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October is the month for delicious pumpkin treats, scary movies, and awesome costumes. That is what makes this month so great. This year are you looking for a truly terrifying experience? Dent Schoolhouse absolutely delivers. There is a reason that it is one of the top ranked haunted attractions nationally. Last week, I had the privilege of getting a behind-the-scenes tour thanks to Dent Schoolhouse and Dunkin Donuts. Let me tell you, it was awesome! Keep reading to find out how (and why) to rock your October with Dent Schoolhouse and Dunkin Donuts!

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

[bctt tweet=”Go behind-the-scenes @DentSchoolhouse + see why it is THE #hauntedattraction to see! #ad” username=”diyadulation”]

About Dent Schoolhouse

You can get all of the spooky details at the Dent Gazette link on the Dent Schoolhouse website but I want to give you a mini-history in case you aren’t familiar with the haunted house. It started out as a real public school in Dent, Ohio in the late 1800’s. It eventually closed in the 1950’s after several students had gone missing and parents charged the school. (Scary, right?) The building first became a haunted attraction when the Boy Scouts used it to raise money. They featured more traditional Halloween monsters like werewolves. Once Bud and his partners bought the schoolhouse 12 years ago, they wanted a more cinematic haunted attraction which is exactly what they created.

Dent Schoolhouse Behind the Scenes

Horror is definitely their passion at Dent Schoolhouse and it shows. There is so much detail that they put into every room and they are constantly changing and improving the entire experience. What does that mean for you? It means that even if you visit Dent Schoolhouse every year, you will have new horrors and new themes to experience. In our hour and a half tour, I took hundreds of photos and still wanted to take hundreds more. Below are just a few of the awesome creations I say but it all adds up to one heck of a haunted house experience.

All the Important Details

Hours of Operations:

Thursday (October Only) 7:30 pm-10 pm
Friday-Saturday 7:30 pm – 12 am

Tip:

Wait times are longest on Saturday nights. Go on Thursdays or Fridays for a shorter wait.

Where to Get Tickets:

Tickets are available for purchase on-site and online. Only cash is accepted on-site for all purchases.

Tip:

Buy your tickets online to skip the ticket lines at Dent Schoolhouse and jump right in line for the action.

Other Events:

On the last Sunday of October (the 29^th of 2017) Dent Schoolhouse offers a lights-on event to bring your kids to. The actors are not running around scaring you although some will be on-site to hand out candy to your little ones.

Note:

My kids couldn’t handle a regular night at Dent Schoolhouse but I took my 8 year old to the behind-the-scenes tour with me and he had a blast. You can see him in some of the pictures above.

Ghost Tours are offered on Wednesdays in October. These tours take you through the schoolhouse and tell you the history and real-life ghost stories of the school.
A lights out night takes place in November and it is for you horror fans that are braver than me. This is the only night in the season when you can pay for a button/sticker that lets the actors know that they can touch you during the haunted house.

Go behind-the-scenes at one of the top rated haunted houses in the country! Then find out how to rock your October with Dent Schoolhouse and Dunkin Donuts! #ad #ddcincy — Ignore the bad photo of me… That’s what happens when you don’t stop talking lol.

[bctt tweet=”Keep your autumn energy up with @DunkinCincy new Pumpkin Iced Macchiato! #ad #ddcincy” username=”diyadulation”]

Add Some Dunkin Donuts

If you have to wait in line for the scary fun you need to have sustenance. While you can purchase Dunkin Donuts pre-packaged iced coffee on-site, my personal fave is the Pumpkin Coffee which you need to pick up at Dunkin Donuts. It is the perfect drink to skip on while you wait and stay energized. This year they also have a new Pumpkin Iced Macchiato that sounds amazing. (I’m dying to try it!) Of course, no coffee is complete without one of their delicious pumpkin donuts or muffins. If you are like me and can’t choose, I vote for getting one of each. Be sure to check out all of Dunkin Donuts’ promotions to see all of the ways you can save money on your favorites, like the Who Dey promotion for all of my Bengals fans out there. (Even if it has been a tough season for us.. cough cough)

Now, are you ready to rock your October with Dent Schoolhouse and Dunkin Donuts? Don’t forget that even if you have been to Dent Schoolhouse before there are new scares to be had each year, including this one. Which area shown above are you looking forward to experiencing the most? Let me know in the comments. Don’t forget to pick up your Pumpkin Coffee and donuts from Dunkin Donuts before heading to lines at Dent Schoolhouse. Now it is time for even more awesomeness. Enter the giveaway below for your chance to score 2 free tickets to this incredible and terrifying haunted house!

See where I’m linking up!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t Forget to Pin It!

It is time for the Monthly Thrift Store Décor Upcycle Challenge. This month we are keeping with our Halloween momentum and I am crazy excited about it. I picked up this Christmas house from Goodwill last November and immediately knew I wanted to turn it into a haunted house. The snow on the rood and the many windows are perfect for a creepy piece of Halloween décor. Keep reading to find out how to make your own DIY haunted house makeover.

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

The Rules:

Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
There’s no monthly theme.
There’s no budget to stick to.

Meet the Hosts

Make sure you follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration!

[bctt tweet=”#DIY haunted house makeover from a thrift store Christmas statue! #repurposeit” username=”diyadulation”]

Materials

Thrift Store Christmas House
Black Acrylic Paint
Brown Acrylic Paint
White Acrylic Paint
Purple Acrylic Paint
Acrylic Spray Sealant
Birch Bark
Plastic Halloween Toys (I got mine at the Dollar Tree)
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
Fake Spider Web

Step 1

First, cover your entire house in black acrylic paint and let it dry.

Step 2

Next, paint the front door brown.

Step 3

Then mix a small amount of brown paint with your purple paint and paint all of the windows on your house.

Step 4

Next, mix a small amount of white and brown paint and paint the trim of the door.

Step 5

Add the same lightened brown paint to the trim of your house.

Step 6

Then add some of the brown and purple mixed paint to random shingles of your roof.

Step 7

Touch up any areas that need it and allow the paint to dry.

Step 8

Spray your entire house with acrylic sealant and let it dry.

Step 9

While your sealant dries, cut small pieces of birch bark to look like boards for the windows.

Step 10

Next, glue the boards across all of the bottom windows on your house.

Step 11

Now select some plastic Halloween toys to embellish your house with, including one skeleton bookmark.

Step 12

Cut the bottom off of your skeleton bookmark.

Step 13

Next, attach the skeleton to the top front window on your house with hot glue.

Step 14

Then glue small toys over each wreath on your house.

Step 15

Add a board across the window directly above the door and one board next to the door.

Step 16

Next, pull off a small amount of fake spider web.

Step 17

Add the spider webs to the roof of the house.

Tip:

You may need to add dabs of hot glue to keep the spider webs in place at the edges of the roof.

Step 18

Lastly, glue a plastic spider or 2 on the spider webs.

This DIY haunted house makeover turned out fantastically! The fun colors of the plastic Halloween toys make it more playfully spooky so that it doesn’t scare the kiddos. If you want to up the creep factor, stick with the white toys exclusively or paint the toys bronze before adding them to your haunted house. Whichever style you choose, you will have a fun and thrifty new piece of Halloween décor. We’re not done with the upcycled fun yet. Check out the other thrift store projects from my friends below!