Disclosure: This article is a partnership with Duchess Manor at The Arboretum of South Barrington. Our family's experience and opinions are our own.
🎃 Spooky-loving kids who aren't quite ready for full-dark scares? We found your new fall favorite.
Last weekend we took our 7 and 4 year old to Duchess Manor at The Arboretum of South Barrington for a Lights On Tour. Our kids love all things creepy, but I'll be honest: they spent a good chunk of the maze of rooms in our arms. And that's exactly what this version is for.
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🎃"Support Spookies" A special treat
Before we went in, the team let the kids pick out from a bowl of little 3D printed pumpkin and ghost minis to take along. We started calling them support spookies, and they were the perfect pocket-sized bravery boosters. Small detail, big difference for little ones.
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🕯️ Meet the Duchess (Before You Go)
My best tip: tell the story first. The Duchess was a mystery who rarely left her home. Unknown to anyone, she secretly built a sprawling estate inside The Arboretum while it was still being developed. But being alone for so long took a toll. She started hearing voices in the walls, seeing accusing faces in the mirrors, and listening to scratching under the floorboards. Eventually she barricaded herself inside.
Knowing this ahead of time helped our kids make a little more sense of what they were walking through. The whole space is meant to be part of her larger manor, so it feels like wandering through the home of someone who slowly unraveled. It also explained why chairs blocked off some areas. A few rooms were still closed during our visit, so I can only imagine what was in there!
💡 Why Lights On Works
Yes, there were some gory bits (bloody mannequins, moldy sheets, etc), . But honestly, seeing it with the lights on was almost cooler. You can take in every detail and appreciate the incredible work that went into these sets. I wish we could have taken more time pointing things out, but the kids wanted to keep it moving, but they felt braver knowing they could see what was around the corner.
As soon as we left they were off running through the Arb looking at more of the spooky season decorations and laughing at each other for being scared. No nightmares reported 🙌🏼
No actors. No jump scares. Lights on the whole time.
Now I want to go back for the nighttime version with my husband or a group of friends. 👀
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💖 A Little Parenting Takeaway
The Duchess's story is spooky, but it carries a real message: she went through it alone. On the way out, I made sure that was something my kids picked up on. Being brave doesn't mean facing scary things by yourself. Sometimes it means being carried, or holding your support spooky tight. And when someone pulls away from everyone, reaching out matters. Not a bad conversation to have over Halloween candy.
🎟️ Know Before You Go
💡 Lights On Tours: Saturdays and Sundays, 2 to 5 PM, through Nov 1. Remaining weekends: Oct 17-18, Oct 24-25, and Oct 31-Nov 1.
💵 Lights On ticket: $7
🌙 Full Haunt (the grown-up night out): Fri and Sat 7 to 11 PM, Sun 6 to 10 PM. $27 through Oct 17 (Fri/Sat) and Oct 18 (Sun), then $35 for the last-call weekends.
📍 Where: The Arboretum of South Barrington, 100 W Higgins Rd, Unit J-40, South Barrington, IL 60010
🙏 Good to know: It's still a haunted house with some gore, so preview the story and know your kids. My kids like the spooky stuff on TV, but I might think about waiting until mine were 8 & up to attempt that again because of the gore-factor. Every kid is different. Tickets are available online or in person. Prices and availability may vary.
More info from The Arboretum →
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