Looking for Halloween chills and thrills in Topeka? Check out these spooky spots

Looking for some spooktacular fun?

Whether you're looking for a haunted destination or ghoulish delights, Topeka has you covered. Throughout October, countless fun Halloween activities are taking place across the city and the surrounding areas.

"Welcome to your worst nightmares come to life," the Nightmare on the Boulevard narrator said during a walk through with The Capital-Journal. "Through here, you'll get a taste of what it's like to be chased by a bloodthirsty assailant, taken by an insatiable demon. Do that, if you will, and I guarantee you a special thrill."

So, pick your poison, or maybe two.

Family friendly Halloween attractions in Topeka

A new entertainment center owner is determined to bring the Halloween spirit to his putt putt golf course.

Co-owner of Corner21 Co., formerly known as Great Life Safari Golf, 7523 S.W. 21st St. , Cole Boling has decked out the course in an array of frightening and playful ornamentation.

"We wanted to create something that was unique and fun and family oriented for the community that nobody's ever seen before," Boling said. "We searched all over the country to kind of find some inspiration and ideas, and I couldn't find anything. So, we just kind of built it from the ground up, started going from hole to hole and putting in little themes and designs, and growing it."

In an attempt to bring fun new unique experiences to Topeka, Boling said he saw Halloween as an opportunity to try something new.

"There's some animatronics that are moving and kind of getting you excited," Boling said. "As you go through the course, it gets a little darker, a little bit more spooky."

Hours are 7-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays until Nov. 2.

Other family friendly spooky Halloween activities are as follows:

• Shawnee County Parks and Recreation is hosting a Youth Zombie Party at 6 p.m. Oct. 15 in the Shawnee North Community Center, 300 N.E. 43rd St. There is a $7 entrance fee.
• Helen Hocker Theatre , 700 S.W. Zoo Parkway , is hosting an interactive Halloween adventure for kids from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 19.
• Capital Gymnastics and Athletics, 3 740 S.W. South Park Ave. , is hosting a preschool Halloween party for kids 5-years-old or younger from 12:30-2 p.m. Oct. 30.

Halloween attractions for adults

In the spirit of Halloween, Jinx owner Adam Jenks has brought 8,000 square feet of unnerving decadence to the Stormont Vail Events Center , 1 Expocentre Drive . Nightmare on the Boulevard is a 24-room haunted house experience that is heart-pounding fun.

"So, I tried to do stuff to begin with that is not so out of the ordinary," Jenks said. "Stuff that we might see on '(The) Walking Dead' or something like that. But deeper and deeper into that nightmare, the stranger it gets."

This year, Jenks has gone above and beyond by adding an extra 1,000 square feet, a beer garden and an escape room bus. While the attraction is not for the faint of heart, there's something in it for everyone involved — including the actors.

"We get the same sort of endorphin-high adrenaline rush by scaring people," Jenks said. "It's a rush. So, I joke around like, it's like blood in the water to sharks. If you get a haunter to think that you're scared, then that's the blood in the water. They sense it and they'll come back and they know how to get you again."

Jenks and his crew have meticulously orchestrated the setup, which has been nearly a year in the works. Many of the actors and crew members have perfected their craft in costume design, movie magic makeup and set building for the enjoyment of the community.

"This gentleman right here," said Jenks, pointing to an actor dressed as a demon, "has actually been one of my actors for about four or five years. He actually builds these costumes internationally. He sends these out and is part of the big trade show."

Other attractions for adults are listed below:

• B&B Theatres Topeka Wheatfield 9, 2829 S.W. Fairlawn Road , is hosting a mixology event at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17. Participants must be 21 years or older and must register before the event .
• The city of Topeka is hosting a Halloween party at 8 p.m. Oct. 31 at Hotel Topeka, 1717 S.W. Topeka Blvd . Visitors must be at least 18 years old to get in and 21 years old to drink. The cover is $15 for ages 18-20 years and $10 for those 21 and older.
• Great Overland Station, 701 N. Kansas Ave. , is hosting a zombie prom at 7 p.m. Oct. 26. Participants must be 18-years-old or older and the entrance fee is $15.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Looking for Halloween chills and thrills in Topeka? Check out these spooky spots