Raven's Grin Inn — Attraction in Mount Carroll

If you live or travel anywhere near Mt. Carroll, Illinois, make it a point to treat yourself to this one-of-a-kind funhouse/ haunted house experience! I grew up in Mt. Carroll, and while not a super close friend of Jim I knew him well and we hung out quite a few times (in fact, we may have been distant cousins if I remember correctly). Even back then in our high school days, it was clear to see that Jim had an artistic talent to go with a quirky personality that made him a unique individual. So glad to see that he found a way to demonstrate his talent and share his creative sensibility while still managing to make a living out of it! My return visits to my hometown are not frequent, but I’ve twice had the opportunity to take Jim’s tour and both times enjoyed it immensely. The last time I brought my nine-year-old son with me, who enjoyed it overall but found it a bit on the scary side; but it’s a fun kind of scary, and most definitely appropriate for kids of his age and possibly even younger, depending on how well they respond to this kind of spooky entertainment. To me, I have always thought of the house as having a Tim Burton feel to it: think of the Beetlejuice movie or the beginning of Edward Scissorhands, and you won’t be too far off the mark. To sum up: Five stars all the way. Don’t miss it! ...

I randomly found this place online. Someone told me about this several months ago and it had slipped my mind until this past weekend. I am BLOWN away by the masterpiece behind these walls. This is a MUST SEE & SHOULD BE ON YOUR BUCKET LIST!! We got the privilege of Jim giving us a very thorough your last 3 hours! We are talkers for sure. I was not disappointed by any means. I truly admire Jim, his hard work and dedication to turn this place in to what it is today a masterpiece. His stories are priceless. Some may think he is a crazy old man, thus may be true but aren't all the good ones a little nuts? I mean this guy truly knows what art is and is hands on. I could spend weeks talking to him and NEVER get bored. I'm inspired by his work. I would love to tell you what's inside but I don't want to spoil your adventures. Check it out for yourself. Thrilling, adventure, art, fun and more. This place is a Must See! Thank you Jim for the amazing tour and all your hard work putting the place together. PS. I think it was your daughter (if not sorry) there too, I forget her name but she is a true gem loved talking to her too. We chatted...

Raven's grin - can't get in. I know it sounds odd to rate something you haven't seen, but trust me when i say it's not for the lack of trying on my part. My family spent 45 minutes waiting for anyone to open the ticket window to no avail and yet another 30 later the same day only to see it open for another party that just arrived and some lady inform us that the bell has been disconnected and we have to wait another 45 minutes to MAY BE get in because the people that came later had a larger party and thus would have priority over us. Needless to say we've done enough waiting under their door for one day by then. May be we'll come back when we can spare a couple hours to feed their mosquitoes again.

Follow up: I appreciate the owners response with apology and the explanation of the tour setup. Some information about how the tours get scheduled an ran and may be having someone available at the window during busy hours would have worked in my opinion, especially if the door bell is not very reliable. If we are in the area again, we will certainly give it a try again. The place does look awesome from the...