By Julia Train
Covered in fog and filled with spooky characters, a Halloween experience is taking over a Christmas tree farm in Egg Harbor City.
Located at 354 Bremen Ave., Forever Forest invites visitors to participate in “A Nightmare Before Christmas” throughout October.
Emil Polito, the owner, didn’t plan to buy a Christmas tree farm when he moved from Brooklyn to Bremen Avenue after retiring from a career on Wall Street. He was looking for a retirement property in the area because he frequently visited South Jersey and often went to Renault Winery. While visiting one day, he came across a “For Sale” sign on the 15-acre property down the street from the winery.
Polito purchased the property without knowing it also included a tree farm. He initially rented out the tree farm, but when he realized it wasn’t thriving as a business, he transformed the property into a holiday experience in 2017.
For $24.99, guests can enter the immersive “Nightmare Before Christmas” Halloween experience. There are four sessions each day, lasting an hour and a half each—two kid-friendly daytime sessions and two nighttime sessions suited for teenagers and adults.
The night sessions are not for younger children. They include a mile-long haunted walking trail, the newly added “Haunted Tree Maze,” and the “Tunnel of Terror,” featuring live actors who jump out of the fog to scare visitors.
During the experience, guests navigate the tree maze before being grouped and guided along the mile-long trail through the woods, encountering ghosts, monsters, and more. Before entering the trail, costumed guides warn visitors not to wander off or risk being “dragged to the depths of hell” by the devil following the group.
While the nighttime experience is ideal for those seeking thrills, the farm offers daytime sessions for families who prefer to enjoy fall activities without the scares.
Daytime sessions provide a family-friendly experience, including a trolley ride through Forever Forest adorned with Halloween decorations. It’s described as a Forever Forest version of “A Nightmare Before Christmas,” doubling the farm’s Christmas decorations for Halloween.
Three barns feature activities such as crafts, face painting, Christmas decorations, and karaoke. Visitors can also enjoy snacks and s’mores available for purchase from a snack trailer by a campfire.
One barn showcases elaborate Christmas decorations, including The Grinch, along with face painting and crafts set to spooky music. Another barn features a stage and chairs for karaoke, while the third offers games.
Included in admission, visitors receive a pumpkin that they can paint on-site if they wish.
The farm also hosts a “Christmas Experience” during the holidays with attractions like mini ice skating for kids, arts and crafts, Christmas tree lighting, a live snow globe, Santa’s workshop, hayrides through the Christmas tree farm and more.
