After hearing about The Haunted Mine’s unique experience, we eagerly signed up when it reopened to new miners. On our first visit, we didn’t know what to expect, but the tour starts by leading you through a house and an outdoor area before reaching an elevator that brings you to a mining cart. Staff then hand out hard hats, as the carts and mine tunnels are quite small and low. We were truly impressed by how different this attraction felt compared to others we’ve visited. As a nonprofit, proceeds from The Haunted Mine support Tour-Ed’s mine tours and museum, keeping ticket prices affordable. While waiting outside, we couldn’t tell what was inside – it was so quiet, you couldn’t even hear the screams of others deep underground.
We met a few cast members throughout the house, but once outside in the cemetery, it became clear there weren’t enough cast members in that section. It would have helped if they had been spaced out more to avoid so much empty space. Regardless, the cast members we did interact with were engaged and enthusiastic, and they stayed in character during our time there. They didn’t make conversation with us, but that was totally fine.
When we entered the house, we met a few memorable cast members. One man hilariously screamed, “Daddy’s home!” Later, in the mine section, we saw cast members acting as miners: one yelled about spiders, while others mimed working and collecting coal. This added a distinctive touch, offering a glimpse of what working in a coal mine could be like.
The costumes and accessories in the attraction complemented each cast member perfectly, and we especially enjoyed the variety presented. Inside the house, actors wore distinctive, vintage-style outfits that fit the setting. Outside, we were greeted by a cast member in a highly realistic mask. Throughout the attraction, both makeup and masks were used, but the masks stood out for their impressive detail and realism. In the mine, some cast members wore masks while others carried jackhammers and picks, adding to the uniqueness.
A highlight of the entire attraction was a cast member dressed in what appeared to be a full-body hazmat suit, complete with a matching face mask. The suit included a sound system that altered his voice, making the costume both complete and unique. We’ve never seen anything like it elsewhere.
We had a really good experience with customer service here. Right as you enter, you’ll see illuminated signs with arrows leading to the attraction. In the parking lot, attendants will guide you to a spot. After you park, look for the blow-up inflatable – that’s where you get your tickets. The staff are all very friendly and welcoming. Once you have tickets, there are both general admission and fast pass lines.
Walking through the attraction felt safe, though be mindful of a few uneven surfaces. All the walkways were well-lit and easy to navigate. Before entering the mine cart, the staff will provide you with a disinfected hard hat to wear underground.
Porta johns are available all over the property and are easy to locate. When leaving, we were confused about which direction to take, as one road led to a dead end. Some exit signs would have been helpful. Online information is accurate, and the website is very easy to navigate.
When we first arrived at the attraction, there wasn’t much happening outside aside from one queue actor, which was fine, but it left us feeling somewhat unprepared. Our excitement really built as we approached the doors to the house, especially when we heard the screams from other guests waiting inside.
From start to finish, we were fully immersed in the attraction. The engaging, coherent storyline centered around Louis W. Hicks, an abusive mining owner obsessed with voodoo and the occult. After exiting, you return to the midway area.
Our favorite aspect of this attraction was definitely the effects. At the entrance, a TV screen presents some backstory for the haunted experience, which we thought was pretty cool and unique. The music played throughout wasn’t too loud, though we felt it could have been slightly louder to enhance the atmosphere. The lighting was also done quite well, adding to the overall experience.
The attraction featured well-executed details throughout, but the most memorable part was inside the house, where both the bookshelves and the table moved. The room was well designed, and the music and lighting enhanced the immersive experience.
We really enjoyed the immersive sensory effects throughout the mine. In some spots, green lasers beamed downward through fog, creating a vertical laser swamp effect that made it seem as though the hallway was narrowing—even though it was just an illusion. One especially memorable room used black lights to illuminate mannequins in gas masks, making the masks glow an eerie green for a striking visual impact.
Another standout moment involved the support beams: they would drop slightly as we passed by, simulating the sensation of the mine collapsing. This unexpected effect caught us off guard and genuinely heightened the sense of fear. On top of all this, the use of real coal gives this haunt an added layer of authenticity.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 8
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 7.94
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 7.81
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 8.06
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 7.88
Dedicated cast members at the Haunted Mine worked hard to scare guests during the attraction. We enjoyed how they attempted to frighten our group throughout our walkthrough. While most actors focused on the front of each group, a few startled us from behind, adding variety. Although some scares were predictable – since we could hear other groups screaming ahead – we appreciated how involved and interactive the actors were with all the guests.
This attraction is not suitable for anyone who is claustrophobic. The experience begins with a shaky elevator ride, followed by a journey in a mine cart that requires you to sit very low to the ground. Inside the mine, the spaces become even tighter, which can be extremely unsettling for those with claustrophobia.
The scariest and most memorable moment of the night was when the chainsaw guy was chasing us, and suddenly, someone in a camouflage costume sprang up from the ground, where he had been hiding. We were truly impressed by this scare and deeply appreciate the cast member’s dedication to lying on the ground all night.
We only experienced one queue actor outside the attraction, but they consistently engaged with guests. The entire experience lasted 33 minutes, though it felt longer. Since the attraction includes both indoor and outdoor areas, dressing accordingly is recommended. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $40 for VIP, and $20 on Sundays. Our Minutes Per Dollar (MPD) rate was 1.32, which is above average locally and indicates excellent value for your money. Best of all, you get to experience a real mine!
In the midway, they have a merch booth, a food truck, and a few porta johns. Besides the entertainment, you can also catch a glimpse of the haunted house down the hill.
The Haunted Mine stands out as a truly unique experience. Nowhere else in the area can you actually ride a mine cart into a real mine as part of a haunted attraction. We loved our visit and were pleasantly surprised to find out it’s a non-profit; all the money goes back into enhancing the tours and museum for visitors.
We’ve heard they keep expanding and adding more each year, so we can’t wait to come back one day and see all the new upgrades. For now, we’re hanging up our hard hats and retiring as miners, but who knows, maybe we’ll come out of retirement and pick for more coal again.
748 Bull Creek Road, Tarentum, Pennsylvania 15084
