Gatlinburg, Tennessee (October 2009) Ripley’s Haunted Adventure is celebrating its 11^th annual Fright Nights show this year with “Phobias”, a show dedicated to fears of the human psyche! “We have been toying with this idea for a couple of years, but we wanted to really spend some time putting together just the right collection of phobias that we can portray in the largest sense,” says Suzanne DeSear, manager. Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, best known for its year-round haunting, will become even scarier during this time as the number of performers multiplies and themed surroundings play on your sight, sound, touch, and even smell.  There is no extra charge for the special Fright Nights shows which run every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in October. Shows are kicked off nightly at 6:13pm with a character parade.

This year there will be added special events with the “Eat a Cricket for a Ticket” promotion in which people will be randomly picked on the street to see if they can truly eat a cricket to win a ticket to the Ripley’s Haunted Adventure Fright Night show. There will also be special visits from some of the creepy crawly bugs and reptiles from Rainforest Adventure for those brave enough to touch, pet, and hold. And what would a Fright Nights show be without a special horror celebrity? On the weekend of October 23^rd and 24^th in conjunction with The Grand AdventureCon, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure will be hosting two guest celebrities, Daeg Faerch and William Forsythe from Rob Zombie’s Halloween.

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure is a year round haunted house that was opened in 1999 by Ripley Entertainment on the site of what was once the Grimsby & Streaper Casket Company. The old casket factory was abandoned under mysterious circumstances during the early 1900s shortly after residents started disappearing.  Until Ripley’s can decide the most beneficial development for the area, they continue to conduct tours of the facility.

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure is one of the few haunted houses in the nation that is open 365 days a year. Tickets are $12.99 + tax for ages 12 and up and $7.99 + tax for ages 6-11. No one under the age of 6 is allowed due to the graphic nature of the facility, and those under 12 must be accompanied by a guardian. Wristbands for the celebrity autograph session will be an additional fee with the regular admission.