You are here:About>Cities & Towns>Fall Fun> Halloween> Halloween Events-- Haunted Houses and other Halloween Fun in 2005  
About.comFall Fun

2005: Halloween Haunted Happenings

Halloween fun
Six Flags Fright Fest

It'll soon be Halloween Again...
And kids just love to be scared -- at least a little bit.


Each year brings more Halloween events: Boos at Zoos, Haunted Houses, and creepy fun staged everywhere from science museums to corn mazes.

Whether you're taking a family trip or just want to find activities in your area, these Web sites can find to scary fun.

2005 Halloween Events

Want to take some Halloween books along on the trip?

multiple locations:

Note: please double-check dates in case some websites haven't updated yet for 2005!

  • Halloween at Country Inns and B&B's
    What a great idea for a getaway: head to a place with safe Halloween fun -- from Ghost Walks to haunted forests to pumpkin parades-- that also throws in delicious breakfasts and sometimes afternoon snacks too. This link includes several spots in New England.

  • GoCityKids
    This fine site covers family events in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, LA, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC. You're certain to find Halloween Happenings. (A modest membership fee is needed to access calendars.)

  • Parks Scare Up Halloween Events
    Halloween at theme parks means haunted houses, mazes, scary shows, and other macabre fun. About's guide for Theme Parks covers the scene. Warning: some of these events are for big kids only.

  • Booville-- Halloween Haunts
    The BOOville Halloween site lists haunted houses state by state. The site needs updating, but many of the events listed will be repeated year after year, and phone numbers are provided so you can call for info.

  • Hauntfinder
    Select a state to find Haunted Local Attractions such as commercial haunted houses, haunted walks, mazes, etc. Some are marked "Very Scary"; some are suitable for youngsters.

Sister site Yard Haunts covers non-commercial "home and yard" haunted happenings, typically created by families for families.

Warning! Some kids find haunted fun too scary! Be sure to carefully assess the haunted happening and how much fright-fun your child can handle comfortably.

  • New York:
     NY City Halloween for Kids at GoCity Kids
    Click on the link above, select New York as your city, and see an amazing list of fun family events: for example, Boo at the Zoo at several zoos; the Central Park Great Halloween Party, with huge pumpkin patch, a haunted house, arts and crafts, children's theater; and in Brooklyn a Haunted Walk & Carnival where over 2500 kids a year walk with their intrepid families through a forest filled with goblins, mummies, druids, etc. Lots more events!

  • Pennsylvania:
     Sesame Place: Count Dracula's Halloween Spooktacular Party On weekends, catch The Count's Halloween Spooktacular: come in costume; trick-or-treat in the theme park; decorate a pumpkin; go for a hayride; tour the Count's Castle. Also, check Events at the website to find out about an annual party, and "Sesame After Dark" with a Halloween theme. Sesame Place is located near Langhorne PA, 30 minutes from Philadelphia, 90 minutes from NYC.

  • Skytop Lodge Edgar Allan Poe Weekends
    This huge     Dutch Colonial stone lodge has 70 years of history, 5500 acres of forest, multiple family activities, and theme weekends including Edgar Allan Poe weekends throughout November. If you want more scary fun after Halloween, this could be your chance: with a Prince's Ball, Freakish Feasts, children's stories and games, a Grand Magic show, and a scary laughing contest.

  • Hershey PA: Hersheypark in the Dark and more
    Three hours from NYC, 1.5 hours from Baltimore, Chocolate Town USA goes all out for Halloween. Hershey PA has a bunch of Hershey attractions, most notably a classy 1930's hotel, and the Hersheypark theme park with kiddie fun and wild coasters too. Three weekends in October feature: Hersheypark in the Dark; Halloween Costume Contest; Creatures of the Night at ZooAmerica after dark; Hershey's Trick-or-Treat Adventure; A Chilling Day with Poe; and Halloween Breakfast with Hershey's Product Characters.

  • Florida:
    Florida Celebrates Halloween
    About's guide for Florida for Visitors covers fun for all ages, including a huge street party in Tampa that draws more than 100,000 people. Shamu celebrates at SeaWorld, too.

