Legend at Pope Lick (Louisville, KY)
“Monster Live Among Us”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
When the sun goes down, creatures come out of hiding. Monsters live among us. The Urban Legends you were told as a child might be true. The legend of the Goat Man is real and he lives in Louisville, Kentucky. This half man, half goat has been haunting the dreams of the innocent for decades. The Goat Man was a freak of nature and he was the main attraction at a circus freak show. He was mistreated for years and he grew bigger and stronger.
On one dark and stormy night, the Goat Man was able to escape after the train he was on crashed in Louisville. He was the sole survivor and he tore the passengers to shreds. Some say that a few of the clowns, freaks, pirates, vicious wild animals and Colonel Schildknecht survived. You’ll soon find out. The Goat Man haunts the railroad trestle below Pope Lick Creek where the train crashed and he seeks his revenge on all humans. It’s said that he can reach speeds of more than 60 miles per hour. He’s 8 feet tall and he has horns that protrude out of his forehead. There are many stories that revolve around the birth of the Goat Man. Some stories even involve satanic rituals.
The Goat Man is waiting for you at Legend at Pope Lick. Experience the urban legend brought to life and hopefully you’ll survive to tell the tale. Legend at Pope Lick is one of Louisville’s newest attractions. It’s located at Pope Lick Park which isn’t far from the haunted train trestle. Will you be the Goat Man’s next victim?
This is a very unique haunt. You’ll be given a small flashlight that features different effects based on the scene. The flashlight will dim, violently flash, change color and more. The first portion of Legend at Pope Lick reminded me of the Blair Witch Project. You’ll walk through a haunted forest that has some very interesting characters. It’s very spooky and quite nerve wrecking. I’m one who doesn’t easily scare, but I was caught off guard a few times at this frightening haunted trail. A girl hiding in a tent nearly gave me a heart attack.
Legend at Pope Lick does a phenomenal job at sticking to a theme. The entire haunt revolves around the Urban Legend of the Pope Lick Monster (aka Goat Man). You’ll explore a temple with actors dressed in robes and wearing white masks. They scream “The Power of Christ Compels You.”, as someone hits a metal gong. Will you join their cult? Enter a grotesque barn where you’re a pig lead to the slaughter. You’ll meet the Goat Man a few times throughout your journey. He takes on many forms including a massive goat head that attacks. He also makes his presence known during a violent thunder storm.
There are some pretty eye catching special effects you won’t see at many haunts. My favorite was the group of animated singing ghosts in the carnival Spook House. You could call them a Boo Crew. It wasn’t scary, but it was very entertaining. The woman being sawed in half was pretty horrifying. Legend at Pope Lick spares no expense when it comes to detail. The entrance to a small hut resembles a goat head. It features a fog laser tunnel inside. There are plenty of carnies, clowns and freaks that are waiting for you. There are even carnival games setup for customers to play and plenty of interaction from various actors. One female clown with razor sharp teeth hugged me and I participated in a game of balloon pop. The circus feels very authentic due to the vintage sideshow posters that decorate the haunt.
Now there are a few things that could be improved. Much of the haunt consists of an elaborate traveling circus with freaks and various characters. A few of the actors who portray freaks and classic monsters don’t do much except for grunt or stare. They’re more comical or playful than they are scary. The circus tent maze didn’t add much to the overall experience. The clown inside did a good job though. Replacing the maze with a scary scene would help. These are minor complaints that could easily be fixed.
Total Tour time is around 20 minutes, but this depends on how lost you get in the maze and how fast or slow you walk. This is an attraction where you’ll be on the edge of your seat. I felt like I was stepping back in time. There are various posters in the queue line that discuss the urban legend. There’s also a life sized silhouette of the Goat Man. See how you measure up.
There are concessions available including a combo that includes 2 hot dogs and a drink for $5. Parking is free and very safe. Tickets are $20 per victim and the fastlane upgrade is $10 extra. We highly recommend that you pay the extra price since it can get very crowded on Fridays and Saturdays. You can get discount fastlane tickets for Legend at Pope Lick and their sister haunt Black Orchard at Costco. Legend at Pope Lick is a hidden gem. It’s one of those haunts that’s different from the rest. It’s a unique haunted trail you have to experience for yourself. Live the legend of the Goat Man.
Length-9 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-8 Acting-8 Scare Effect-9
Final Stab: 8.4
www.legendatpopelick.com