South Beach Institute features some minor changes for 2025, most notably a new marquee outside the front of the maze. This marquee had minimal theming but hosted a character who delivered the safety speech and set the scene.

Inside, the attraction remains largely unchanged, save for one scene now featuring a dentist chair and a better “stop scene” than before. The actors did a brilliant job, getting the scares right from the start; every actor pulled their weight during our encounters.

The story was clearly told throughout, starting strongly in the introduction and reinforced in the halfway stop scene—an element we really appreciate and which adds depth to the attraction.

We felt the scares were a little weaker in comparison to previous years, largely because the space is quite limited, making it feel more creepy than genuinely terrifying. However, the strength of the actors and the detailed story make this a solid experience.

The Haunted Hotel returns and remains largely unchanged, as it operates as a ghost train all year round. The ride, however, is cleverly utilized during this event by allowing a few actors to hide within the scenes to deliver additional scares.

The flow of this ride was incredibly fast; we saw a full queue line disappear in just ten minutes, a speed we’ve never seen before! Plus, the ride’s pace was reasonable, so we certainly couldn’t complain.

The weakest feature is the actor utilization. Because the actors are confined to the space or scene they’re in—as they can’t move around the sets due to it being a ride—their movements are limited. Despite this constraint, they did very well within their scenes, successfully delivered the scares, and genuinely brought the ride alive for another year.

Snails and Scary Tales is a unique and charming attraction where the classic snails ride gets a Halloween glow-up with wonderful characters placed throughout the scenes.

This experience hasn’t changed much, but it’s always a fun addition where the flow works perfectly—it’s steady and consistent. The concept is simple yet works brilliantly, adding a unique flavor to the event.

The screams are naturally low, as the actors cannot get too close to you due to the safety barrier, but the ride is still highly enjoyable. We especially loved this ride, as we had a great stand-out moment with the zombie bride from the roaming team joining us for a little spin!