Pennhurst Asylum
Out of the three haunted houses we went to this season, Pennhurst was by far the best experience. The drive to this place was horrendous though. It is only an hour and 15 minute away from Miguel's place, but in reality, it took us a little over two hours. The traffic was awful. This was the only con of doing these haunted houses during the weekdays: having to leave during rush hour times in an attempt to make it to the event early. Traffic around Philly is basically hell, and I kept commenting on how awful this state was. I was like, "let's never come here again." Ironically, this would be the haunted house I would want to come back to in the future, but it was the worst to get to... LOL.
I've always wanted to go to Pennhurst. I've watched plenty of paranormal shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, especially during my college years. Pennhurst and Eastern State Penitentiary always stood out from other places because of their wicked reputation for being haunted, and quite terrifying. Going to this haunted attraction was my way of actually being able to semi walk the grounds. I was more interested in the place itself, and being there at night than the actual event lol.
Pennhurst still gives me the chills just thinking about it now. The drive on the winding, narrow road there was creepy. The walk to the event was creepy. Finally seeing the buildings in person was creepy. Walking around inside the buildings and tunnels was creepy. If you don't already know, Pennhurst has a very dark past. Pennhurst was originally opened as the Eastern Pennsylvania State Institution for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic in 1908. Within just four years, the hospital was already overcrowded. In 1968, local reporter Bill Baldini ran a five-part series on NBC's TV 10 exposing the neglect and abuse occurring at Pennhurst. The lack of state funds plagued Pennhurst, causing it to be understaffed. Little staff and overcrowding created deplorable conditions at the hospital. Patients would be restrained for days or drugged into a catatonic state, being left in their own urine and feces. This resulted in unsanitary and hazardous living conditions for patients. There were many incidents of patient on patient violence, and even patients being abused at the hands of staff members. Patients were even subjected to cruel and inhumane punishments, such as seclusion rooms and having their teeth removed if one were to bite another patient. It is no wonder why a place like this would have paranormal activity.
These allegations of abuse led to a lawsuit, Halderman v. Pennhurst State School & Hospital, and Pennhurst was ultimately forced to close in 1987. The lawsuit was the first to uphold that disabled people have constitutional rights that must not be violated, and was quite a victory. After its closure, much of the 1,400 acre campus has been left to decay. So along with its dark history, its appearance is quite dreary as well. The haunted house attraction has been quite controversial. People believe it to be disrespectful, which I understand. However, I think the revenue that this event generates could really be used to somewhat maintain Pennhurst, and its history.
We did all 4 attractions at the asylum. I wasn't driving all the way there to not do everything. The attractions were quite fun to go through. Doing three haunted houses in a row made me realize I'm not as much as a bitchass as I thought I was. I wouldn't say any of the attractions are terrifying because I didn't experience any moments where I was jumping out of my skin or legitimately scared. It was more a fun experience for me to go through all of them. They put a lot of work into these attractions, and it shows. The actors were great, and they really get into character. I tried my best to be brave, and actually look around the rooms and at the props along with the actors' makeup and costumes. The actors are allowed to touch you, and for some reason, they loved touching my hair the whole time. I purposely put my hair in a bun so they wouldn't grab my ponytail, but they still touched my bun anyway! It's not fair that I'm only 5 ft. and everyone towers over me..... I'm naturally a target. Containment was the my favorite attraction out of all them. They have you walking in the tunnels beneath Pennhurst, and at one point you are basically walking in the dark, with a smoky haze in front of you. You have no idea what's ahead of you or if there are hands coming out to grab you from the sides. It was fun, but awful at the same time LOL. I keep wondering when it was going to end. I felt like we were walking in these tunnels for a long time.
The fourth attraction was what they call a "ghost hunt" in the Mayflower building. It's a self-guided tour, and you are only really allowed to walk around the first two floors in areas that are not roped off. A lot of people in reviews said this was a "waste of money," but I disagree. I wouldn't expect them to just let you wonder throughout the whole entire building, and plus, you don't even know if the entire building is safe as seeing the condition the campus is in. I thought it was cool to wonder around, take pictures, and see if you discover anything out of the norm. I didn't experience any paranormal activity, but I later on, found out that it is one of the most active buildings on the grounds. That gave me the chills. Seemed like these people in the reviews were looking for more cheap thrills. Uncultured swines. I thought it was nice they had a little museum set up for you to learn some of the history on Pennhurst, and let you wonder the building on your own. These people seem to have no interest in its history, which offends me lol. I don't know what they were expecting... apparitions to just pop out at you at any moment. Ghost hunting usually doesn't work like that.
All in all, it was my favorite experience during my staycation. I would definitely go back in the future. If you come on a Thursday, lines are very short and you don't have to park so far away. You only have a short walk away... although, it's a very dark and creepy walk lol. I wouldn't say it's the actual attractions that make it creepy, but rather the the overall vibe that Pennhurst gives you. It gives you a very unsettling feeling, especially when you know what patients endured within these walls. I would definitely love coming back to do the daytime tour.
