I came here opening night. I didn't realize it was the first night, but it is listed as one of the less busy nights. As it gets closer to Halloween, they actually advise coming on different weekends because of the large crowds. I used to come here as a child and remember loving it. This was my first time back as an adult and while it's not great, it's good for what it is. I haven't been to Knotts Scary Farm or Halloween Horror Nights, but I have been to the now demolished Wolfe Manor in Clovis and other small scale scary attractions. Hobb's Grove is the best place in the area.
Hobb's Grove now has 4 attractions: Haunted Forest, House, Hayride and the new Portal laser tag. My group and I got the red pass which includes the forest, hayride and house for $33. We also got free Hobb's Grove t-shirts. I didn't even know we got free t-shirts because the woman at the ticket office didn't tell me, but she told everyone else in my group so I knew to grab one. Not sure if it was an opening night special or what. The prices go up as it gets closer to Halloween and I'm glad I didn't have to pay the higher prices because I don't know that it's worth it if I'm being completely honest. You can buy single passes to any of the attractions (Portal is limited availabilty), but getting a combo is a better value. If you get the Portal combo, you get a fast pass to one of the other attractions.
My group and I arrived sometime before 8. Inside the main area you'll find a few vendors, food stands and a small pumpkin patch.They also play completely random music. I heard everything from Ozzy Osbourne to Macarena to Paramore to the Cha Cha Slide. It would be nice if they played Halloween themed music. "Characters" walk around interact with you while you wait in lines which is nice I suppose. We decided to do the Hayride first and probably for the best since it has the longest line. I also think they had some issues because they weren't loading for a while so we waited at least an hour in line. The back of the hayride is the best spot if you're looking for more scares and interaction. Characters will chase the back and even climb onto the ride. A few of my friends even got touched by the characters. Like creepily touching a ponytail to backhand face caressing.
The hayride has the best overall pacing because the ride is controlled vs the house or forest which is dependent on personal speed. The workers do give space between each group, but some people speed through or go slow so the set up scares aren't reset or get ruined. The haunted house had some cool 3D effects in the beginning, but wasn't that scary. My favorite of the 3 would probably be the hayride because you can sit back and look at everything. Second would be the forest with the house last. I didn't get that scared because this place is all jump scares. Every time you go into a new room/ section you already know someone is gonna jump out. If you're in a group, the middle is the safe spot to be in because you're not first for the jump scare and not last when they follow you.
There were some funny moments though like when the characters will tell you or point you in the right direction if you're going the wrong way. All in all it was a good time, but the long waits and borderline justifiable prices kinda negate that. We didn't get done until after 10:30.
Lastly, as soon as we walked in I found myself questioning the costumes/ characters. They're all random. I don't know how it all works here so maybe they get to wear whatever they want? I don't even know what some of the costumes were if I'm being honest. A guy dressed as Alice Cooper, a woman with an atom bomb on her head so she was Atomic Betty(?), a woman dressed as a geriatric with a walker, etc. I guess my gripe here is that there's no cohesiveness. It's just like hey it's Halloween so here's some Halloween costumes. read more