By Laura Rauschert Millar
The city of Atlanta offers an overflowing collective of fall entertainments and activities this month. From haunted houses and Oktoberfests, to corn mazes and pumpkin patches, there are amusements aplenty to lure trick-or-treaters and the costumed club-hopping set out into Atlanta’s many varied suburbs and neighborhoods.
If you are looking to have a supernatural fright night, one of Atlanta’s annual favorites includes the USA Today nationally ranked haunted house, Netherworld in Norcross. This Atlantan feature is famous for it’s chainsaw toting, blood dripping stalkers that creep up on unsuspecting patrons waiting in line for their turn into the “levels” of doom and despair.
For those looking to put a bit less fright in their night, Marietta offers a popular and fun Scary-etta Haunted Trolley Tour or a Haunted Pub Crawl where patrons are led by lantern carrying tour guides through haunted bars on the Marietta Square.
Little Five Points hosted the Halloween Festival and Parade on the 20th, which featured one of the Southeast’s most popular Halloween parades. The 12th year for this annual event featured a day long artist market, food and beverage vendors, and host the dueling Jägermeister and Dos Equis music stages into the wee hours. Musical acts this year included Walk From the Gallows, Ghost Bikini, and Gun Party, all of which promise to contribute to the fun and frivolity.
For those with a differing appetite, Der Biergarten on Marietta Street offers Atlantans the best chance to experience an authentic Munich beer hall during this year’s Munich on Marietta. This newer event comes complete with 12 German beers on draft and lederhosen-clad, foot-stomping Oompah bands.
And for folks wanting to enjoy the traditionally beautiful weather this month, one of the country’s largest corn mazes, Uncle Shucks in Dawsonville, has been a crowd pleaser for over a decade. This year it has expanded to over four miles of rambling trails and added a nighttime hayride tour to its lineup.
Ah, so little time and so many pumpkins. It’s a good thing October has 31 days.
For additional information on arts and entertainment activities mentioned in this article, see the following websites:
Netherworld is located off Peachtree Industrial in Norcross and is open every night beginning Oct 5 through Nov. 3. Tickets are available online: www.fearworld.com/
Little Five Points Halloween Festival schedule and vendor information: http://l5phalloween.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/L5P-2012-halloween-blue2.jpg
Der Biergarten is located at 300 Marietta Street NW, Atlanta www.derbiergarten.com/
Ghosts of Marietta tours and ticket information: http://www.ghostsofmarietta.com/tourinfo.html
Uncle Shucks is located north of Atlanta near Highway 53 off GA 400. www.uncleshucks.com/