Haunted Mansion Dinner

Overlooking the city of Huntsville, Alabama atop Monte Sano (Round Top Mountain) sits the historic Burritt mansion. Every October, for a few limited nights, the mansion becomes a place for gruesome characters to feed their guests meals of fingers, eyeballs and worms, but only if you’re one of the lucky ones to sign up for the sit-down spooky dinner, and if you’re brave enough to enter the doors covered in crime scene tape.

I had the opportunity to enjoy one of these limited dinners recently. From the outside grounds and porches to the inside mantels, hallways and tables, there were scenes to put guests in the spirit. As I entered the grounds through the iron fence and archway, I came across decorations in all directions. You never know what might be lurking behind the bushes.

A dummy with Chucky hair and a hockey mask dressed to look like Jason from Friday the 13^th movies was seated by the entrance in a crumpled position. As I entered the mansion, it did indeed smell and feel like an old house with its musty aroma and creaky floors. The lobby check-in was a little crowded as guests waited inside to get out of the recent wave of cold weather.

The rooms were decorated in all their spooky glow. The tables were decorated with skulls, glow sticks, spider rings and snacks. Guests are seated at tables randomly so you don’t know who will be seated next to you. My husband and I were seated at a table with four other guests who we enjoyed conversing with over dinner.

Once seated at our table, costumed waiters began offering Ghostly White or Vampire Red Wines to start the evening. These characters resembled everything from ghosts to Catwoman and an undertaker They visit diners throughout the evening, keeping the conversation lively and fun.

The meal was fun which started with an eyeball skewer appetizer that consisted of chicken wrapped in bacon. I nibbled on my appetizer afraid there might be a surprise, like a blood spurt, but there was no surprise. Whew. Next, came the salad… it was my favorite with a syringe full of blood-colored dressing (raspberry vinaigrette) and a skull-shaped cracker. The entrée consisted of brown and black rice, mummy thyme chicken, which was moist and tasty, and green beans which may have been witches’ fingers. While waiting for dessert we saw the lights flicker and heard a scream from upstairs. Everyone seemed to find this humorous. I thought so. We asked our waiter what happened, and she just smiled.

This was the perfect time to take a break, so I decided to visit the fortune-teller. I had never been to one before so I thought this could be fun. She asked me to think of a problem or issue. My mind could not focus so I didn’t come up with one. She asked if I would like my fortune with Tarot cards or tea leaves. I chose Tarot cards. She gave me the deck and told me to make three piles then turn over the cards on the top of each deck. I really didn’t understand the explanation, but I just shook my head. That was enough for me. I was ready to get back to my table.

I came back just in time for dessert— Devil’s Food Cake with a gummy worm on top and a plastic roach that made me almost jump out of my chair when I saw it. I might add that I thought the cake highly resembled a Hostess Ding-Dong, which would be fitting for Halloween.

I finished dessert and continued conversations with our table guests until the undertaker came and reminded us that if we stayed any longer, he would make us take up permanent residence.

Overall, it was a great experience. The atmosphere and characters made this a fun evening. It was also an opportunity to meet new people and enjoy good conversation. I highly recommend the event to those who did not get the chance this year. Tickets and dates are limited and sell out fast. You can check out this link to see more about the event and prepare for 2023.