have a fairly decent haunted house. They of course mainly cater to a younger crowd, and have a special party room where they serve mediocre pizza. But no matter what, this is just a really cool place to go, kids or no kids.
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