Illinois has a ton of spooky fun up for grabs every October, but doing it all can cost a small fortune. Thankfully, I just found another free haunt to put on this year's must-visit list.

Matt Young
Matt Young

Extreme Halloween Decorating

Some people get really into Christmas decorating. Others go all out for the Fourth of July or Easter. Then there are the people who spend huge amounts of time and money building zombies, creating special effects, and turning their homes into creepy haunted wonderlands for other people to enjoy.

I really admire those people and their dedication.

“If your mission every October is to visit every spooky display and haunted house Illinois has to offer, but your wallet keeps screaming in protest, then you have to head to Lake in the Hills, Illinois this October to check out HAUNT 31.

What is HAUNT 31?

For eleven months of the year, HAUNT 31 in Lake in the Hills, Illinois, is just an ordinary home, but in October it transforms into an extraordinary Halloween destination, and the best part is that admission is free!

Now, if you're picturing a few plastic skeletons and a fog machine sitting in someone's front yard, think again.

Since it began in 1999, HAUNT 31 has grown into an elaborate outdoor Halloween attraction with homemade and professional-style animations, creepy scenes, special effects, sound, lighting, and even live actors!

Visitors can explore the yard display and walk through the haunt. It's designed to deliver genuine scares, so keep that in mind before you take the kids through at night.

And did I mention that it's free?

Plan Your Halloween Visit to HAUNT 31

HAUNT 31 is located at 340 South Annandale Drive in Lake in the Hills, Illinois, and is open Sunday through Thursday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 6:30 to 10 p.m. through October 31.

The attraction is outdoors and in a residential neighborhood, so please be respectful of nearby homes, follow posted parking instructions, and don't forget to leave a donation so HAUNT 31 can continue scare us for many more Halloweens to come.

The Most Haunted Places in Illinois

LOOK: How Halloween has changed in the past 100 years

Stacker compiled a list of ways that Halloween has changed over the last 100 years, from how we celebrate it on the day to the costumes we wear trick-or-treating. We’ve included events, inventions, and trends that changed the ways that Halloween was celebrated over time. Many of these traditions were phased out over time. But just like fake blood in a carpet, every bit of Halloween’s history left an impression we can see traces of today.

Gallery Credit: Brit McGinnis

 

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