Ripley's Haunted Adventure in Gatlinburg, Tenn. is Designated as One of the World's Best Haunted House Attractions
2008-04-04 10:08:00 -
Enthusiast Group Ranks Gatlinburg's Haunted Adventure as their 8th Favorite in the World
GATLINBURG, Tenn. (April 2, 2008) - Ripley's Haunted Adventure is one of the most popular haunted house walkthrough attractions in the world, according to the 2008 Top 10 rankings released by the Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts (DAFE) group. This year, the popular Ripley attraction came in as the eighth most popular of all such attractions!
DAFE (pronounced 'daffy') annually polls its membership asking them to name their favorite haunted house and funhouse dark attractions from around the world. This year approximately 90 full-time and summer seasonal attractions worldwide were nominated. Attractions that operate only during the Halloween season are not included in this survey.
A large contingent of the group visited Gatlinburg in 2007 and not only enjoyed the attraction as any visitor would, but was taken on exclusive 'behind the scenes' tours to see what makes them as magical, haunting and daunting as they are. They aren't an easy bunch to impress either; most of DAFE's members have visited many such attractions throughout the world in search of their favorite and have seen both the best and the worst.
Suzanne DeSear, manager of Ripley's Haunted Adventure, said it was fun hosting the experienced group because they appreciate the haunted house genre and they know what makes one better than the others. 'To be in the group's Top Ten List is quite an honor for us,' DeSear added. 'We've always thought we were among the best, but it's nice to be validated by this perceptive group.'
'Our members have been to the big attractions at the Disney and Universal parks, but they really love searching out the treasures that are out there off the beaten path,' notes DAFE Director Rick Davis. 'As you will see in our top ten lists, the 'little guys' are right up there with the giants of the industry, which is a tribute to the passion these attractions have for entertaining their guests.'
About Ripley's Haunted Adventure
Ripley's Haunted Adventure (www.ripleyshauntedadventure.com), a world-class year-round state of the art haunted attraction with live actors, is part of the Ripley Entertainment family of worldwide entertainment facilities. More than 13 million people visit Ripley's 60-plus attractions in 11 countries each year. Ripley Entertainment Inc. is a division of the Jim Pattison Group, the third largest privately held company in Canada.
About DAFE
The Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts (www.dafe.org) group was founded Oct. 31, 2000 and has members worldwide. DAFE's Daffy Klub web site contains articles about dark attractions, club events, and a downloadable membership application.
Contacts:
Tim O'Brien
VP Communications
(615) 646-7465 - office
(615) 496-5949 - cell
Obrien@ripleys.com
Rick Davis
DAFE Director
(330) 856-4623 (after 4 p.m.)
(330) 502-6980 - cell
rdavis@dafe.org.
