Discover the Best Things to Do in Austin, Food & Drink deals and more!
Credit: Ryan Conine
Much like New Year’s Eve, Halloween is a holiday that requires special planning. Deciding on a costume is the first step (and if you’re still struggling in the disguise department, Austin’s local stores have you covered). But a costume is nothing if you don’t have a place to debut it.
Here’s a list of events, activities and food specials that’ll help you rock your way through Halloween week and beyond! [Read more…]
Just a few of the show-stopping headpieces at Coco Coquette
It’s that time of year. The fake cobwebs are strung up everywhere. The random disembodied foot on the neighbor’s lawn is no cause for alarm. A waterfall of pumpkins and decorative gourds spills forth from the mouth of every grocery store.
Yes, Halloween is right around the corner, and with it the opportunity to show off your most creative ensemble. Will you be a Halloween classic like a witch or a zombie? Or opt for a celebrity impersonation? Almost as important as deciding which new character you want to inhabit is figuring out where to get the gear to make it happen. Luckily, Austin has a number of local businesses to suit all your Halloween costume needs. [Read more…]
Red Barn Garden Center is the perfect place for fall family photos
Guest article by Angela Bowers
It’s that time of year again—boots, pumpkin spice-everything, shivering 80-degree temperatures and leaves changing color. Well, I guess it’s just yellow leaves mixed with dead ones (we’re still in Texas, y’all).
But the best part of fall, in my opinion: pumpkin patches. Plenty of places in Austin offer these colorful collections of orange globes, so we’ve compiled a list of our five favorite spots.
Chris English and the Haunted ATX hearse
Guest article by Kendra Wright
There are multiple ways to experience the weird side of Austin. You can cruise the streets via a Segway, you can catch a ride in a real life Mystery Machine, and now the Austinot has discovered yet another unforgettable approach to exploring our city…and it’s unlike any way you’ve ever seen it before.
What if I told you your next great adventure involves riding in a hearse driven by a blood drawing Phlebotomist and planting your butt checks on the same seat Carl from The Walking Dead once used?
Interested? Read on. [Read more…]
Commander Nemesis
(Credit: House of Torment)
Halloween is my favorite holiday. Every year, one of the things I look forward to in Austin is our coolest haunted house, House of Torment.
I never used to think of Halloween haunted houses as having large or small budgets. They all blended together. However, in the last ten years House of Torment has dominated the market in Austin, becoming the go-to place for Halloween scares.
Starting in 2003 at North Cross Mall, House of Torment eventually moved to the former Laser Quest building in Highland Mall’s parking lot. Back when I was in high school, Laser Quest was a rad laser tag attraction that had multiple stories (and before that it was the movie theater for Highland Mall). Eventually it was shut down and in 2005 the building was renovated into a haunted house attraction. This former laser tag building was perfect for a haunted house because it had multiple stories, paths to walk through and the walls were already painted black.
Over the years, House of Torment had raised the production quality to the point where it feels like walking into a big budget movie. [Read more…]
A country preacher stands at a raised podium just outside the entrance of Jack’s Frightmare Forest at SeaWorld San Antonio. He delivers a brief message in a somber tone about the importance of facing your fears. He then ushers you into one of the most spooky haunted walks around.
At the Austinot, we often venture within a day’s drive of Austin if we think something’s really special and worth doing.
This is definitely one of those things. [Read more…]