Come Halloween there is a short window that the Denver Haunted Houses are open.  Although some of the haunted houses are open longer than others, they all have a down time but they all have a great time to go depending on your own personal situation.  Are you going with your friends? Are you bringing your children?  Are you looking for the scariest time possible?  These are all questions you need to ask yourself to ensure you choose the best time to go to all of the Denver Haunted Houses.

If you are going to bring your children, chances are you aren’t going to want to go at a time where there is a line.  You’re also not going to want to go when the haunted house is fully staffed if your children are small so there will be more breaks between scares.  Haunted houses tend to be fully staffed on the weekends and actually the first few weeks they are open they have more people working the haunted house as well.

If you are going with a group of friends you are probably more concerned with the actual Denver haunted house iteself then the line so you will want the complete opposite; more staff and a great show.  You will want to know when the haunted house has a special event because chances are the haunted house will be fully staffed.  Its also great to go when everyone is enthusiastic about the haunted house. Going on a Thursday is probably the best time to go with friends because the haunted house will be fully staffed and line should be down a bit.

There is another alternative to avoiding the line and thats buying tickets online!  So many of the Denver haunted houses now accept credit cards online and often times offer a discount for buying tickets early.  Check out the hanted house’s website, buy tickets online and when you show up move straight to the front of the line.  VIP tickets are worth buying online to avoid the long lines of the haunted houses.

If you’re like most people who stretch Halloween into a month-long frightfest, you’ll be looking for a good Haunted House here in the next couple of weeks.  Haunted Houses have become big business in recent years and they’re not exactly cheap, so I recommend doing a little research before heading out for the night.  Here are a few things that you’ll want to know before making your trip out for the evening:

1. Know what time the Haunted House closes. Some of these attractions can be a bit of a drive and it’s a real bummer to get rejected because they are closed or the line is too long to get in before they close.  (I learned this the hard way last year.)  Some haunted houses have a number you can call to check on the status of the line but in all cases just get there early!

2 . Check on the ticket options. The average price is around $15 per person, but you might want to see if there is a “VIP” ticket and online ticketing options.  The VIP tickets will cost a little more, but could save you a lot of time.

And don’t forget to find out if there are any discounts available.  Some of the venues give a small discount with a canned food donation.

3. Get the scoop on the the “fright factor”. Ask friends and co-workers to see which ones they like/dislike and how scary they are before choosing your Haunted House.   Picking a Haunted House is like picking salsa – do you want Mild, Medium or Hot?

4. Who are you going with. When you ask your friends, co-workers, and check the review boards about the particular haunted houses you need to keep in mind who you are going with.  Are you planning on having a few beers and going with your buddies?  Are you planning on attending with a younger child or girlfriend who might not appreciate the blood and gore.  Keep this in mind when choosing a haunted house!

Here are two websites that are good resources for a lot of this information.   Haunted Colorado | Haunted House Guide