NEW NIGHTMARES

Spooky new haunted attraction creeps into San Antonio's Alamo Plaza

The Scream Experiment will be housed in the fictional Restful Sleep Hotel.

Rendering courtesy of Davis Entertainment

San Antonio’s Alamo may be decked out in its Christmas best, but across the street, it’s looking more like Halloween. Signage is now up for the Scream Experiment, a new year-round haunted house attraction set to open in spring 2026 at 123 Alamo Plaza.

The experience comes from Phillips Entertainment, the owner of downtown’s Buckhorn Saloon & Museum. The company is no stranger to Alamo Plaza. It operated Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, Guinness World Records Museum, Tomb Rider 3D Adventure Ride and Arcade on the strip before vacating in 2022 to make way for the upcoming Alamo Visitor Center and Museum.

At the Scream Experiment, thrill-seekers will explore the eerie corridors of the cursed Restful Sleep Hotel, bumping into thrilling scares and spooky sets. The entertainment company says it will use theme-park-style storytelling for a fully immersive experience.

“During the decades it was in business, the hotel became the site of numerous macabre incidents, including several still-unexplained deaths,” reads a fictional newspaper article posted on Scream Experiments’ website.”Its doors were permanently locked on October 27, 1948 – exactly 53 years after the day it opened. Today, the building which housed the beautiful Restful Sleep Hotel stands abandoned, dark and empty — except, as some city residents claim, for the ghosts which still inhabit the many rooms and hallways.”

The attraction is part of a growing trend in the U.S. for experiences that transport visitors to another world without relying on virtual reality. Tourism-driven cities like Las Vegas and Orlando have found success with year-round horror experiences, and Phillips Entertainment expects San Antonio — already home to a trove of ghost stories — to be no different.

“We’ve teamed up with some of the industry’s best designers and are thrilled to add a brand-new style of immersive and family-friendly entertainment to our city’s incredible list of attractions and experiences,” said Davis Phillips, president and CEO of Phillips Entertainment, in a release. “San Antonio is our home, and we are passionate about creating attractions where locals and visitors alike will create fun, lifelong memories with their family and friends.”

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In Memoriam

Texas country icon and songwriter Joe Ely dies at 78

Joe Ely/Facebook

Joe Ely was a major figure in Texas' progressive country scene.

Joe Ely, the legendary songwriter, singer and storyteller whose career spanned more than five decades, has died from complications related to Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia. He was 78.

According to a statement posted to his Facebook page, Ely died at his home in Taos, New Mexico, with his wife, Sharon, and daughter, Marie, at his side.

Born February 9, 1947, in Amarillo, Texas, Ely was raised in Lubbock and became a central figure among a generation of influential West Texas musicians. He later settled in Austin, helping shape the city’s reputation as a hub for live music.

"Joe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believer who knew music could transport souls," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

In the 1970s, Ely signed with MCA Records, launching a career that included decades of recording and touring around the world. His work and performances left a lasting impact on the music scene and influenced a wide range of artists, including the Clash and Bruce Springsteen, according to Rolling Stone.

"His distinctive musical style could only have emerged from Texas, with its southwestern blend of honky-tonk, rock & roll, roadhouse blues, western swing, and conjunto. He began his career in the Flatlanders, with fellow Lubbock natives Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and he would mix their songs with his through 50 years of critically acclaimed recordings. [...]"

Read the full story at KVUE.com.

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