  • Walt Disney World:
    Mickey's Not-so-scary Halloween Party
    This guest article at TWKids gives a first-hand account of this very popular annual event in the Magic Kingdom, held on multiple nights in October. Features include: trick-or-treating, Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, costume parties, storytelling, live shows, and Halloween fireworks above the Cinderella Castle.

  • Orlando- For Locals
    About's Guide for Orlando has a round-up of local haunted houses, Boovilles, Spooktaculars, and more.

  • in northern Florida, Amelia Island has Haunted History Tours in October. Amelia Island has a quaint, historic town as well as beaches and resorts.

  • New Orleans
    Sadly, we can expect no Halloween celebrations this year. But it's no surprise that in the past -- and surely in the future-- New Orleans knows how to party for Halloween: the web site of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau featured such haunted events as Boo at the Audubon Zoo; Scarium at the Aquarium; Operation Pumpkin; a Ghostly Galavant through through the St. Louis Cemetary; Ghost Tours and many more events. Let's hope for a return of family Halloween events in this city famous for atmosphere.

  • San Antonio, Texas
    Families with young kids can do Zoo Boo at the San Antonio Zoo, with trick or treat, entertainment, costume parade, games. Tickets cost $5 or less!

  • Haunted Wisconsin
    A whole haunted state! Don't be scared by the macabre welcome page, which is geared more to teens and truly-scary events; if you click "Events," you can select Event Type, and then choose "Family" or "Hayride" for gentler fun.

  • Sheboygan, Wisconsin: Boo Harbor Resort
    Blue Harbor Resort-- on Lake Michigan, build in the style of a grand old hotel, with the bonus of its own indoor water park-- will turn into “Boo Harbor Resort” October 14 to 31 2005. Kids can trick or treat through the haunted Boo Harbor Shipwreck Trail, with facepainting and games; make Halloween crafts; join in “Spooktacular Storytime”, Scarecrow Building contest, and Spooky Scavenger Hunt.

  • California:
    Legoland, California
    The 128-acre Legoland in Carslbad has an annual Brick or Trick celebration with Halloween theme shows and attractions, spooky characters, daily costume contests, ghoulish entertainment, and LEGO models like this witch made out of 54,000 LEGO bricks. 2005LEGO creations include a six-foot wide LEGO pumpkin that weighs 350 pounds. Kids can trick-or-treat on a kid-sized Brick-or-Treat trail.

  • Universal Studios Halloween Horror Night: attend if you dare, in Orlando or Anaheim, on a bunch of nights throughout October, and on a few nights in November too. Definitely not for little kids!

  • Disneyland: Haunted Mansion Holiday
    For several years, Disneyland has offered this special event: the classic Haunted Mansion ride meets Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. Starting in early October and continuing into January, the Haunted Mansion ride has a different look, decked out with candles and pumpkins and a coffin sleigh; Jack Skellington from the movie Nightmare Before Christmas beckons guests into the interior, which is re-decorated for a spooky "Scary Christmas". Luckily, this is Disney World, so things can't get too nasty.

  • Knott's Berry Farm Halloween Haunt
    Knott's Berry Farm in Southern California (150 acres of rides and attractions) has lots of horror every year. Another place that's probably not for little kids!

  • Hawaii:
    on the Big Island, the Waikoloa Beach Marriott-- one of the Outrigger Hotels-- has for several years hosted "Hawaii's Best Spooky Tales" with an author/storyteller on October 31. Author Rick Carroll has written "True Spooky Stories of Hawaii" and other Hawaii bestsellers. It's likely that 2004 will offer this event again.
  • France
    Halloween in France? Well, some of the earliest Halloween traditions started in Europe. Though seen as primarily an American holiday, recently Halloween celebrations are becoming more popular in France. About's Guide for France for Visitors covers the scene. I second this idea: delicious creations at chocolateries.

See also: Salem Halloween Events and Mexico's Day of the Dead festivities

More Halloween
  • About's Guide for Family Crafts has Make Your Own Haunted House and hundreds of Halloween ideas

    • * photos courtesy of Walt Disney World and Legoland.

     All Topics | Email Article | | |
    Advertising Info | News & Events | Work at About | SiteMap | Reprints | HelpOur Story | Be a Guide
    User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy©2008 About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.