Frequently Asked Questions

Hours are located here Our doors normally open each night at 7pm, Fridays and Saturdays until midnight, unless otherwise stated. Ticket sales online end one hour before we close and ticket sales at the gate end 15min before we close. We will stay open after post closing times until the last guests has gone through.  Again, see our schedule for more information.

Awaken is a very serious haunt and not for the faint of heart. Headed by creative designer Brian McVay, our creators have years of experience in the haunt and design world. Through our progression of professional sets, you can expect amazing scenes, unexpected scares, movie-set quality props, twists and turns, cool attractions and more. Our highly skilled actors work within this framework to provide a terrifying, one-of-a-kind horror experience that is extremely serious.

Awaken Haunt is conveniently located ½ mile off of Highway 127 in Leslie, Michigan. Leslie is about a 20 minute drive south of Lansing and about a 10 minute drive north of Jackson. Ann Arbor and Battle Creek are around 30-45 minutes away.

We do not recommend Awaken for children under 13. There is a high level of gore, true to life scenes that may be too intense for a younger audience, please use your best judgement.

If you still wish to bring children under the age of 13, then they must be accompanied by an adult the entire time. Children 14-17 can go through without an adult, but require an adult thats with the group to be in the building or parking lot and not leave the premises while the children go through the haunted house, we will refuse the children the right to enter if an adult is not present and no refunds will be given.

Awaken recommends that parents provide escorted guidance for any guests under the age of 13. This is both for their safety and to provide support/supervision. Remember, Awaken is a serious haunt with some intense scenes of gore and other terrifying acts. This can be very frightening for kids and adults alike. Kids can make it through our haunted attraction scared but unscathed. Most have a fun time. However, parents need to be aware that not all children will enjoy it. If children refuse to enter after purchasing tickets or leave the haunt early through our emergency exits, NO REFUNDS WILL BE GIVEN. Let’s say that again. NO REFUNDS WILL BE GIVEN.

If you are questioning whether or not your child is mature enough to venture through our haunt, we suggest that you compare us to an “R” rated movie. If you wouldn’t let your kid watch an “R” rated movie, then you probably don’t want to send them through our haunt.

Yes, we have a large temperature controlled lobby, with entertainment while you wait. We also have a large overflow building with some entertainment as well. We will fill the lobby first, then the overflow building second.

Awaken accepts all major credit cards as well as on-line purchases. There are no refunds with online or box office credit card purchases, same for all cash purchases.

We have a large, well-lit, free parking lot with plenty of parking spaces.

The lines can move quickly depending on how busy it is. We start with staging 3 groups (or up to 12 people) at a time, which averages about 3-4 minutes between sets of groups, so roughly 144-240 guests an hour ( We do put you back into your individual groups after you enter the haunt) Like any sought after haunt, wait times can build on popular nights the closer you get to Halloween, so we recommend coming early. Rest assured, we try to provide a fair balance between letting guests enjoy the haunt at their own pace (not being rushed through the attraction) and providing reasonable wait times. To help ease wait times, we frequently provide performances to keep everyone entertained and excited. We also offer a FastPass option with our online and box office tickets. This does speed up the wait time to those who purchase the FastPass. Keep in mind, that even if a general admission group goes ahead of you, there’s a good chance they have been waiting more than double the time you have to get in. 

6 (SIX) is the number we can let go through per group. We limit the size of each group of guests intentionally. This is for our guests’ benefit, as large groups simply miss out on our haunt experience. Imagine yourself at the back of a large group of people being slowly herded through the attraction. How will the actors scare you? How will anything surprise you?

Plus, large groups tend to move slower and this can cause different groups to bunch up which isn’t fun for anyone. Look, you paid good money to have a terrifying haunt experience, and we want to provide that for you. For these reasons, we recommend groups of 2-4 guests for the best experience, and limit groups to a 6 person maximum.

None, unless it’s a celebrity guest weekend, then you can meet them in the lobby. Awaken provides a cast of our own wonderfully creepy characters to keep you terrified and excited. However we may have “real movie characters” as special guests in our lobby for photos and signings, check our special events page.

Yes, we have armed security on-hand, a seasoned staff, and we are very friendly with the local police who stop by time to time.

Everything is video-taped throughout Awaken for your security and ours. Our video cameras even extend to the parking lot. Everything, and we mean everything, is on video.

This is a very common question, and the answer often depends on the guests. Our scenes and props are first-class, and we encourage our guests to take their time as they go through Awaken. Let your senses absorb the experience and appreciate the details and nuances we provide. For that reason, we work hard on keeping some separation between groups and pacing everyone out. On average, it will take our guests approximately 22 minutes (fast pace) to 28 minutes (slow pace) to venture through our experience. Obviously, the duration will be affected by groups in front and behind you and by the amount of people in attendance that night. Of course, this doesn’t include the time to purchase tickets and wait in line, which gets longer as the night goes on and we get deeper into the season.

We try to minimize the touching as this can be uncomfortable for some guests. Of course, some people love it, and want the actors to touch them to scare them even more. Our actors are here to scare you and they will get very close to you and some touching will/may occur. We want to give you your money’s worth for this experience while respecting everyone’s sensibilities.

