Last-Minute Halloween Places

 

 By Bixyl Shuftan

 

As I write this, Halloween is gone. It was a blast, but all good things must come to an end. But I had a little time this weekend to see a few Halloween-themed places. Keep in mind that they won't be up much longer. In fact, one or two may be gone by the time you read this. 

 

Checking out the Destinations Guide, one place caught my attention:  "Inspire Space Park - Shadows of the Mist." Inspire Space Park has always been a cool place to visit (article). But this promised to give the picturesque attraction a new look.

An eerie mist has rolled into Inspire Space Park, cloaking the asteroids in shadow. The park is haunted, and whispers tell of secret treasures hidden in the dark. The hunt begins here; dare you step into the mist? But the adventure doesn’t end there. Stick around, float in zero gravity, and enjoy the custom radio mix of eerie, soothing Halloween sounds while you celebrate among friends. 

 

 Dropping by, the place had a darkly beautiful feel to it. The music was described for reading a Gothic horror story. And to my surprise there was a hunt

 

 Welcome to Inspire Space Park's Shadows of the Mist Hunt! Start your adventure by finding the Haunted Places hunt bag on the other side of the arch. Follow the clue to your first prize! Further instructions will be available there.

Head there at https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Shinda/98/208/1559

 

 I also decided to check out a place called "The Ratking's Sewer."

 

The endless tunnels of the Ratking's sewers in the town of Northbridge will have you lost in a maze of wonder and adventure. Each passage may lead you to new and exciting worlds, but beware of the Ratking's experimental subjects.

 This place was, dark. I ended up going around in mouselook at times as I was worried about being taken by surprise unless I could see right in front of me.

 

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vigdorova/148/228/2958

 

 I'd heard about "Firestorm Ghost Town," and decided to check it out. 

 

 Nothing super terrifying. This was an old-fashioned carnival ride. 

 

 https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Ghost%20Town/171/72/505

 

 And what's Halloween without a good vampire story? I went and checked out " Castle Dracula - Gothic Horror Experience."

Castle Dracula offers a chilling Gothic Horror experience, blending immersive storytelling with Victorian gothic legends. Enter the eerie halls of Count Dracula's castle, uncovering haunted secrets of vampires, ghosts, and werewolves. New in 2024, the Frankenstein expansion deepens the horror, inviting visitors to explore a spine-tingling journey through the heart of Transylvania.

The starting location let's you know you're in for an experience that isn't kid stuff and some flashing lights, and you'll need to accept experiences. You'll find a HUD attached going through. 

 

The story begins on a train, in which a train is taking you to Transylvania. A friend of yours went there to conduct a real-estate deal with Count Dracula, and vanished, and you've taken it upon yourself to find him. You get a letter from the Count himself inviting you to his castle, so head over, stopping at the tavern first.

Outside the tavern, a dark carriage is waiting to take you there, the coachman greeting, ""My master the Count bids thee welcome to the Carpathians. He awaits your coming eagerly...." And he gives you a ride to the castle, talking some along the way, "A land of wolves and ghosts...? Such is often said of this land by those abroad...

I haven't checked out the game very far, but it looks great for those who have the time. 

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fort%20Nowhere/21/240/1401

Be sure to check out more haunts in the Destination Guide: https://secondlife.com/destinations/haunted

 

That's all for now for spooky sights. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Inspire Space Park

The Inspire Space Park has been around in Second Life for at least a few years. But it’s a location that continues to draw crowds every day. The park doesn’t represent a real place in space or in science fiction, but is more of a place of the imagination.

Upon getting there, change your environment settings to Midnight to get the best view of the space surroundings. The place may take a while to rez, as there are always many people here. Sometimes you may need to try twice or three times to enter. Even at odd hours, there are still a number of people around. But once everything comes into focus, visitors are rewarded with a visual treat.

Those arriving at the entry point will find themselves on a large asteroid’s flat surface. Smaller asteroids float nearby. Further away, planets and stars can be seen in spectacular views. A haze conceals the ground view, and from where you are it might as well be a nebula cloud. The easy music in the background adds to the atmosphere of the place.There are a few seats nearby one can relax on, including a circle with meditation poses. There is also a bridge of stones to another large asteroid.

One of the fun things about the place, you can hop to some wandering poseballs via green teleporter across the asteroid. Getting on one, you float around, slowly tumbling in orbit. One can do it alone, or with a friend. The park makes for a great place to take a date and quite literally sweep her off her feet, and slowly drift among the planets and stars in each others arms.

In the past, there were also teleporters to nearby locations. They’re probably still around, but I didn’t see them in more recent visits. One is a drive-in theater, the “Inspire Beach and Drive-in” at Shinda (105, 189, 26), near the highway. It used to have a 1950’s look, but more recently the tailfinned classic cars were replaced by space-age skycars. There is also a space-club, the “Inspire Dance Planet” in the Butsu sim at (217, 214, 1546). When I dropped by some time ago, it was a space-age club with bright neon colors. From outside, it looked like a star. Someone told me other larger planets and stars had hidden surprises inside.

There are occasional events held at the space park. Cypress Rosewood has on his website a film of him performing there. On a more recent visit, there was a particle show. The place was so full of particles, a friend had to leave due to an overheating graphics card.

The Inspire Space Park is a beautiful work of art, a stellar dreamland.

The entry point is at Shinda at (34, 211, 1559). The okace is owned by the Virtual Life Media group, and was made by Earth Primbee, Grafx Newbold, and Raphael Cremorne.

Bixyl Shuftan