By: Charity Meier | C&G Newspapers | Published September 30, 2025
COMMERCE TOWNSHIP — “The Witching Hour” is close at hand, as Glenlore Trails, 3860 Newton Road, in Commerce Township, opened the attraction for the 2025 season on Sept. 25.
The annual Halloween immersive light show is a product of the pandemic, started in 2020 by Scott and Chanel Schoeneberger, managing partners of Bluewater Technologies, which operates the trails. The annual Halloween trail has a new theme each year that provides guests with a fun, interactive and nostalgic way of getting into the holiday spirit for the whole family.
Chanel Schoeneberger said that they start brainstorming ideas for the theme in February and start installing the infrastructure in July. The theme this year is “The Witching Hour,” a concept they have never done before. She said her team fell in love with the idea.
“This one was entirely different, “The Witching Hour,” and we all just immediately loved it,” Chanel Schoeneberger said. “Being in the woods, I feel like there’s got to be that, like, you know, enchanted but yet a little bit of spooky, but not frightening, and we had yet to do something with, like, witches and the witching hour. We’ve done fairies and the haunted forest. This was a new one for us, and we all loved it.”
“The Witching Hour” experience begins as guests walk under a large digital sign with an image of a clock and the haunting theme on it. They then begin the 1-mile walk along an enchanted forest trail filled with eerie delights, such as witches, skeletons, pumpkins, coffins and more.
Guests are treated not just to the spooky and fun decor, much of which is created just for the trails, but they can also partake in several interactive digital games along the way, enjoy a walk through a bubble tunnel, and even view their witchy side through a magic mirror. The mirror takes their picture and reveals their “true” self as a witch, warlock or sorcerer.
For added fun, guests can purchase magic wands, which allow them to create their own adventure as they go along the trail. The wands enable the user to choose the color, animal and sound that their spells will evoke when they cast them at various points marked with a “G” as they pass through the Witching Hour.
“I loved that the exhibits were interactive. Like, you could wave your wand on something, you could pick a color, you could pick an animal,” said Jen Hazel, of Novi. “If I picked a wolf, it would howl. If I picked a spider, it would (make a noise resembling the spider walking on a surface). The wand did that. That was cool. Super different.”
Dave Brown has brought his family from Sterling Heights to Glenlore Trails for the last five years, and for the last couple of years, they have come in costumes.
“I’m here for the ambience, but they (his children) like the interactive stuff, I think,” he said.
“I just like the ambience with all the lights everywhere,” agreed Brown’s wife, Tammy. “The games are always fun for the boys. They like competing.”
“I like how I get to create my own (things by customizing the wand),” said Alex Brown, 9.
“I like the things you can take pictures with,” said Andy Brown, 6.
Schoeneberger said it “warms my heart” to hear of families such as the Browns who have made Glenlore a holiday family tradition, and that is what makes it all worthwhile.
“Honestly, what brings us back is just seeing this. Seeing the smile on people’s faces. It has become so many people’s family traditions. People look forward to it and that excites us and keeps us going for sure,” Schoeneberger said.
Heather Harness, of Bay City, said she heard of the trails via Facebook and thought it would be something fun to do with her son, Ethan, who has autism.
“He is on the spectrum. I think it was very sensory-friendly. It was really cool,” said Harness. “It was, like, sensory inclusive and worth the price point, very interactive.”
Harness said it is sensory-friendly because there are no “jump scares” and everything is approachable by the child, and that they can choose whether or not to engage in the experience, as nothing is pushed on them.
Ethan Harness, 10, said the trails were “fun” and his favorite part was the skeletons.
Schoeneberger said that she was glad to hear people consider it sensory-friendly and that they are considering doing a special sensory-friendly night in the future.
“I loved it. I just think this was absolutely awesome,” Hazel said.“I didn’t know anything like this existed. It was so interactive and fun. I would totally do it again.”
Hazel said that she had just found out about it when her friend asked her to go, and she is now going to make plans to bring her other friends to Glenlore Trails.
Glenlore Trails also has several food and drink trucks positioned at the beginning, middle and end of the route. The trucks will vary depending on the day, but the food offerings will be updated on the trails website.
Live bands will also be performing on select nights. The trails will be offering some special events, including an adult night for ages 21 and older on Oct. 10 and a trick or treat on Oct. 26. Glenlore Trails the Witching Hour will be open Thursday to Sunday nights through Nov. 2. Tickets cost $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for children ages 12 and younger. They can be purchased online at glenloretrails.com or at the gate.