Bernie Baxter's Traveling Sideshow
4.5(15)4.5 out of 5 stars, 15 reviews New Orleans, LA
About Bernie Baxter's Traveling Sideshow
Bernie Baxter's Traveling Sideshow offers a surprisingly intense, professional-grade Halloween haunted house experience operating out of a residential home in Algiers. It's renowned for its high production value, dedicated volunteer team, and annually changing themes. Despite its small size, it delivers significant scares, yet offers the unique ability to customize the scare level for children by requesting no jump scares, making it adaptable for various fright tolerances. The experience is entirely free, relying on donations, and has been recognized as one of Louisiana's top scare attractions.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Families looking for a high-quality, genuinely scary Halloween experience without a direct cost.Parents with children who enjoy scares, but where the intensity can be managed based on individual comfort levels.Anyone seeking a unique, local, and community-driven Halloween tradition in New Orleans.Those who appreciate the artistry and passion behind home-based haunted attractions.Ideal for older children and teens who enjoy genuinely scary experiences and intense frights, described as 'scariest 5 minutes'.
Why families love it
- Professional-grade set design and special effects, comparable to larger, more expensive venues.
- Professional and courteous cast/crew, noted for being 'amazing' actors.
- Theme changes every year, providing a fresh experience for returning visitors.
- Ability to customize scare level for children: staff can be informed to avoid jump scares.
- Rated as one of the top ten scare attractions in Louisiana.
- Operated with passion and dedication, described as a 'work of love'.
Insider tips
- Let staff know upon arrival if your kids aren't comfortable with jump scares to ensure a modified, less intense experience.
- Be prepared for a surprisingly high level of intensity and fright, despite its residential location and smaller size.
- Verify operating dates and times annually, as the attraction has taken breaks in previous years.
- Consider bringing cash for donations to support this free, passion-driven event.
Good to know before you go
- If you are looking for a very long, multi-hour attraction, as this is described as a '5 minute' experience.
- Families with very young children or those extremely sensitive to scares, even with adjustments, as the overall theme is a 'spook spectacular' designed to be 'scary'.
- The haunt is not large due to its home-based nature, described as 'tiny' and 'not large'.
- Located in a residential neighborhood ('on a court in a neighborhood in Algiers'), which might initially cause confusion or uncertainty for visitors.
- Has taken 'a few years off' in the past, suggesting intermittent operation which parents should verify before planning a visit.
- Value
- Bernie Baxter's Traveling Sideshow is entirely free to enter, though donations are accepted. Visitors receive a professional-grade, intense haunted house experience comparable to much bigger, more elaborate, and more expensive venues at no direct monetary cost, offering exceptional value.
- Accessibility
- Staff can adjust scare intensity for children (e.g., no jump scares on request), indicating an accommodation for varying comfort levels.
- Safety
- Staff is noted as 'professional and courteous', and can adjust scare intensity for children (e.g., no jump scares upon request), indicating attentiveness to guest comfort.
What parents say
"This place is wonderful. There is something special about those who run haunted houses at home as their endeavor is to be " that house" Places like this reinforce the joy of the season and encourage others to participate and have fun just by their existence. If you do this for Halloween, you do it out of love."
2 years ago
"The team behind Bernie Baxter puts on a great home haunt. Due to obvious size constraints, the haunt is not large, but don't let that dissuade you from stopping by. The cast and crew are professional and courteous, and the set design is professional grade. The theme changes every year, so there's something new to experience each year. If you have kids that aren't comfortable with jump scares, you can let the staff know, and the team won't pop out unexpectedly. The haunt is free, but donations are accepted."
2 years ago
"Beautifully spooky work of love. I’m excited that it will be opening tonight after taking a few years off and I can’t wait to see what changes they’ve done. While free things still cost your time, they are fully a work of love by those involved making them. I’ve always seen the passion in the previous iterations of this haunt. Also, confused because this is literally on a court in a neighborhood in Algiers."
2 years ago
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
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