REVIEW: BONEY ISLAND

October 7, 2024

review: BONEY ISLAND

Things have come a long way for Boney Island since its inception. This skeleton-filled attraction was originally a Sherman Oaks home haunt that was once feared to be completely finished after they had location issues. However, they have found an incredible new home at the Natural History Museum (NHM). To the delight of people of all ages, this gang of skeleton misfits is once again inviting the public to join their animated party within the NHM's outdoor Nature Gardens.

During your visit you will venture through a variety of areas such as the Deadwood Forest where the fossils of dinosaurs come to life, one of which talks and interacts with guests while animal skeletons run up the trees. You will also encounter the infamous Coney Island-themed sideshows where various magic tricks and illusions are presented to stimulate the imaginations of spectators. 

There are hundreds of skeletons in every direction, some frozen in time and some animatronic. You will be immersed in a world of whimsical skulls and bones, whose scope and size wouldn’t have been possible at the original home haunt location which hosted Boney Island for over a decade. This expansion at the NHM may have been influenced by their one season residency within the grounds of another one of our Halloween favorites: the dearly departed Live Steamers Ghost Train in Griffith Park. This location was the first time that Boney Island existed outside of its original house and yard, and the larger area in Griffith Park allowed for a more in-depth experience, which included new themes like “Hauntington Gardens”. 

More space means more features, and Boney Island and the Nature Gardens at the NHM are a perfect pairing. The winding paths, waterways, trees, and shrubbery offer enormous possibilities for the bones brigade. For 2024 they have added “Skeletown”, a new area located above where the vendors are. Within this new experience you walk through a town where you look into the windows of the painted shop facades which reveal all sorts of mischief happening within. “Boney Island’s Most Charming City” has a lively nightlife, with everything from a skeleton dog gobbling up a witch’s leg to an undead bartender tempting you with a late night drink at The Buried Bone Saloon. The town also includes a haunted candy company, where guests are turned into dancing skeletons in the candy factory!

As Boney Island evolves and grows, so does its audience. While the death of the original home haunt was very sad, its remains have been exhumed and brought back to life for an experience that is bigger and better than ever. Families from all over Southern California will love to visit these jovially macabre characters who come to life underneath the autumnal moonlight. We are certain that Boney Island will have a lasting legacy that will inspire creativity and many haunt generations to come.

VC

October 07, 2024

Hauntsofla.com

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