Halloween Fun At Enchanted Glenlore Trails In Commerce Township

Halloween Fun At Enchanted Glenlore Trails In Commerce Township

Mrs. GolfBlogger and I recently had the chance to visit the “Enchanted” Glenlore Trails in Commerce Township for a media preview.

It was a fun night, and an experience I recommend to anyone who wants a gothic spooky Halloween experience without the gore and cheap scare thrills that so many haunted houses offer. Nothing will jump out at you; I don’t recall seeing any blood. It is all just atmospheric lights and music and creepy set pieces.

Glenlore Trails was an absolutely delightful evening.

Glenlore Trails is a meandering mile-long nighttime excursion through woods illuminated by thousands of eerily beautiful lights, animated LED screens and projectors. Spooky music plays throughout.

I want a copy of the soundtrack for Glenlore Trails to play all October long. They should sell CDs on site.

The premise of Enchanted Glenlore Trails is that it is an adventure through a series of fae (fairy) kingdoms with names such as Seedlings, Nocture, Skitters, and Wisps. The fairies that rule these places can be seen on small animated screens in the trees above. Their subjects are alongside the path. There are various (often singing) animated pumpkins in Seedlings, spiders of various sizes in Skitters and so on.

There’s a whole story built in, and at the entrance to each section, a magic book opens on a screen to recite a poem telling you what lies ahead.

Stretches of Glenlore Trails are just to look at and enjoy like a Disneyland ride, but there are also various video game style stations to interact with. If you purchase an electronic Magic Wand, you can use that to unlock additional displays.

Much of the fun of the Enchanted Glenlore Trails is in spotting things along the way. If you look carefully, you will spot the fairies, shadowy things in the woods, and musically synchronized lights that you didn’t notice at first. You’ll want to stop at regular intervals to just take it all it.

The lights are amazing. It is incredible how the lights illuminate tree trunks, the underside of the branches and the leaves, creating a wondrous fairyland.

As an avid reader of fantasy and horror — and particularly of the classics of those genres — I really appreciated the Glenlore Trails vibe. I kept thinking of Lord Dunsany’s The King of Elfland’s Daughter, Baum’s Oz (in the sense of the trail taking the walker — like Dorothy or Tip or Betsy — through various fairy kingdoms), Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and some of the works of George MacDonald.

The trail is routed through a portion of the Multi Lakes Conservation Association. It is very flat and the path is wide, but not paved. It’s an easy walk that takes about an hour. I’m not sure how accessible it would be for wheelchairs, although I think powered personal vehicles could navigate it.

The trail is produced by Bluewater, a Southfield, MI based company that specializes in creating platforms for “immersive storytelling” with high tech audio visual systems. Glenlore Trails was born of the fact that during the pandemic, Bluewater found itself with a lot of AV equipment and a diminished need for its services.

Necessity is the mother of invention. In this case, lots of folk are the beneficiaries.

In addition to the trail, the venue has a taco truck, snacks and beverages — including adult beverages. Live music is played from a large pavilion outside the trail gates, and other activities are available, depending on the night. Souveniers such as t shirts and sweatshirts are for sale.

Enchanted is open September 20 – November 3. At that point, it shuts down for a couple of weeks and then re-opens as a winter holidays themed trail called Aurora.

Adult tickets are $20. Youth are $12.

Glenolre Trails is open Thursday through Sunday, with special events on specific nights. Check the listings below:

• Opening Weekend (September 21 & 22)
  • September 21 – Live Music – Full Tilt Boogie (8 p.m. – 11 p.m.) 
  • September 22 – Balloon Twisting and Face Painting (8 p.m. – 10 p.m.)
     
• Kids Craft Night & Forest Trail (September 29)
  • The Kids Craft Night includes Balloon Twisting and Face Painting 
  • It is open from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., with sessions every 30 minutes. Guests are encouraged to attend the craft event before walking the trail to ensure they have enough time to experience everything 
  • The Forest Trail is open from 7:30 p.m. for all guests
     
• Adults-Only Night (October 4)
  • Live Music from Neon Crows (7:15 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.)
     
• Kids Craft Night & Forest Trail (October 20)
  • The Kids Craft Night includes Balloon Twisting and Face Painting 
  • It is open from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with sessions every 30 minutes. Guests are encouraged to attend the craft event before walking the trail to ensure they have enough time to experience everything    
  • The Forest Trail is open from 7 p.m. for all guests
     
• Adults-Only Night (October 25)
  • Live Music from DEVAR and the Detroiters (7 p.m. – 11 p.m.)
     
• Trick or Treat Night & Forest Trail (October 27)
  • The trick-or-treating event takes place on the Forest Trail from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., with sessions every 15 minutes
  • Kids are encouraged to dress up in their Halloween costumes for a night of thrilling fun and sweet surprises! 
  • The Forest Trail is open from 7 p.m. for all guests