Zombiezi Bay (Powell, OH)
“They’re Coming to Get You Barbara”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
Zombiezi Bay at the Columbus Zoo is in its second year of operation. We enjoyed our visit, but there are certain areas that need fine tuning before it becomes a must-see event. Zombiezi Bay consists of 4 attractions and two Scare Zones. This includes Catacombs, Eternal Darkness, Pleasant Screams and Sinister Sideshow. The Scare Zones are Devastation and Photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis and Devastation last roughly 2 minutes a piece. Photosynthesis features killer plants with an emphasis on mutant pumpkins. Many have razor sharp teeth. There are very few actors. I must say that I was caught off guard by the man in the ghillie suit. Devastation is a simple scare zone where a construction zone has been taken over by the living dead. You’ll even enter a hospital.
Eternal Darkness is a typical dark maze where they guide you where to go. We were in and out in under 5 minutes. There really isn’t anything redeeming about this attraction since it’s mostly darkness with dimly lit red lighting. There is an intense soundtrack, but little to no actors are present.
Pleasant Screams is a sleep facility that’s involved in mind manipulation. It’s also the best attraction at Zombiezi Bay. Walls are falling apart and are decorated with posters of past employees and patients that have been altered in some way. You’ll come across some grotesque scenes of horror. This includes a disgusting kitchen, the sleeping quarters, the autopsy room, surgery and more. It’s a fun filled attraction that’s just the right amount of scary. It took us 7 minutes to escape in one piece.
(Eternal Darkness has a haunting facade that’s quite gorgeous.)
Sinister Sideshow is guarded by a massive jack in the box that wants to tear you to shreds This 3D attraction features impressive artwork that comes to life. Put on your 3D Glasses and enjoy the show. Total tour time was roughly 4 minutes. This is a typical 3D attraction where clowns are the main characters. Many of them kept yelling peekaboo which was more annoying that it was scary. My favorite scene featured a group of killer zombies that busted out from behind a cloth curtain.
Gauntlet is a colorful attraction with zombies galore and some impressive props along the way. I won’t give away too much since this is a rather short attraction. The highlight was the graveyard featuring the angel of death. Total tour time was just under 4 minutes. The zoo is decorated with creepy props including a headless horseman and even a large projected image of a massive green skull. The Scare zones seemed to be short on actors at certain times and the queue line actors were far and few between. The ones we saw had chainsaws and just followed people around. They weren’t menacing and they lacked energy.
Even though there are many negative aspects of Zombiezi Bay, it’s still a fun experience. Hell, you can even hop of most of their rides. If you decide to venture out to the Columbus Zoo this Halloween season then be sure to buy a ticket for their Brews and Bites Tasting Event. It’s $27 and you get you get to pick 6 food or drink items out of 17 choices. There are churros, jumbo hot dogs, buffalo chick mac ‘n cheese, pumpkin beer and just about anything you can think of.
Parking is $10. Tickets to Zombiezi Bay range from $28.99-$32.99 depending on the night you visit. We don’t recommend that you purchase a Doom Pass for an additional $34.99 or a Diamond Doom Pass for an added $64.99. These tickets will get you closer to the head of the line, but there wasn’t much of a crowd when we visited. This will probably change the closer it gets to Halloween.
Zombiezi Bay has a lot of potential, but as of now there’s nothing that stands out about it. All the attractions are average at best and you’re better off spending your money else ware.
Length-4 Design-6 Props/Animatronics-6 Acting-6 Scare Effect-5
Final Stab: 5.4
zombiezibay.columbuszoo.org