Look no further than the Haunted Graveyard at Lake Compounce for a good scare this Halloween season.
The Travel Channel recently named the Bristol theme park one of the nation’s “scariest Halloween-themed coaster parks” and featured it on their special, “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions.”
“Being recognized by the Travel Channel is really a thrill,” the park’s General Manager Jerry Brick said in a news release. “If you’re looking for something fun to do this fall, add this event to your to-do list. You won’t be disappointed.”
The Travel Channel described the Haunted Graveyard and the Zoomerang, the park’s roller coaster version of a boomerang, as “a daring duo of dread.”
In addition to the dreadful duo, the Haunted Graveyard features more than 20 different attractions intended to scare its visitors. Among them is the Zombie Forest, the Reaper’s Realm and live actors who roam throughout the park in hopes of giving guests a scare.
While the Haunted Graveyard is considered a separate attraction, visitors will also have access to the main park, which will operate 17 rides once 5 p.m. rolls around every weekend throughout the month of October.
What is now considered one of the state’s largest Halloween attractions got its start in 1991 when Ernie and Carol Romegialli began elaborately decorating their Middletown yard for Halloween.
The extensive decorations were an attempt to distract their daughter Johanna, who had just been diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes, from all of the candy that comes along with the holiday.
When the Haunted Graveyard outgrew the Romegialli’s yard, it was moved to Lake Compounce, where it is now entering its 13th season. The event draws in nearly 65,000 visitors throughout the month.
In an effort to stay true to its mission, a portion of the Haunted Graveyard’s proceeds go toward various Diabetes organizations, and more than $1 million has been donated so far.
“Every year we see guests from as far away as New Jersey and Rhode Island coming to the Haunted Graveyard,” Brick said. He calls the park an “annual tradition.”
