Fall is upon us in Southeast Idaho, which also means it’s the season for haunted attractions to open their doors to local residents.

While the COVID-19 pandemic put the summer plans of many on hold, several Southeast Idaho haunted attractions have incorporated changes to their typical routines in order to host their events this year, with some opening as soon as this weekend.

Snake River Doodles and Friends Inc. for its fifth and biggest year yet is bringing back SRD’s Haunted Acre, a ghoulish petting zoo with haunted and regular hayrides, according to event organizer Nikki Jorgenson. After the pandemic put the kibosh to several summer fundraising events for Snake River Doodles, which provides free animal therapy sessions to many local assisted living facilities, developmental disability centers and senior homes, Jorgenson said this year’s haunted events will have a minimal cost.

The Haunted Acre features a guided tour throughout the Jorgenson family farm located at 3960 Nora Avenue in Pocatello, complete with animatronic and human scarers. Jorgenson said she has hired professional local talent.

“There’s a spook-alley for the little ones and then there’s a more medium or milder version for those who don’t want the full experience,” Jorgenson said. “Then we have our all-out scare where we will really bring it. That experience is a serious haunt.”

The Haunted Acres event is open from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. the first four Saturdays in October and the entrance cost is $5 per adult, Jorgenson said. Tickets for youth between ages 2 and 12 are $3 and children ages 2 and younger are free.

Regular hay rides are held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Friday in October and haunted hay rides will be held from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m during the first four Saturdays next month.

“The regular hay rides will feature our therapy animals on the ride with customers and will happen in the south Pocatello area,” Jorgenson said. “The haunted hay rides will happen over by Idaho State University and will feature paranormal stories that tie into the university or the history of Pocatello.”

The cost for the regular hay ride is $5 per person or $20 for a family of up to six people. The cost for the haunted hay ride is $5 per ticket, with no family rate. Due the COVID-19 pandemic each tour of the haunted acre and all hay rides will feature only one family or group at a time, Jorgenson added. All high-traffic areas will be cleaned and sanitized regularly and face-coverings are encouraged.

The SRD Haunted Acre team will then host its annual Halloween festival at the Mountain View Event Center in Pocatello from noon to 8 p.m. on Oct. 31.

“We will bring all the animals from the petting zoo out from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., which is the same timeframe we are hosting a battle of the bands event,” Jorgenson said. “The winner of the battle will win $250 in prize money and then the band The Famous Undercover will start playing at 7 p.m.”

In addition to a Halloween market with spooky-themed food, items and crafts from over 60 local vendors, the celebration will feature a best Halloween costume contest with categories for both youth and adults.

Lost Souls Attractions, owned by Camilla and Andrew Christensen in Shelley, plan to open their two haunted attractions — the Theater of the Lost Souls and Hospital of the Lost Souls — from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26. Located at 186 S. State Street, Camilla said the biggest change this year is the relocation of the booth where patrons purchase entry tickets.

“We are changing it up a little bit this year because of the pandemic,” Camilla said. “The ticket booth will now be located in the big empty lot between the theater and the hospital. Normally in the past, people would go to each building and buy their ticket for that attraction at the specific building. Moving the ticket boot into the big empty lot will allow us to accommodate for space needed to safely social distance.”

Both Lost Souls Attractions, the theater and the hospital, are self-guided tours through the historic buildings, from which many haunting stories have circulated over the years, Camilla said. While the buildings and decor are spooky enough, Camilla said people in costumes located sporadically throughout the attractions do their very best to make sure no patron leaves without feeling somewhat unsettled.

“Over the years, there have definitely been sightings at the theatre,” Camilla said. “People have spotted dark shadows, a little girl in white, a tall man with a beard and an old lady sitting in an auditorium chair. People have also reported hearing strange whispers, crashes and seeing bright orbs.”

Camilla continued, “Anyone who’s ever lived in the town of Shelley knows there’s an old building on State Street with the words ‘hospital’ still visible at the top. The building was built in 1903 and has played several roles in the community, such as a restaurant, club and a room and board. But perhaps the greatest mystery is when it was a hospital from 1909 to 1926. Few people around today can remember any patient stories from the old hospital, but it still shows many signs of once being one.”

Following the last weekend in September, Lost Souls Attractions will be open from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. every Friday and Saturday in October leading up to Halloween.. Beginning on Oct. 19, Lost Souls Attractions will also be open Monday through Thursday from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. On Oct. 23, Oct. 24, Oct. 30 and Oct. 31, Camilla said both attractions will remain open until midnight.

The cost for weekend dates is $10 per attraction and weekdays are $9. Camilla also said that in the next two weeks fast pass tickets, which allow patrons to skip the regular waiting lines for an extra cost, will be available at their website, lostsoulsattractions.com.

Another scary attraction in Southeast Idaho set to celebrate a big year is the Mountain Road Haunted Manor located at 1206 Mountain Road in Grace, which has been in operation for a full decade, says event organizer Becky Jorgensen.

For the Mountain Road Haunted Manor, the story goes that the family who once lived there was slaughtered by their hired man, who buried their remains somewhere on the property. For $12, customers can participate on a self-guided tour through the old haunted farmhouse, an adjacent barn and then a corn maze, Jorgensen said.

The Mountain Road Haunted Manor is open on October 24, 29, 30 and 31 from 8 to 11 p.m.

“While you wait we will have a large fire pit that you can stand around instead of waiting in a line,” Jorgensen said. “Every kid is different, so there is no age restriction but if parents want their little one’s sleeping with them that night then this is the place to be.”