Abby McNett
If you live in or near Oklahoma you’ve probably heard of Castle of Muskogee. Most of the year you won’t find me anywhere near the Castle. In the summer it’s a hellish sauna whether you’re there to buy fireworks or to meander the Renaissance Festival. I’ve never been a fan of fake accents and unseasoned meat chunks in the dead heat of summer. Nor do I like being caught in a miles long “Christmas Inflatable Festival” in the freezing cold, Yet when the shroud of Autumn falls over the Castle something magical happens. The Halloween festival brings a charm that’s usually lacking. The shops are filled with costumes, trinkets, and decorations.
The air is always filled with kettle corn and funnel cake, and more importantly a wide selection of alcohol. The food stalls offer surprisingly tasty fare, and somehow almost worth shelling out the $8 for fish and chips. Maybe it’s just my undying love for the spooky season, but everything at the Castle of Muskogee seems elevated during it’s Halloween Festival.
That’s not to say it doesn’t have it’s faults. Because believe me it does. Though it is a charming Halloween village to explore, the attractions leave a lot to be desired. I opted for the Haunted Hayride which is a whopping $15, there’s a lot of shrieking, but mostly from our tour guide. It didn’t get much better from there. A few decent spooky set ups, and attempts at jump scares. At the end I was glad I had a free ticket. I also decided to try out the intimidatingly named “Trail of Blood” which is also $15, and claims to be one of the scariest mazes. Unfortunately it consists of a walk in the woods with a few screaming actors jumping from the darkness, which is usually enough for me but theres a cheapness that couldn’t be ignored. I found myself with no desire to pay for any haunts after that. At it’s core Castle of Muskogee’s Halloween Festival is a glorified spooky Renaissance fair, and I can’t recommend buying any of their “Fright Packs” that can cost up to $60. Yet there’s a undeniable charm that keeps me coming back year after year.