That said, our guests are absolutely forbidden from touching our actors. By purchasing tickets and being admitted to Awaken Haunt, you are agreeing to not touch our actors. YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO TOUCH OUR ACTORS OR STAFF. Doing so, will cause you to be removed from the premises.

Our haunt is plenty big…. over 42,000 square feet and over a 1/2 mile from start to finish, and we pack every inch with horrifying detail.

Yes, of course. Usually, it’s just the dumb ones though. Awaken Haunt reserves the right to refuse service to anyone. Awaken Haunt has the right to refuse admittance of any guest(s) who do not follow posted rules or get out of control, as determined by our staff. Examples include (but are not limited to) the following: the use of foul language, aggressive behavior, pushing, vulgar actions, weapons of any kind, alcohol use or misuse prior to or during the event, etc. These and any other actions deemed inappropriate by the staff will result in that guest(s) being denied entry and/or removed from the premises. Awaken Haunt has a list of rules that must be adhered to for the safety of our guests and staff. Guests violating these rules may or may not be given a warning before being asked to leave without a refund. We respect the rights of individuals but we also respect the rights of our staff and other guests who have paid for a one-of-a-kind experience, and don’t want it ruined by others inappropriate behavior. THERE ARE NO REFUNDS!! ALLL SALES ARE FINAL!!

Awaken Haunt had Tony Moran, the original Michael Myers from Halloween, in 2017 and Friday the 13th own Kane Hodder in 2018, 2019 brought us R.A. Mihailoff as Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, 2021 David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown in Terrifier, 2022 Tony Moran of Halloween 1, 2 and Kills, 2023 Douglas Tait as Jason, Michael Myers, Jacklinks Sasquatch and much more. 

We will announce our 2024 guest at the Dan Sperry show on May 18th 2024

Please see our full schedule for other events and guests throughout the 2024 season.

Yes, Awaken has plenty of parking and indoor waiting. Rain and cold aren’t a problem for waiting, however we will run the outdoor area if it’s just a light rain, but if the weather gets bad we will close the outdoor area for your safety and our staff.

Our concession provides a selection of snacks and beverages (non-alcoholic) to help you with the munchies and some of the coolest merchandise around. We also have a food truck onsite with more food and drink items.

Yes with some detours. This, of course, depends on the wheelchair being used and how much assistance is needed. There are some areas that we would need to work around, but a large portion of our haunt will allow for a wheelchair.

We use fog machines (not smoke) to create the look of smoke. Strobe lights are in use. Please see our warnings on strobe lights on this website and posted throughout our attraction.

No. We do not recommend this attraction for anyone who is pregnant or thinks they may be pregnant.

It’s dark throughout most of the haunt. Low visibility and fog help create a fearful setting for our guests, but it is lit in the right spots to show off the sets and details, we ARE NOT just a bunch of dark rooms or halls.

Some areas can be maze-like, but our actors are on-hand to assist and guide you through. Emergency exits are provided throughout. There are no dead ends, all the rooms and halls lead to the exit

NO NO NO. No weapons or weapon props ether, and we will ask you to remove a mask if you have one and take off heavy makeup. Costumes are bulky, restrictive and can get caught on our props. We are here to scare you, not the other way around, so that’s not going to work.

LOL, NO!

We typically have contests going throughout the season via our website, Facebook page and other media partners for details on what contests may be running.

We ask that you turn off your cell phones while a guest of our attraction. We don’t allow photos or video, and there is no use of the cell phone flashlight, you will be escorted out if you do use it. Do we really need to explain to you why talking on a cellphone or having someone call you on a cell phone while walking through a haunt, this will disturb other guests? We are certainly not responsible for lost or damaged cell phones at our event. The use of cell phones while going through Awaken Haunt may get you removed from the premises.

Really? You want to bring in your carry bag and wander through our haunt? Do we really need to go over the reasons why we don’t allow this? Please, leave your bags and other items in a secure location or better yet, at home before attending Awaken Haunt. We are not responsible for any lost or damaged items, and strongly discourage you from bringing them into our facility.

It’s not us… well odors are a part of the Awaken Haunt experience, as is the lighting sound effects and more. Be prepared for a little odorous adventure at Awaken.

NOOOOOOOO! Customers using video, cell phones, cameras and/or any recording or photo device inside the haunt will be dismissed from the premises. We will have photo opportunities available to you in our lobby and waiting area. Please respect the rights of our actors. They are not paid to have photos taken of them and you are infringing upon their rights. Also, flash photography will disturb other guests. Again, photo opportunities will be made available to you in our lobby.

Complete the form at awakenhaunt.com/actor-volunteer-form

Please send an email to info@awakenhaunt.com

Do not stop to look for your items! This will compound the problem. After exiting the attraction, contact our staff in the lobby. If we can, we will have a staff member alert the actors in the area and see what we can do to find your item quickly. This is unlikely during peak times. If your item cannot be located that night, we will search for it on a later day with the lights on before an opening. You will need to leave your contact information and a complete description of the missing item. We will make every effort to find your item, but Awaken Haunt is not responsible for any lost or damaged items.