“Stranger Things: The Experience” ends in the Mix-Tape area, where photography is welcome and food, drink and souvenirs are available for purchase.
ATLANTA — “So are you having any sleep issues? Nightmares?” a stern man in a lab outfit asked each person entering Hawkins National Laboratory. His intense eyes and frown lines were discomfiting. He jotted some quick notes and moved on.
Then a video came on featuring Dr. Sam Owens (played by Paul Reiser), director of operations. “We’re excited to serve the great community of Hawkins,” he intoned cheerfully, then informed the participants not to take any photographs, or else “our important work here could be compromised.”
From there, 30 or so people were shepherded into what is known as “Stranger Things: The Experience” at Pullman Yards in Kirkwood. Calamity and death await — though not for the participants. The experience pays homage to the hugely successful Netflix horror drama that debuted in 2016 and is shot largely in Georgia, though is set in a fictional Indiana town called Hawkins in the mid-1980s.
People are also reading…
The experience debuted last month and is open Wednesdays through Sundays. Tickets are currently available through Jan. 15, 2023. It’s a little pricier than some other experiences in town, including “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” (starting at $29) and “Claude Monet: The Immersive Experience” (starting at $33.10), in part due to its length, complexity and employee count. Tickets, available at feverup.com, start at $49 for adults on weekdays and $72 on weekends.
“We worked with the show creators to make sure everything we’ve done is in line with the ‘Stranger Things’ narrative and thematics,” said Isis Arias, who handles marketing for the experience.
The 45-minute storyline in Hawkins Lab features many of the major actors from the series in video and audio form, including Matthew Modine as Dr. Martin Brenner, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin and Sadie Sink as Max. Danger lurks. Objects move. Employees are equally shifty. Demodogs join the fun.
There are plenty of 3D-induced scares and a few laughs as well, and attendees are encouraged, using hand movements and mind melds, to channel Eleven’s paranormal powers.
Once the heroes save Hawkins yet again from an apocalypse, guests can spend unlimited time in the expansive Mix-Tape area, where photography is welcome and food, drink and souvenirs — including a Hellfire Club denim jacket for a 2022 price of $98 — are available for purchase.
Touchstones from all four seasons are evident, from Joyce Byers’ creeped-out living room set in Season One, the bustling Palace arcade from Season Two, the Scoops Ahoy mall ice cream parlor from Starcourt Mall in Season Three and a part of the Rink-O-Mania skating rink from Season Four.
There are Instagram and TikTok-friendly areas to shoot video and photos (including the mouth of a Demogorgon), and glass-encased props from the show including an outfit Eleven wore, an Eggo waffles box used on set and a Ghostbusters backpack from Season 2.
Several actors portraying Hawkins residents as Scoops Ahoy and Surfer Boy Pizza employees cosplay like it’s 1986, befuddled and fascinated by visitors carrying smartphones. A girl flirts with the annoyed manager of the Family Video rental store while an eager young reporter for the Hawkins newspaper asks questions and hands out business cards.
There are photo booths, old-school phone booths, a “Stranger Things” pinball machine and an arcade of free-to-play 1980s classic video games such as Dig Dug, Centipede and Space Invaders. The Upside bar features themed cocktails and mocktails. The Demogorgon cocktail, for instance, consists of bourbon, orange, maple syrup, angostura bitters and a Luxardo cherry, topped with a miniature stroopwafel.
“We’ve had cast and crew from the show come in and they’ve had a great time,” Arias said.
Attendees typically spend 90 minutes to two hours at the experience in total, she added.
———
If you go
“Stranger Things: The Experience,” 4-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. $49-$72 for adults $45-$54 for ages 5-17. Pullman Yards, Building 1, 225 Rogers St. NE, Atlanta, feverup.com.
13 spooky spots around the world
Akershus Fortress and castle, Norway
The original structure was built in the late 1290s by King Haakon V to protect the city of Oslo. It has a long history as a prison and was once occupied by the Nazis during World War II. Not only have human apparitions reportedly been seen, but it's also been reported that ghosts of black dogs and horses roam the dark corridors.
The Island of Dolls, Mexico
If you find dolls deeply disturbing, avoid this place. Isla de las Munecas is about 17 miles south of Mexico City. Legend has it a young girl was found dead, face down, in a canal on the island with her doll. What might have started as a memorial or a demand by the ghost of the dead girl has morphed into thousands of rotting dolls hanging from trees and fences.
