After a two-year hiatus, the immersive haunted experience known as The Vault of Souls returns to a 100-year-old bank in downtown Tampa.
“We’re back, both above ground and below, in the worlds of the living and the dead, experiencing both the darkness and the light,” Creative Director Scott Swenson said in a release.
Local Halloween attraction fans will remember Swenson as one of the team members behind Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream, which he helped bring to life for 15 years.
Starting in 2015, The Vault of Souls turned Tampa’s historic Exchange National Bank into an elegant, Roaring ‘20s-themed haunted attraction, elevated by the reservations-only ticket and promises of drinks and accoutrements throughout the evening.
Some years, guests donned perfectly creepy white face masks to explore the dark and gritty corners of the bank’s basement, taking guidance from scare actors playing souls who’ve been trapped in the bank since the Jazz Age. Other years, the Exchange National Bank’s basement was turned into a haunted escape room allowing guests to explore the bank’s historic underground vault.
For 2021, The Vault of Souls has new storylines for an escape room-style experience with three venues throughout the bank – the marble lobby filled with dancers, tarot readers and a bar; the underground labyrinth of the basement and vault filled with trapped spirits; and then onto The Garden area for coffee, drinks and entertainment.
“This year is a study in contrasts, from the elegant arrival to the darkly interactive realm below to the airy outdoor courtyard,” Swenson said. “Wickedly entertaining elements can be discovered around every corner.”
The Vault of Souls said experiences are “unique and exclusive to each guest” based on their completion of certain challenges in the basement with only tarot cards as the clues to escape. And, “if they can’t finish their sinister quest, they’ll join the forgotten souls and be trapped in the vault for eternity.”
“I’m thrilled to open the doors of The Vault to guests once again. I have a special place in my heart for art, history, and Halloween, and this hauntingly beautiful event gives us the chance to infuse art and performance in this grand, eclectic and historic setting,” said Carolyn Wilson, proprietor of The Vault and The Wilson Company, which owns and managed the Exchange National Bank.
The Vault of Souls runs 7:30 p.m. – 1 a.m. Oct. 22-23 and 29-30 with a Halloween event happening 6:30 p.m. – midnight on Oct. 31.
Guests must be 18 or older and reservations are limited and required. Tickets start at $75 per person. More information and tickets at ElegantFear.com.
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