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Take a Tour Through the Bewitched BOOseum Haunted House

Take a Tour Through the Bewitched BOOseum Haunted House

October 2025 · Back to stories
Guilda, The Chilren's Museum Guild’s friendly resident witch, thought it would be a good idea to create a special treat to help celebrate the museum’s 100th birthday and create the perfect thing to do with your family in Indianapolis during Halloween. She decided to take everyone on a wonderful adventure where the museum exhibits and icons we all know and love come to life!

Unfortunately, her spell casting isn’t as good as it used to be. She turned one of the city’s crown jewels into the Bewitched BOOseum!

From rooms like the Prehistoric Terror, Cursed Carousel, and the Abandoned Railway, there’s so much that has gone wrong in the 61st Annual Children's Museum Guild's Haunted House! You can see for yourself by visiting during Shepherd Insurance and Financial Friendly Hours or NCAA® Frightening Hours.

Here's a room-by-room look at  so you can know what to expect as you explore this year's Haunted House.

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Prehistoric Terror

As enchantment and magic fill Dinosphere®,
The footsteps of a T. rex sound like they’re near!
Fossilized predators are stalking their prey,
Prehistoric terrors have awakened today.

Cursed Carousel

Round and round the animals go,
Will you get caught? Soon you will know.
This Carousel amusement has surely been cursed,
Try as you might, it can’t be reversed.

Wicked Science

In the science exhibit, experiments went wrong,
Now monsters have parts where they don’t belong.
The scientist screams, “Success! They’re alive!”
Careful, he might make YOU test 19-25.

Submerged Spirits

The yellow submarine is finally back,
But now that it sank, you must find the crack.
The divers went searching but ran out of air,
Hold your breath, or your soul will stay there.

Phantom Gallery

Oils on canvas, busts carved out of stone,
The dead-silent gallery makes you feel all alone.
The eyes in the portraits watched as you passed,
Despite being stone, that sculpture runs fast!

Abandoned Railway

On an antique train you expect lack of motion,
When suddenly you hear passenger commotion.
The ghostly conductor shows you to your seat,
At the end of this track, what fate will you meet?

Icy Abyss

Once stuffed and propped in the corner of a room,
Forever changed by magic from a broom.
Through the white snow, you see his cold stare.
Alive and now hungry, a real polar bear.

Haunted Reflections

“Do the mirror maze!” They said it’d be fun,
You saw a reflection, and now you’re on the run.
Her name is legend, don’t say it three times,
For if you do, she’ll repeat her crimes.

Ghostly Games

Kick a home run! Wait, that’s not right!
The sports experience has become quite a fright.
The sports are all jumbled, different balls being tossed,
A foul ref will get you if you have lost

Dollhouse Demise

The miniature display is normally so small,
But now you’re as tall as the glassy-eyed doll.
A gigantic hand works to move and rearrange,
The size of your world has become oh-so-strange.

Intergalactic Horror

The space exhibit is now a horrible sight,
Aliens are abducting you in the middle of the night.
Their beam will transport you, on their ship you will go,
Where will they take you? No one on Earth will know.

Bewitched BOOtique

In a typical gift shop, you expect normal commodities.
Knickknacks and gifts, not these strange oddities.
This trip to the museum calls for something unique,
You surely will find it at the Bewitched BOOtique!

There's so much that has gone wrong

As you can see, something magical—and a little mysterious—has happened at The Children's Museum this fall. You need to see it to believe it. The Bewitched BOOseum Haunted House is open Oct. 10–31, 2025, and requires a separate ticket (museum admission is not included). Tickets are $9 per person, members save $1.

Every Tuesday is a special themed day with FANG-tastic giveaways. We're giving away free bike helmets every Wednesday. We're also giving away free books during Saturday NCAA® Frightening Hours. Interested in an elevated Haunted House experience? Our calendar is full of premium haunted events!

The Bewitched BOOseum is a frightfully fun addition to any family's list of things to do in Indianapolis this October!

today at the museum
Open today 10 am–5 pm