Chicago Establishment Offers Scares From the Safety of Your Own Vehicle
WDCB’s Gary Zidek visits Replay Lincoln Park to learn more about its socially distant Halloween offerings.
LISTEN
“I realized haunted houses were going to be a challenge, for everyone, for guests who enjoy haunted houses and the people who put on haunted houses. I thought, ‘wow’ if we could do a COVID-safe haunted house idea, where people drive their car into the haunted experience, and are obviously protected by the car itself … we can bring the haunt to them.” - Replay Lincoln Park owner Mark Kwiatkowski talking about the inspiration to open up two drive-thru haunted experiences.
Replay Lincoln Park owner Mark Kwiatkowski standing in front of a handmade Mind Flayer from Stranger Things.
Halloween is being celebrated a lot differently this year because of COVID-19. But there are some safe alternatives out there if you’re looking for some scares this Halloween season. A Chicago establishment known for its arcade games and revolving pop-up themes has launched a new interactive, but socially-distanced scare-filled experience that’s filling a void left by the lack of traditional indoor haunted houses. Replay Lincoln Park is known for it’s constantly changing pop-up themes, over the years it’s transformed into Moe’s tavern from the Simpsons, converted into Westeros from Game of Thrones and paid tribute to the settings of some of your favorite sitcoms. This October, Replay is taking customers to the Upside Down with a Stranger Things-themed concept. And the northside bar has also opened two separate drive-in haunted experiences that aim to terrify people in the comfort and safety of their own vehicle.
Visitors can walk into the Upside Down outside Replay Lincoln Park
Replay Lincoln Park owner Mark Kwiatkowski realized there was an void from the lack of traditional haunted houses. So, he created a drive-thru haunted house experience called Alley of Darkness behind his bar. The entire 30-minute experience takes place with people in the comfort and safety of their own vehicles. Once he realized there was a demand for this type of experience, Kwiatkowski opened a second, even bigger haunted drive-thru experience, titled Highway of Horror, at a parking lot at 645 W. Madison. Same idea, except that experience lasts 90 minutes.
Image from Replay Lincoln Park’s Alley of Darkness experience
