Couples looking for a nontraditional Valentine's Day celebration can head over to Lincoln Mill Haunted House in Manayunk for a candlelit haunted tour of the 19th century textile mill.
After a successful Halloween debut on Main Street in Manayunk last fall, Lincoln Mill Haunted House is returning for just one night on Saturday, Feb. 11 with Viktor's Valentine, a special Valentine's Day-themed haunted tour with just candles to guide participants through the mill. There will be timed tour slots from 6 to 10 p.m.
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The Valentine's Day tour plays on the legend behind Lincoln Mill Haunted House, a mix of fact and fiction developed by owners Brian Corcodilos and Jared Bilsak. After Hurricane Ida flooded much of Manayunk in September 2021, water damage supposedly revealed a hidden chamber beneath the basement level of the textile mill.
The story goes that in the 1930s, Viktor Kane, the owner of the mill, was torturing and experimenting on his workers. During this special holiday tour, guests will explore the hidden chamber, meeting the mill's inhabitants and the ghost of Viktor's Valentine, a worker who'd fallen in love with Kane while he was conducting his gruesome experiments.
On Feb. 4, 1939, according to the legend, the woman walked through the mill, leaving a trail of hearts inside the hidden chamber. At the end of the trail, she revealed herself and gave Kane a quick kiss before stabbing him in the heart. She then died by suicide, hoping to end the suffering of the workers and be with Kane forever.
The haunted experience features more than 30 live-fear actors, props, special effects and animatronics.
Tickets for Viktor's Valentine at Lincoln Mill Haunted House are available now. Solo participants can snag a ticket for the 6:15 p.m., 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. tour for $25, or couples can grab a pair of tickets for $45. There are also T-shirts and other merchandise available for sale online and in person during the one-night-only event.
For more information about Lincoln Mill Haunted House or its upcoming holiday-themed tours, keep up with Manayunk's haunted attraction on Instagram.
Viktor's Valentine
Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023
Tours 6 to 10 p.m. | $25
Lincoln Mill Haunted House
4100 Main St., Philadelphia, PA 19127