Halloween for many is a magical time. It’s a time to get dressed up and receive free candy. It’s a time to suspend one’s disbelief, and get sucked into horror shows. And it’s a time to get a good fright by visiting haunted houses. For Sturgis, it’s a time that the Chamber of Commerce goes above and beyond and puts on their very own Haunted Tour.

The Sturgis Chamber’s Crypt has been a Halloween mainstay over the last few years. It can be seen as a labor of love, as a great deal of work goes into the final event, and this year that work has grown considerably.

While the Chamber’s Crypt has been held in the basement of the Armory on Main Street, this year it has expanded into a full fledge tour, with a total of four locations, each offering something a bit different.   

The Haunt Opens

As the doors opened at 6pm, the first few guests began to trickle in. The first night of the annual crypt are generally a bit slower, according to Veronica Grosek, the Director of the Chamber of Commerce. But for those who did attend, it truly was a joy.

In the basement of the Armory, screams could be heard throughout. But once outside, those screams turned into laughter. While the tour is a bit frightening, and you’ll get a good scare, it’s enjoyable. It makes people want more, and this year, with four locations, they could rush off to the next site and get just that.

Part of what adds to the experience of the Chamber’s Crypt is that they are able to strike a very nice balance. Many haunted houses will either overload the guest, creating a house that is so frightening that it becomes exhausting, and miserable. Others just miss the mark, and the entire ordeal is boring.

But the Chamber has created an event that just works. As soon as you walk in, you get a bit lost in a perfectly haunting ambience. It engulfs you. And there are frights, but it’s not over the top. Instead, you’re left in suspense, waiting for the next scare, while navigating through area after area that keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen next.

Then you’re able to unwind before hitting the next spot.

The Tour

Unlike previous years, the Chamber made the decision to expand their Crypt into a full blown tour. Besides the armory, three other locations have also been opened, lending the event to even more people.

The tour takes you around downtown. It takes you to the “Chainsaw Park” which really says it all. It takes you to the “House on Sherman Street,” which gives you a chance to peak into a historic house here in Sturgis, which is amazing in itself. But the lights are off, and it contains a few frights of it’s own.

And it takes you to the “Abandoned Grain Elevator,” which is able to scare up frights while remaining quite simple. It’s all about the ambience, which creates the illusion that you’re truly in a horror movie.

The best part of the tour though is that it gives the participant time to unwind from each location, but at the same time, it also builds up a bit of suspense as you know there are more frights ahead.

Entrance

The tour itself begins at the Armory, on the corner of Main and Junction. There you can make the decision of either taking in just the Crypt, or taking the full tour.

The cost for the single location is $5, while the wristband for the full tour is $10, which is quite a steal when compared to other haunted houses. The event continues through October 31^st, and runs from 6-8pm nightly.