Haunted Woods Travel Guide

     If this is your first trip out to these spooky places, you are in the right place. This article will give you all the knowledge and safety tips to have a fun, spooky time, whether you are exploring the woods, hanging out at the fairgrounds, or buying some goodies from the marketplace. The Haunted Woods may look foreboding, but there is always fun to be found. Just read my article to help you plan your next perfect spooky trip!

     The Haunted Woods:

     One must first venture through the Haunted Woods in order to make it to the Deserted Fairgrounds or Neovia. It is an eerie place, home to some of Neopia’s more unique characters. Ghost neopets wander amongst the trees and every now and then a monstrous Mutant or Halloween neopet can be spotted! There are also a few residents who offer up quests to those who are willing, a haunted house, a castle and even a graveyard!

     I know many neopets, like myself, enjoy completing a quest or two. The Haunted Woods is home to three different quests, the Brain Tree, Esophagor, and Edna. These are not your normal quests though, so read on so you don’t find yourself wandering aimlessly.

     The Brain Tree is a fascinating resident of the Haunted Woods. It is believed that he has grown there since the beginning of time itself! He seeks knowledge that only the Esophagor can provide which means to complete a Brain Tree quest, you must complete a couple of Esophagor quests as well. Be careful though, the Esophagor will only award you knowledge when you have first started a brain tree quest. How else is he supposed to know what questions to answer?

     The Esophagor is a strange creature with an insatiable appetite and if you agree to fetch him some food, he will gift you either an answer to one of the Brain Trees questions or an item. Each quest will provide a new answer, so you must complete multiple quests for the Esophagor in order to receive all the answers the Brain Tree seeks. Once you get all the answers needed from the Esophagor, you can complete your Brain Tree quest and receive a petpet or some special battledome equipment for your troubles.

     If you are still feeling up to it, there is a 3rd quest you can seek out at the Witches Tower. A witch named Edna lives up there and she’s always struggled with her spells, but she just needs someone to help her obtain the right ingredients. Whether she is evil or not is up for debate and she certainly isn’t very kind, so don’t expect any kind words from her. It’s really an enter her lair at your own risk kind of place. However, if you are feeling up to the task, Edna will reward you with a small sum of neopoints and a Spooky Treat. Sometimes, she even rewards you with an avatar!

     When you are finished questing, there is a Wanderer’s Camp located in the woods. It is home to vagabonds who enjoy telling scary stories around the campfire. If you want to learn a little about the legends surrounding the Haunted Woods, this is the best place to hear them. You can learn about poor Brutus and the curse that plagued Neovia. I would be surprised if you did not hear these stories as they are the Wanderers favourite to recite. After you finish hearing stories, follow the eerie path at the edge of the camp. This will take you to Neovia itself. It’s okay, the curse is only a legend after all.

     Neovia:

      Neovia was once home to an exiled aristocratic family who practised dark magic. They had a majestic mansion with a town built around it. The curse that was rumoured to have occurred was caused by this very family. Their mansion was burnt down and it took ten years before new residents were able to rebuild the town. Unlike the Deserted Fairgrounds and Haunted Woods, the streets are lit up and clean from cobwebs. It is hard to imagine what horrors occurred here. Neovia is now home to a variety of shops where one can shop to their heart's content. The architecture resembles that of Victorian styled buildings which is a striking contrast when compared to its surroundings.

     My favourite shops to visit are The Crumpetmonger, Neovian Printing Press, and Prigpants & Swolthy, Tailors. The treats at The Crumpetmonger are simply delicious – I highly recommend trying one of their many scrumptious scones. They serve such a variety that I am still attempting to sample all of them! I haven’t found one that I don’t like yet. After grabbing a scone, head on over to the Neovian Printing Press. This bookstore has one of the best variety of books I have seen. They have everything from poetry to news from all across Neopia. Any neopet can find something that piques their interest. But of course, the trip would not be complete without shopping for some Victorian styled garments at Prigpants & Swolthy, Tailors. I’ve picked up some beautiful dresses and hats for my neopets to wear. Once you are done shopping, what better way to end the day than to head on over to the Deserted Fairgrounds.

     The Deserted Fairgrounds:

     The Deserted Fairgrounds were one of the first fairgrounds ever built in Neopia. The fairgrounds were bustling and full of life, with all types of neopets crowding the walkways. Carnival games were in no short supply and the rides were a thrill. Now, the grounds lay nearly abandoned most of the year with few neopets brave enough to enter. Cobwebs and dust have altered the grounds into an ominously sinister place. It’s hard to imagine this place full of neopets. Despite the foreboding nature of the fairgrounds though, there are still many fun games and unique foods to try out.

      If you want to see how strong (or lucky) you are, walk on over to Arnold at the Test your Strength booth. Arnold says his game isn’t rigged, but I’ve seen some strong neopets make some wimpy scores. Regardless, you have to make sure to bring at least 100 neopoints to play. Arnold doesn’t like neopets trying to play for free. How else would he have such awesome prizes? Most of the prizes are some variety of peculiar foods that can be found at the Spooky Foods booth, but if you are lucky enough, you may find yourself in possession of a rare Halloween Paint Brush.

     Speaking of the Spooky Foods Booth, you must try some of their treats. The food is anything but ordinary, and many might call it gross, but it wouldn’t be a trip to the Deserted Fairgrounds without trying one of the treats. As they say, if it croaks, flaps, or slithers, chances are you can buy it at Spooky Food. You can’t knock it until you try it. Although, for those less adventurous neopets you can try some of their more normal treats like pumpkin cookies or pumpkin pie.

     The visit to the fairgrounds wouldn’t be complete without trying your hand at Coconut Shy run by Leeroy the Quiggle. This too costs 100 neopoints per throw. Many people also accuse Leeroy of rigging the game, but neopets have been known to knock a coconut over on rare occasions. If you manage to knock one of the coconuts over, you will be gifted a hefty 10,000 neopoints, an avatar, and an evil coconut! Even knocking one hard enough to move it will award you a small prize.

     If you still have some neopoints left to spend and some time to kill, stop on by the Deserted Fairground Kiosk and visit Sidney. For 1,200 neopoints, you can try your luck and see if you can win the jackpot! Even if you don’t win the jackpot, you can still win either a small pot of neopoints ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 neopoints or some spooky food. When you finish up at the Fairgrounds, you’ll have to go through the Haunted Woods to get back home.

     What did I tell you? The Haunted Woods, Neovia, and Deserted Fairgrounds have so much to offer, especially now during their peak season. If you feel brave enough to visit, I’d love to hear what your favourite part was!