Smyrna's free haunted house takes its final bow

If you have never walked through the Cabrera family's haunted house in Smyrna, this is the year to do it, because it is also the last. After 14 Halloweens of turning their home into a seasonal attraction, the family is closing the doors for good in 2026. The house sits at 1260 Grand View Drive SE in Mableton, which falls within Smyrna city limits, and for more than a decade it has been one of the area's most consistent Halloween traditions.

What makes it stand out is how much work goes into it behind the scenes. Anthony Cabrera, a corporate attorney by day, spends roughly 500 hours a year planning and building the haunts. For the final run, the family is bringing back favorite rooms and scares from previous years as a parting bow. Admission is free, though donations are encouraged, which is where the real point of the whole thing comes in: every dollar raised goes toward Christmas presents for patients at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. The impact is easy to quantify: in 2025 alone, the family collected nearly $35,000, which bought 2,405 gifts for kids who might otherwise go without.

Cabrera's motivation is personal. "Halloween has always been my favorite holiday because I never had much growing up, including Christmas presents, and Halloween was the great equalizer," he said. "Rich or poor, you're getting the same candy."

If you want to catch it before it's gone, here is the schedule. Tonight, Saturday, October 24, it runs from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. After that, it reopens Tuesday, October 27, and Thursday, October 29, both from 7 to 9:30 p.m., then Friday, October 30, from 6 to 10 p.m., and finally on Halloween night, Saturday, October 31, from 6 to 10:30 p.m. A few things are worth knowing before you go. On Halloween night, the road is closed to cars, so you will need to park nearby and walk in. Crowds are expected on the busiest nights, so arriving early is a good idea.

The cause behind the scares is worth knowing, too. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is a non-profit that provides specialized pediatric care to children across all socioeconomic levels in Georgia, managing more than 1.2 million patient visits a year and serving families from all 159 counties. Its Arthur M. Blank Hospital houses one of only four verified level IV NICUs in the state, and the system covers more than 60 specialties with access to more than 1,200 pediatric physicians. From asthma and cancer to neurology and orthopedics, it is the place families across the state rely on when things get serious.

Fourteen years is a long run for a home-grown haunt, and it is rare to see one go out on its own terms rather than fade away. Whether you come for the scares or the cause, this is the last chance to walk through the Cabrera house before it becomes a memory. If you have been meaning to go for years, this is the year to finally do it.