Hello everyone and thanks for reading, I wanted to first express that I have NEVER written an article before but after my recent visit to Sweet Dreams Haunted Attraction (SDHA), I felt it was important that I step outside my comfort zone and give it a try.
(SDHA) is located right outside the heart of Mobile AL and is surrounded by many small shops and restaurants. Parking is on the street and you have to walk there but its not far no matter where you choose to park. When we arrived, we had to go through the Security Check Point and they do take their security serious. Metal detectors and wands and you cant even take your lighter in so be prepared to leave it there. No food or drinks are permitted inside unless you purchase snacks and sodas from their concession stand that's located by the queue line. Upon entering the queue, Security informed me this was their first Sunday ever being open and I will tell you they didn’t disappoint.
Once your tickets are scanned, you enter the second queue line where I was greeted by Pesky, a sliding clown who gave me a googly eye ring and () who greeted me with a standing back-bend. Once we said hello, there were 5 separate lines that are groups of what appeared to be 8 to 12 people per line. They allow one group in at at time to ensure everyone gets a fantastic experience and breaking it up into 5 different lines meant the staff were able to keep people from piling up. Our group waited for a few minutes and then it was our turn to enter.
When you enter (SDHA) you are fully immersed in the scenes they build from floor to ceiling. We started out by walking through broken walls with scare actors working from every angle you could image from, once you exited the first scene,
you are now entering the old, rotting, falling apart house. Once you enter there is no turning back. The sets were hands down some of the most realistic sets I have ever seen. They worked on every minor detail, from chairs that are attached to the walls and ceiling to the scents that are pumped into the rooms, to the cooler that was freezing cold to the boiler room that was hot and humid. (SDHA) thought of everything.
As you are walking through, the scare actors in the scenes were also thought of and every scare actor fit perfectly into the scene as if they always belonged. The lights were bright enough to capture the makeup detail but not too bright where it gave away their location and (SDHA) used mannequin to their advantage as you never knew was was real or fake. The props hanging from the ceiling and utilized in the sets were on par with everything else and you can tell (SDHA) spared no expense with the props either. One of my favorite scenes which scared me so bad I fell on the bed had a VERY realistic burnt body in it. There was so much to take in that I felt I needed to venture into the haunt two or three times to be able to see everything, oh did I mention they have floors that shift on you when you least expect it? Well they do!!
After exiting you can either hit the Merch stand or experience their first ever Escape room. I didn’t dare to try that as I had a hard time catching my breath already and knew I didn’t want to be locked into a room where I was responsible for my own freedom. Upon exiting the Merch Shop we met with one of the Managers and it was brought up about how tight the paths are and if they are ADA friendly. Yes was the answer, if anyone who requires any type of handicap accommodations, the sets can be altered as well as the moving/shifting floors can be removed and everything can be placed right back into its normal spot within seconds of them exiting the scene which I found to be an amazing feature they offer which not many haunts can do as
altering a set within seconds before and after a patron comes through isn’t a easy task especially when you are super busy but (SDHA) pulls it off.
Even though (SDHA) didn’t have a “Midway” per say and it being their first Sunday open, every performer outside and inside gave it everything they had, the energy they gave was hands down some of the best I’ve ever encountered in my years of being in this business. I look forward to seeing what (SDHA) has in store for us in the future and with it only being a 50 minute drive from my home, I’ll be a returning patron for years to come.
