Project Alice takes aims at zombies - Oct. 17-31

Acres of Darkness, Boo in the Zoo return this weekend

Saturday, September 28, 2013

photo Project Alice

ACRES OF DARKNESS* Where: Audubon Acres, 900 N. Sanctuary Road.* When: 7:30-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, Oct. 18-19, 25-26.* Admission: $10-$20.* Phone: 423-892-3690.* Website: www.ChattanoogaAudubon.org/acres-of-darkness.html.BOO IN THE ZOO* Where: Chattanooga Zoo, 301 N. Holtzclaw Ave.* When: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, Oct. 18-19, 25-26.* Admission: $8.95 adults, $6.95 seniors 65-74, $5.95 children 3-12; plus 25 cents per activity or $10 unlimited activities armband.* Phone: 423-697-1322.* Website: www.chattzoo.org.PROJECT ALICE* Where: McDonald Elementary School, 132 McDonald Road, McDonald, Tenn.* When: 7-11:45 p.m. Oct. 17-31.* Admission: $15.* Age restrictions: Parent permission needed for ages 12-16; no one younger than 12 will be admitted.* Phone: 770-547-1695.* Email: projectalice2013@gmail.com.

Nobody wants to face the undead unarmed. At Project Alice, a new haunted attraction in McDonald, Tenn., you don't have to.

"You go in with a flashlight and an Airsoft pistol, which you actually get to shoot," says Andrew Broyles, co-organizer of the attraction with Brandon Castleberry. "It's very interactive, with zombies running after you."

Airsoft pistols use pellets with a range of 20 to 25 feet (think paintball without the paint). The mission is to search each room for ammo and puzzles that will help you make it through this two-story, zombie-infested school without getting infected.

Scenes borrow from all of the major zombie movies, Broyles says. The name is a nod to Milla Jovovich's character in the Resident Evil series.

"We've been wanting to do it all year long," Broyles says. "We finally found a place and a charity to give everything to."

Project Alice runs nightly through Halloween. Proceeds go to the Ruritan Club of McDonald.

Two other attractions also open this weekend.

At Audubon Acres, Acres of Darkness offers both a haunted trail and a family adventure the next two weekends. The haunted trail sends visitors into the deep dark woods for extreme frights caused by legendary boogeymen and the forest's natural spooks. A kiddie trail and family area are set up for the young and faint of heart. Family activities include a blacklight maze, face painting, pumpkin decorating, bonfire and s'mores.

Proceeds benefit the Chattanooga Audubon Society.

For more safe scares, Boo in the Zoo will keep the Chattanooga Zoo open nights the next two weekends. A haunted hayride, scavenger hunt, cartoon characters, trick-or-treat stations, costume contests, face-painting, games, inflatables and crafts are part of the fun, along with up-close encounters with some of the zoo's creepier animals.

Visitors pay regular admission, plus 25 cents for each activity or $10 for an armband for unlimited activities.

Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.