WINDERMERE, Fla. ā Itās a haunted house that you visit from behind the wheel. A Central Florida car wash is transforming into the āTunnel of Terrorā for one weekend only and itās for a great cause.
āYouāre getting a lot of soap, youāre getting a lot of fog, youāre getting a lot of scares in there,ā said Sweetwater Car Wash General Manager Michelle Alderman.
News 6 Anchor and Insider Guide Crystal Moyer and Trooper Steve were just a couple of the hundreds of visitors getting those scares after visiting the Tunnel of Terror at a different Sweetwater location last year.
The experience starts before you even enter the car wash with more than a dozen of menacing monsters wreaking havoc.
Then when you get inside the tunnel, shadowy figures hiding behind some of the equipment.
The lights. The foamy soap. The sounds, just adding to the nightmare.
āTo make it safe for everyone, we turn off a lot of the equipment in the tunnel so thereās nothing moving, but youāre still getting a car wash. With the soap covering your windows itās difficult to see which makes it scary,ā said Alderman.
In its fourth year, the Sweetwater Car Wash Tunnel of Terror in Windermere is doing something new by partnering with local students to raise money for neighboring Horizon West Middle School.
āWeāre doing it as a fundraiser to give back to the community. Proceeds from each ticket will go to the school for different student programs,ā said Alderman.
Nearly 30 students and their parents are expected to volunteer during the two-day event encouraging community members to show up and support, no matter the age.
The cost is $20 per vehicle and the Tunnel of Terror runs Friday and Saturday 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The location is 11675 Silverlake Park Drive in Windermere.
āIt takes a lot of work, a lot of decorations, a lot of cobwebs and a lot of lights,ā said Alderman. āItās a big team building event for us. We like to get all the staff together and the kids put on unique costumes and we really scare people, so itās really fun.