This is all exclusively based off of last year, but we did a little tour of haunts out there and definitively the top of the list of things to check out (if you can get tickets) is Delusion. Wildly interactive storytelling, immersive theater, and a must do, especially considering this will be their last year at their current location (an incredibly authentic manor house and grounds just on the outskirts of an industrial park),
The caveat here is that they wholesale change the storyline and experience year to year, so I can only vouch for last year's experience, and the price tag is hefty, but if you are used to paying Sleep No More prices, you'll be aware what you are in for.
Hayride, imo, is not worth it at all, especially traveling across country. It is at the level or below that of many local haunts on the East Coast, with the novelty factor of a hayride being a selling point out there, but I've genuinely seen more creative work done at local pumpkin farms. Was very disappointed last year, again, your mileage may vary, but especially given their pedigree and what level they used to be it really has dropped off.
Shaqtoberfest I will say surprised the hell out of us, haha, we actually ended up being the literal first paying customers to enter the event...ever...haha, and truthfully we kind of meant for it to be a time filler between when we landed and our Delusion time, but it seriously grew on us. Very small town haunt vibes too, but appreciated the effort to change over between a friendly daytime experience and a more spooky atmosphere after the witching hour. Especially for the price, we were able to spend 3.5 hours there filling up time and it offered us a fun environment to do so in. I would recommend getting there before the Witching Hour to see both sides of the experience, and you'll be done well in time to get to another event that same night if you want.
One final experience we had that I literally cannot stop thinking about was Zombie Joe's Underground Theater: Urban Death, Tour of Terror. This comes with a MASSIVE disclaimer of if you do not enjoy extreme imagery, avant-garde theater (Brechtian theater of the oppressed, no real narrative structure, wildly varied audience reactions, etc), as well as live nudity, this is absolutely not a recommendation, haha. One of the most wild experiences of last year, this was coming after our disappointing hayride experience that same night, and we decided on whim to check it out. Zombie Joe himself is the nicest guy, literally invited us to come join the cast after for drinks to celebrate a birthday! Overall a recommend but only if the bizarre nature doesn't immediately turn you off (I would recommend though going in as blind as you can).
