With Halloween right around the corner, even the most friendly places around Pearl River County are turning into haunted houses, including The Teddy Bear House Museum.
For the first time, people can come to the museum and get a “thrill like no other,” Brenda Quirk, manager of The Teddy Bear House Museum said.
Normally, the museum offers tours of its collection of 16,000 antique bears of all shapes and sizes. However, on Oct. 28 and 29 from 6-9 p.m., the museum will take on a different personality.
Now, Halloween decorations and a large curtain immediately greet visitors as they prepare for a tour of the Haunted Teddy Bear Boo House.
The museum has offered the haunted tours for the past two weekends, and staff reveled in the reactions they get from visitors.
“At every turn, we hear someone screaming. We’ve even had some people cry,” Quirk said. “Although the haunted tours are meant to spook you, people should also come knowing that they will have a fun time too.”
From animated displays of teddy bears in Halloween costumes to volunteers waiting to spook visitors at every corner, the Haunted Teddy Bear Boo House tours are unlike any other haunted house, Quirk said.
Help with the set up and spooking of participants comes from the Acorns to Oaks Homeschooling non-profit organization in Slidell, La. The children volunteers wait sporadically around the tour, gently spooking those that walk through.
Each room in the haunted tour of the museum has its own theme.
“Everything comes to life when you walk into the museum,” Quirk said. “Reality kind of drifts away and your imagination kind of takes over, which plays a role in the spookiness of the haunted tours.”
Staff at The Teddy Bear House Museum invite people of all ages to visit the haunted museum for a fun and spooky time, Quirk said.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. The tour is family-friendly and provides “not something that’s scary-scary but it is enjoyable for the whole family,” Ricky Lenart, owner of The Teddy Bear House Museum said.
After people finish the tour, the museum staff invites visitors to stick around and enjoy food and beverages in their Halloween-themed dining area.
On Oct. 30, The Teddy Bear House Museum will hold a Halloween party and costume contest from 2-5 p.m. The party includes Halloween games and contests, trick-or-treating, a Halloween Teddy Bear movie with popcorn and drinks and the last chance to tour the Teddy Bear Boo Museum. The cost to attend the party is $10 in advance or $12 at the door. It is suggested to call ahead to reserve a spot for the party at (601) 778-2327. The museum is located at 1299 South Haugh Ave. in Picayune.