Highgate Cemetery, London
There are more than 170,000 people buried in the graves of this old cemetery, including Karl Marx and George Eliot. The cemetery, which opened in 1839, is said to be the home of vampires, a spirit mother searching for her children and the ghosts of floating nuns. Some have reported an apparition with red eyes glaring through the gates of the cemetery.
Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania
This prison, which closed in 1971, is considered by many to be one of the most haunted places in America. Behind its crumbling stone walls, inmates were among the first in the country to be subjected to solitary confinement and possibly torture. Gangster Al Capone even served time there. Feel the terror yourself during one of the nighttime tours there.
Corvin Castle, Transylvania
Surrounding this massive castle, towers were used in defense and as a prison. There was even a bear pit into which prisoners were thrown. Legend has it that Vlad the Impaler was imprisoned here and eventually went mad, turning to dark thoughts. Corvin Castle may have been the inspiration for Dracula's castle in Bram Stoker's famous novel.
Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
Reported hauntings in this famous castle have gone as far back as 1650 when a sighting of a headless drummer was reported. In the 18th century and early 19th century, the castle vaults were used as a prison for many wars. Tours are offered year-round, but beware, visitors have reported seeing a phantom piper along with the ghosts of French prisoners.
Banff Springs Hotel, Canada
One of the most beautiful horrifying places you may ever visit. This majestic 125-year-old beauty is located in Alberta, just outside Calgary. The castle-like structure has been host to the rich, famous and British royalty. But the most famous are its ghosts. Some permanent residents are said to include a bride who reportedly broke her neck after plunging down the marble staircase, a bellhop who’s been dead since the 1960s and a family murdered in room 873.
Aokigahara forest, Japan
Don’t bother bringing a compass with you to this creepy forest. Rumor has it that underground magnetic iron deposits will throw off your compass, keeping you lost forever. Another reason to avoid this forest: the 500 suicides or more that have happened there since the 1950s. The government has stepped up patrols and added security cameras to try to stem the suicides there.
Catacombs of Paris
Paris is the City of Light — above ground that is. Under the quaint outdoor cafes and bookshops lie the bones of more than 6 million Parisians. The former quarries started to be used in 1786 to hold bodies because the cemeteries above were overcrowded and stinking. Today you can see thousands of skulls stacked up in the catacombs, and there are rumors of ghostly voices and people wandering off into the maze-like tunnels and going insane. A small portion of the catacombs is open for tours; the rest is hidden by secret passageways throughout the city.
Château de Brissac, France
This towering castle built in the 11 century is said to be haunted by the Green Lady. The macabre story says her name was Charlotte de Brézé, wife of a nobleman, Jacques de Brézé. After returning from a hunting trip, Jacques found his wife in bed with another man. In a fit of rage, he murdered them both. It is said people still hear the moans of Charlotte and her lover at night and on occasion see her ghostly image wearing a green gown.
Lawang Sewu, Indonesia
This former rail station is widely said to be Indonesia’s most haunted place. During the Japanese occupation in WWII, Lawang Sewu (Thousand Doors) was Japan's headquarters in Semarang. The underground areas were used as a dungeon. You can tour the building and see where many lost their lives and hear the horrifying tales of the atrocities committed, Lonely Planet notes.
Queen Mary Hotel, California
If the sea is in your blood, then a ghost ship will be right up your alley. In Long Beach, Calif., rests the historic ocean liner RMS Queen Mary, which plied the oceans from 1936 to 1967 before becoming a hotel. But the ship’s 1,001 trans-Atlantic crossings had 49 recorded deaths, the Travel Channel reports. You might run into an engineer who died in the ship’s engine room, the mysterious Lady in White and various ghosts of children in the 1st Class Pool.
Castle of Good Hope, South Africa
The fortress in Cape Town was built by Dutch colonialists in the 17th century and had a prison and dungeon, among other things. Guards and staff at the castle insist they hear footsteps on the cobbled floor or report seeing ghosts in the ballrooms partying in ball gowns. The most famous is the legless ghost that is believed to be that of a soldier who hanged himself in the bell tower 300 years ago.
