Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride (Petersburg, KY)
“17 Years of Fear”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
The dark and winding road leads to a farm in the small town of Petersburg, Kentucky. It’s called Sandyland Acres and it holds a deep dark secret. This is a peaceful place during the day, but when the sun goes down all hell breaks loose. Sandyland Acres is haunted and you’ll soon find out why. Sandyland Acres celebrates its 17th year of fear. Are you brave enough to enter? A silo shoots flames high into the air as hordes of people wait in line. An animated clown can be seen holding a cage with his victim inside. A werewolf and pig like creature chase a girl who runs away. Two large pumpkin scarecrows guard the entrance to Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride.
Hop aboard a hay wagon and get ready for some scares. The best part of a hayride is seeing the reactions of other people. They either scream with pure terror or laugh their heads off. The majority of people were scared to death at certain points while others just smiled. Everyone seemed to be having a good time even those who were hiding their head. Sandyland Acres features some of the best horror movie recreations around. You’ll meet your favorite horror villains including Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Leatherface and more. The Jeepers Creepers scene was my favorite of the night. Things really heat up when The Creeper arrives.
This is a bone chilling hayride where you’ll enter the cornfield where anything might be lurking in the darkness. There’s either some type of scary character or loud sound that will catch you off guard. There were numerous times where there were flames or loud pops that made everyone jump.
You’ll be chased by trucks that shoot flames high into the air. The headless horseman lets his presence be known as he gallops away. Sandyland Acres doesn’t follow an exact theme and that’s alright. It’s a very unpredictable and entertaining haunt. There are various characters such as hillbillies that are protecting their moonshine. Hear the bang from a shotgun. You’ll encounter many actors who walk onto the hay wagon and torment customers. It’s up close and personal at Sandyland Acres. Quite a few of the horror movie icons are large in stature which makes then quite intimidating.
There are a few issues. Some of the lighting could be improved in areas. A prime example is the Headless Horseman. This scene is great, but it’s a little hard to see. The A Nightmare on Elm Street reenactment could have been more convincing. I would like to hear Freddy Krueger speak. Another issue is that a few scenes inside the barn can be hard to see depending on where you’re seated on the hay wagon. But these are minor complaints. Overall Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride is a very entertaining haunt that’s great for friends and family.
(Skeletons cling to the side of the haunted barn that’s Farmers Revenge.)
After we were done with the hayride, we got in line for Farmers Revenge. Skeletons cling to a haunted barn that’s illuminated with green lighting. This is a traditional haunt that reminds me of Jaycee Haunts from the past. You’ll explore areas like the clown house, a dark maze, Egyptian room, hospital and more. The new mine shaft is great and their vortex tunnel is one of the better ones we’ve experienced. I wish the haunt was a little longer, but it’s good while it lasts.
Sandyland Acres is a well-organized haunt with signs pointing you in the right direction. There are concessions available in the Haunted Snack Shop such as nachos, hot dogs, cookies, soda and more. The Spooky Gift Shop features a plethora of items from T-Shirts to jewelry. Outside they have pumpkins for sale. It’s $2 for a small and $5 for a large pumpkin.
Total tour time was 17 minutes for the Hayride and 6 minutes for Farmers Revenge. General admission is $15 for the Hayride and $12 for Farmers Revenge. A combo ticket is $25. Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride is an intense hayride at times and very entertaining. Farmers Revenge is a small haunt, but with a lot of heart. We highly recommend that you head on down to Petersburg, KY this fall season. There’s just something about Sandyland Acres that embodies the Halloween spirit.
Please Note: Farmers Revenge has not been scored.
Length-8 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-8 Acting-8 Scare Effect-9
Final Stab: 8.2
www.sandylandacres.com