The Exbury Gardens Ghost Train was fang-tastic family fun
Exbury’s magnificent gardens undergo a spooky transformation every October and this year we braved a trip on board the attraction’s much-loved Halloween Ghost Train for some fang-tastic fun.
Featuring a cast of theatrical performers, the train ride was a full immersive experience with an assortment of gruesome ghouls and spooky spirits lined up to meet passengers arriving at the beautiful decorated station.
Designed with families in mind, I'd describe the ghost train as ‘spooky fun’ rather than a terrifying experience with comedy moments to lighten the mood and deliver lots of laughs. Hopping aboard with my eight-year-old son and his friend, we found the experience was perfectly calibrated to blend brilliant spooks with lots of opportunities for audience participation.
It was guided by a cast of exceptionally entertaining afterlife characters – the graveyard gags had my son and his friend laughing out loud and joining in throughout the ride.
As the narrow gauge train passed through the stunning autumnal gardens the passengers also met an assortment of other frightful characters including witches, zombies and grave diggers. With stunning costumes and perfect mannerisms, the live actors were at the heart of the journey, providing lots of interaction and immersive fun.
The gardens themselves were fully decorated with ghosts hanging from trees, huge spider webs, and dozens of pumpkins and other seasonal props. On its haunting journey, the train ride passes lakes, graveyards, and a witches' den before chugging through an eerie tunnel where the scares were mildly haunting, and highly entertaining. A perfect way to engage youngsters in visiting the stunning autumnal gardens, the whole Halloween experience was brilliantly executed with families in mind.
Elsewhere in the gardens youngsters had an opportunity to complete the gruesome garden trail, by searching for hidden clues amongst the eerie rock garden featuring huge spider webs and creepy skeletons. The gardens themselves, bursting with vibrant autumn colours of reds, golds and oranges, provided a stunning backdrop for the trail.
Families also had the chance to partake in a range of drop-in Halloween activities including pumpkin carving and spooky crafts. This outdoor seasonal adventure for kids and adults was fa-boo-lous fun.
Roz Waters