Double M Haunted Hayrides in Ballston Spa, NY

October 6th, 2009

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The next stop on my Tour was a place I have wanted to visit since last April and is called Double M Haunted Hayrides. I met the owner, Leo Martin at the National Haunters Convention in Philly, and we had the chance to talk a little bit and I said I would visit if I ever had the chance. I was within a couple hours of the Double M so I set my GPS and hit the road.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to hit the Double M at night time because of the schedule, but I still wanted to stop by and check out the Double M. The Double M is located in Ballston Spa, NY which is a short ways from Albany, NY. They got hit with a heavy rain the night before which forced them to close a little early and also caused them to cancel the events for Saturday. And this is why I think Leo Martin might just be the nicest guy in the Haunt Industry – he got rained out the night before, rained out for the daytime event, and was in jeopardy of being rained out again that night, but Leo was as kind and good-hearted as anyone I have ever met. If I am being honest, if I were in that situation, I would have been a grumpy curmudgeon, but Leo was an incredibly gracious host.

The Double M is a actually a ranch where they train horses and hold rodeos. During the daytime in the fall, they hold a daytime corn maze and pumpkin patch event and then at night, they produce a haunted hayride and haunted house. Leo uses the cowboy theme on the hayride and themes the event with a western flare. The hayride winds through the woods on his property and you can tell from the pictures that it is a beautiful piece of property – though at night it gets very dark and makes for a great backdrop for the hayride.

There are a variety of scenes on the hayride and has its share of animations, actors and flame effects. The hayride starts with a brief rules rundown from their icon character, Scary Harry which is a great looking animation from Unit 70. The wagon then pulls forward where it gets a taste of things to come as two propane jets light up the darkness. The Double M uses a narrator who weaves a tale for the guests as they glide through on a 24-foot wagon. The scenes look good and the western sets are well done. At one point, Leo has a riders on horseback provide some excitement by performing maneuvers which I would love to see.

At the end of the Hayride, guests walk through a small trail with additional sets and scares with a redneck theme that fits right in inside the woods. After the trail, guests can walk into the Haunted House called Nightmare Manor which is an indoor walktrhough with plenty of dark spots and blood to provide all the scares you need.

The Double M is really a great location with loads of atmosphere and great people. The Double M has been operating a Haunted event for 19 years so you know they are doing something right. I want to thank Leo and his wife Jennifer and son Max for being great hosts and for spending the time with me. I look forward to getting some more pics of the Double M. Leo, I look forward to seeing you again at one of the conventions, I hope your weather improves and that you have a great season.

p.s. The sweatshirt came in handy when I got to New Hampshire!