Just west of Melbourne along U.S. Route 192 awaits a haunted attraction that really moves you.
"It was very ominous," said Ian Costello, of the red sky in Brevard County.
"It's like no other place on earth," believes Tina Nail, with the Brevard County Airboat Association.
The swampy waters on the banks of Camp Holly are home to mosquitoes and the sounds of something sinister.
"It really sets the tone for the evening," Costello said.
Nail agrees: "It's something most people have never seen."
Each Friday and Saturday night until the end of October, the Brevard County Airboat Association sends passengers out into the dark marshes of the St. Johns River.
"As soon as it cranks up, you get going, and you just don't know what's going to happen," Costello said.
Folks like the Costello family from Brevard County line up and then board an airboat into the unknown.
"It was creepy and we were screaming the whole time," Channing Costello said.
The haunted airboat tours took Channing and her friend, Annelise, deep into the swamp. Airboats follow a route past haunted scenes, live actors and spooky props — all in the dark. Each airboat ride lasts about 10 minutes.
Once everybody disembarks the airboat, there's a discovery to be made. Like a Hollywood slasher movie, you just have to wait. There's more ahead.
Passengers will quickly realize the dock they arrive back to is not the same dock they disembarked from.
"It's a big secret," Ian Costello said. "It's a really good surprise."
A haunted trail down the old U.S. 192 leads back to the parking lot.
"There were scary people that would jump out at you and crawl around," Channing said.
The experience ends when you reach the safety of your car.
"We had a great time," Ian Costello said.
Tankful on Television
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Scott Fais joins Travel Monthly
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