[Times photo: Thomas M. Goethe]
If you're a brave soul who enjoys having your ghastly dinner served up by a ghoulish butler, you'll feel right at home at the Lowry Park ZooBoo.

TAMPA -- Have you ever been surrounded by bats, ghosts, witches, black cats, Draculas, pumpkins ... and camels?

You might think that is highly unlikely, but to the kids and adults who have been to Zoo Boo, it's not at all. Zoo Boo is a fun Halloween celebration for children of all ages at Lowry Park Zoo.

Zoo Boo, which is in its second year, includes fun activities such as the Haunted Castle, the Swamp Stroll, the Hearse Ride, the Friendly Boneyard Maze, the Grinning Ghost Walk, the Ghoulish Games, the Castle Moon Walk, the Haunted Carousel, Bats Alive and Spooky Storytelling. You may wear your Halloween best. Following is a description of the attractions and the zoo's "scare" rating:

Four skulls: Way scary
Three skulls: Spooktacular
Two skulls: Mildly scary
One skull: For the faint of heart

The Haunted Castle has startling animated effects but does not have bloody or gory scenes or scenes depicting violence. It is recommended for brave hearts of 8 years and older. Rating: Four skulls

[Times photo: Thomas M. Goethe]
Hey, what's so funny? Perhaps these skeletal laughers in one ZooBoo scene think it's great fun to watch their frightened visitors.

The castle is bigger this year, about 10,000 square feet. Wild and wide eyes blink from one wall, and a scary corpse pops out at you. Spooky skulls sing from a chandelier, an enormous dragon roars and a dying man suddenly levitates into the air!

At the exit of the Haunted Castle, you will find Bats Alive! (You don't need to go through the Haunted Castle to get to the bats.) Under red flashing lights, you can see real bats hanging around! Rating: One skull

The Swamp Stroll, which during the rest of the year is the North Florida Boardwalk, houses all kinds of animals, such as deer, bison, cranes, red wolves, black bears, panthers, otters and more! Because some of these animals are nocturnal, you can witness them in action. Rating: Three skulls

You can take a Hearse Ride, too! The carriage, dripping with cobwebs and pulled by a pair of Haflinger horses, travels down a service road that has been transformed into a Halloween lane with bright lights and scary decorations. This six-minute ride can be relaxing but at the same time eerie! Rating: Three skulls

The zoo says 'Boo!'
TAMPA -- Have you ever been surrounded by bats, ghosts, witches, black cats, Draculas, pumpkins ... and camels?
Fear at The Pier
ST. PETERSBURG -- If you thought the only activity at the end of The Pier was fishing in Tampa Bay, take another trip down the long hallway on the first floor.

You might get lost in the Friendly Boneyard Maze. Find your way through cauldrons, cemetery scenes, skeletons and a canopied tunnel! The walls are low, so I recommend it for younger children (if you are too tall, you will tower over and see the end of the maze). Heed the signs that warn you of dead ends and dangers! Rating: One skull.

If you enter the Love Garden, you will find it is not so lovely anymore. It has been transformed to house the Ghoulish Games, including Air Head, which is a variation of basketball using rubber skulls. Another game is the Eyeball Throw, with three chances to throw plastic eyeballs into cauldrons, pumpkins and ghost-shaped buckets. The last of the Ghoulish Games is the Frog "Guts" Toss. You toss squishy rubber frogs into a jack-o-lantern's mouth, eyes and nose. Game tickets are five for $1. Prizes include adorable finger puppets and various cuddly, stuffed Halloween dolls. Rating: One skull.

Get ready to gasp as a scary story of a mean old man who eats little boys sends you right out of your skin. At 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. the Bird Show Theater showcases Spooky Storytelling, but that's not the only place where the spooky stories are told. You may find more wide-eyed children at Saunder's Theater at 8 and 9 p.m.

Zoo Boo continues Oct. 19-31 from 7 to 10 p.m. (a perfect time for fright-seeking night crawlers). Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for children ages 3-11 and free for children 2 and under.

You will find more information at http://www.lowryparkzoo.com.

- Ariel Choi, 10, is in the fifth grade at Hunter's Green Elementary School in Tampa.

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright