November 26th, 2024

The gravel road, surrounded by trees, the dark is starting to roll in and follow you up the long path. Your heart speeds up with anticipation. A perfect adrenaline rush crawls over your skin when the dilapidated buildings come into focus. If you have ever been to a haunted attraction, then you know what I am talking about. The idea of getting scared in an abandoned asylum is the kind of rush you have been waiting for the whole year. The lines of people waiting don’t deter you because they are there for the same reason as you.

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I have always wanted to visit Pennhurst. You could say it was on my bucket list. I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Valley Forge about twenty minutes from the asylum. It is in a nice area surrounded by shops and restaurants. I bought the tickets two weeks in advance which considering the amount of people, I am glad I did. Driving up to the buildings and seeing the expanse of the grounds, you realize that some pictures only show so much. My intensions were to take a night tour of the buildings, maybe catch a ghost on my camera or feel the eeriness of the once thriving hospital. What I didn’t realize was my trip would not involve touring the grounds but stepping into a sensory overload of scares and surprises around the corner. I am ashamed to say, it was my first haunted attraction, but I was NOT disappointed. No pictures are allowed to be taken inside the building or the actors for copyright purposes (makes sense).

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 There was so much thought and time spent putting on a show of gore and heart pounding thrills that I praise the coordinators and the actors. Every room, every corner, you constantly were on edge of what or who would jump out at you. The whispers, the eerie music, the light show. There was something for everyone. Not only ghosts and ghouls come for you in the dimly lit corridors, but dead nurses, wailing and confused patients, animatronics and creatures of the dark. Each building carried a different theme. The tunnels bring a different sense of creepiness. Knowing they were used to transfer the dead so the other patients couldn’t see. My heart pounding, my nerves on edge, it was definitely a different experience; one I wouldn’t mind repeating. Next time I go, it will be for an actual tour.

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The Mutter Museum is somewhat of an oddity. It houses medical instruments from ancient times up to the present day. Jars filled with body parts from animals and humans that suffered skin abnormalities or rare diseases. What was interesting is seeing pages from Grimm’s fairytales and the true stories of Snow White and how it tied into the museum. There was a room dedicated to how people from different backgrounds were used in the exploration of medicine. It was heartbreaking to read how certain people were used for the evolution of medicine. A wall lined top to bottom of human skulls and what they died from, and their age was the most popular part of the museum.
The top floors housed medical books and sketches; early drawings of medical devices and how they evolved over the years. I won’t lie, it is macabre, but interesting and something to see. You are not allowed to take pictures in the museum or touch any of the books in the library. All in all, the trip was definitely worth taking. Next on my spooky list is the Lizzy Borden House!

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