13th Gate Haunted House, Louisiana's Ultimate Haunted Attraction — Attraction in Baton Rouge

Before I begin my review, I would like to point out that everybody who is leaving a one-star review only has made one review. I don't know who has some Grand Vendetta against the 13th Gate, but it's kind of childish to take to social media and make up lies about one of the best places we have in Baton Rouge.

I would also like to add that if you have never been to the 13th Gate, or you are thinking about returning this year, that you please Google and read haunted house etiquette.

The 13th Gate is the most exciting thing to do all year in this state. Sure, we have Mardi Gras and we have balls and we have festivals of all kinds. But we also have one of the top rated haunts in the entire nation. That being said, every time I go to the 13th Gate is a treat. I understand that the cost is a little high for some people, but they do advertise cheap tickets for a couple of months in advance 2 opening every single year. They also offer $5 off with coupons that they dispersed around the city For customers. I know you used to be able to bring an empty dr. Pepper can and get $5 off too. I haven't been yet this year so I'm not sure. They do try to work with people as much as possible because they want everybody of every budget to be able to enjoy the house. I have never been to another haunt with sets as Grand and magnificent as the 13th Gate has. They are Hollywood quality sets built by people who have actually worked with filmmakers. Even the makeup team boasts a couple of crew members who have worked with Hollywood. Every moment as soon as you step into the elevator is a Non-Stop thrill. The actors do a great job. I personally don't scare easily, but I have been with people who do. They are terrified by the time they exit. And isn't that what you pay for? There are people like me who walkthrough to enjoy the scenery and to laugh at other people getting scared and then there are people who go to get scared. This is what really happens at the 13th Gate. If you want honest reviews, don't take into consideration what people who leave one review say. Additionally, if you want more to do, the Escape rooms are to die for. Absolutely fantastic, about the cost of a trip to the movies, but it's a Non-Stop Adventure. So much better than sitting in a room next to somebody staring at a screen, you actually interact with the people around you. If I could give the 13th Gate more stars, I absolutely would without hesitation. Please keep in mind that when you go, perhaps you will be irritated by standing in line a long time. That's why they came up with VIP tickets. You can't wait until it's the busiest time of the season to go and then wonder why you have to wait in line. Also, please be nice to the actors. They are providing a service for you. They are not there to take your abuse. And sorry for you, but I'm a snitch. If I see you breaking or beating on something or mistreating an actor whenever I walk through, I will find the nearest person in a black 13th Gate shirt and point you out. Do not tear up what has been built to bring joy to everybody in this city. There is a difference between going and being scared, and yelling at an actor, and then abusing them and beating their props. If you have never read about proper haunted house...

In my lifetime, I have been to more than 30 top name haunted attractions primarily in the north east in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, etc mostly because it’s where I’m from. 13th Gate haunted house has been on my list for numerous years to visit. We recently traveled to New Orleans and decided to make this part of that trip. We bought tickets online once we arrived and saw the line was wrapped around the building and down the block, we decided to make those tickets VIP tickets. I will have to say that the VIP tickets were definitely worth the money as we cut out 95% of the crowd and we got into the building in a pretty timely manner. Having said that, once we were in the building, it did seem to take quite a while to actually get into the haunt. We stood there for what was a minimum of 30 minutes waiting. While 13th gate doesn’t have haunted woods, per se, or cornfields or hayrides, what they have done inside is fantastic and probably some of the best attention to detail that I have ever seen. Up until now, my favorite has been Headless Horseman in New York State. I have waited until now to give my review of 13th gate because I wanted to see what headless Horseman is like currently. We visited there approximately one week after we were at 13th Gate. As far as wow factor goes, acting, attention to detail, value for the dollar, I have to say that 13th gate is my new favorite. They did an exceptional job in all of those categories. Because they are landlocked and don’t have 100 adjacent acres to expand into, they will probably never have a hayride or cornfield or things of that nature, so that is a restriction and I like the all encompassing haunted attraction. Also, I wasn’t real thrilled with the fact that we couldn’t get food upon our arrival. And if we wanted to we would have had to leave the line to go across the street. I wasn’t thrilled with the outside of 13th gate. It does have a very urban feel to it. The gift shop was pretty ordinary but I did buy a t-shirt. Is 13th Gate worth traveling to Baton Rouge just for this one haunted house? That’s really open to interpretation. We were through that in about one hour once we got rolling. Headless Horseman was double that time once we got rolling. So, if it’s really been on your list to do for a several years and you could wrap this into a visit in New Orleans, then it probably is worth going from much farther away. It’s especially worth going if you are anywhere within 2-3 Hours drive of there. I do want to stress that the attention to detail here was...

These events require more security on the busiest evenings. The line was so long that it wrapped around multiple blocks. There were hundreds of people in line and maybe a dozen port-o-lets. Needless to say people waiting in line were getting testy and frustrated with line jumpers (and people perceived to be jumpers but they were looking for a toilet!). If more security had been present throughout the line, we could have avoided the situation of people yelling and fighting. At times, I did not feel safe. 13th gate seriously needs to consider crowd control and management. I waited in line for 3.5 hours. A suggestion to minimize lines and wait times is to have staggered ticket times. The long wait, the nasty toilets, lack of sanitization and functional hand washing stations, the fighting and yelling all severely diminished this experience for me. I purchased the CarnEvil tickets as well and couldn't even use them because it was closed by the time I exited the haunted house. Just something to consider when you plan your visit. Please be kind, patient and don't jump the line!

Edit in response to owner's reply: I thank you for your speedy reply and apology, however I don't feel like my concerns were really addressed at all. During my time in the line (3.5 hrs) I saw security twice and they were accompanying the characters. What I suggest is that security be posted around the block, and remain nearby or patrol the line. Perhaps then, the crowd wouldn't feel it necessary to act as keepers of the line and line jumpers would be deterred. I certainly would have felt safer if there was personnel nearby to address the yelling and fights. The crowd was developing a mob mentality and it quickly escalates. Also, is there any particular reason why you don't offer timed tickets? This could also alleviate the issue. As an out of towner, I don't know the best/worst day/time to visit, which is also why I can't redeem my CarnEvil tickets, unfortunately. Thank you for your reply. I hope my suggestions are given serious consideration. The house is fantastic, don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan! I just want to make the whole experience better and safer...