The Waverly Hill Sanatorium originally opened in 1910 when there was an outbreak of tuberculosis throughout the area. Unfortunately, death rates for the disease climbed and the sanatorium was eventually closed.
Because of these tragedies, the Waverly Hills Sanatorium is self proclaimed as one of the most haunted places on Earth. This is some big talk, so I decided to check it out and see if it was really going to terrify me. Waverly Hills offers tours of the upper (more haunted) floors of the sanatorium, but only from March until August. The rest of the year is reserved for their haunted house and Christmas attractions. The cost to be able to go through the haunted house is $20 (cash) which is about the average price for haunted houses in the area.
When you first walk up to the building you are greeted by several interesting characters, actors dressed as clowns and other creatures. One of them could even make balloon animals, which I felt was very impressive but not that scary. While I was not sure if the actors were allowed to touch you, an actor dressed as a clown came up and pulled my hair within the first five minutes, so beware if you are severely opposed to this. The actual experience was pretty scary. I don’t scare easily, but I felt myself being on edge at all times while walking through the santorium. While the decorations are pretty scary, the really terrifying part is the actors who work there. Jumping out behind fake walls, and even dragging themselves around on the floor, there is something to scare everyone. Most of the actors did an amazing job with their characters.
One thing I did wish was that incorporated more into the experience was the actual history and paranormal activity that Waverly Hills is all about. This was just like most other haunted houses that you could find, even though it is supposedly one of the most haunted places on Earth. I wish there was more of a focus on that even though it is past the normal tour season. Overall though, if you are looking for a good haunted house to check out, then I would give this my stamp of approval. I was able to be scared, but also not break the bank trying to do so. However, if you prefer a more paranormal experience, then I would wait for the real ghost tours that start up again in March.