I've always wanted to go to Pennhurst. I've watched plenty of paranormal shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, especially during my college years. Pennhurst and Eastern State Penitentiary always stood out from other places because of their wicked reputation for being haunted, and quite terrifying. Going to this haunted attraction was my way of actually being able to semi walk the grounds. I was more interested in the place itself, and being there at night than the actual event lol.
Pennhurst still gives me the chills just thinking about it now. The drive on the winding, narrow road there was creepy. The walk to the event was creepy. Finally seeing the buildings in person was creepy. Walking around inside the buildings and tunnels was creepy. If you don't already know, Pennhurst has a very dark past. Pennhurst was originally opened as the Eastern Pennsylvania State Institution for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic in 1908. Within just four years, the hospital was already overcrowded. In 1968, local reporter Bill Baldini ran a five-part series on NBC's TV 10 exposing the neglect and abuse occurring at Pennhurst. The lack of state funds plagued Pennhurst, causing it to be understaffed. Little staff and overcrowding created deplorable conditions at the hospital. Patients would be restrained for days or drugged into a catatonic state, being left in their own urine and feces. This resulted in unsanitary and hazardous living conditions for patients. There were many incidents of patient on patient violence, and even patients being abused at the hands of staff members. Patients were even subjected to cruel and inhumane punishments, such as seclusion rooms and having their teeth removed if one were to bite another patient. It is no wonder why a place like this would have paranormal activity.
These allegations of abuse led to a lawsuit, Halderman v. Pennhurst State School & Hospital, and Pennhurst was ultimately forced to close in 1987. The lawsuit was the first to uphold that disabled people have constitutional rights that must not be violated, and was quite a victory. After its closure, much of the 1,400 acre campus has been left to decay. So along with its dark history, its appearance is quite dreary as well. The haunted house attraction has been quite controversial. People believe it to be disrespectful, which I understand. However, I think the revenue that this event generates could really be used to somewhat maintain Pennhurst, and its history.
We did all 4 attractions at the asylum. I wasn't driving all the way there to not do everything. The attractions were quite fun to go through. Doing three haunted houses in a row made me realize I'm not as much as a bitchass as I thought I was. I wouldn't say any of the attractions are terrifying because I didn't experience any moments where I was jumping out of my skin or legitimately scared. It was more a fun experience for me to go through all of them. They put a lot of work into these attractions, and it shows. The actors were great, and they really get into character. I tried my best to be brave, and actually look around the rooms and at the props along with the actors' makeup and costumes. The actors are allowed to touch you, and for some reason, they loved touching my hair the whole time. I purposely put my hair in a bun so they wouldn't grab my ponytail, but they still touched my bun anyway! It's not fair that I'm only 5 ft. and everyone towers over me..... I'm naturally a target. Containment was the my favorite attraction out of all them. They have you walking in the tunnels beneath Pennhurst, and at one point you are basically walking in the dark, with a smoky haze in front of you. You have no idea what's ahead of you or if there are hands coming out to grab you from the sides. It was fun, but awful at the same time LOL. I keep wondering when it was going to end. I felt like we were walking in these tunnels for a long time.
The fourth attraction was what they call a "ghost hunt" in the Mayflower building. It's a self-guided tour, and you are only really allowed to walk around the first two floors in areas that are not roped off. A lot of people in reviews said this was a "waste of money," but I disagree. I wouldn't expect them to just let you wonder throughout the whole entire building, and plus, you don't even know if the entire building is safe as seeing the condition the campus is in. I thought it was cool to wonder around, take pictures, and see if you discover anything out of the norm. I didn't experience any paranormal activity, but I later on, found out that it is one of the most active buildings on the grounds. That gave me the chills. Seemed like these people in the reviews were looking for more cheap thrills. Uncultured swines. I thought it was nice they had a little museum set up for you to learn some of the history on Pennhurst, and let you wonder the building on your own. These people seem to have no interest in its history, which offends me lol. I don't know what they were expecting... apparitions to just pop out at you at any moment. Ghost hunting usually doesn't work like that.
All in all, it was my favorite experience during my staycation. I would definitely go back in the future. If you come on a Thursday, lines are very short and you don't have to park so far away. You only have a short walk away... although, it's a very dark and creepy walk lol. I wouldn't say it's the actual attractions that make it creepy, but rather the the overall vibe that Pennhurst gives you. It gives you a very unsettling feeling, especially when you know what patients endured within these walls. I would definitely love coming back to do the daytime tour.
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| This toy airplane apparently moves on its own.... |
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| I look thrilled in these pics LOL |
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| They had tunnel fries instead of funnel cake... Miguel was so excited about his new creation LOL He'd probably come back just for these. |
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