Theme parks all over the country serve up spooky surprises for Halloween. While lots are great for seasonal fun, some are admittedly better at scaring than others. Here are our picks for the top five Halloween theme park events for the entire family.
No. 5 on our list is Scarowinds, the annual Halloween event at Carowinds, a family amusement park outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. The amusement park transforms around Halloween and brings a number of bone-chilling attractions for guests to experience.
Scarowinds features six scare-zones for the braver kids in the group, six horrifying mazes, several live shows and all of the normal rides fans of Carowinds love. If you’re in the Carolinas for the scary season, this is a great park to bring the kids to.
Cedar Point, located in Sandusky, Ohio, gets a spot on this list for the versatility of its Halloweekends festivities.
During the day on Saturdays and Sundays until Halloween, the Great Pumpkinfest is the perfect place for families to enjoy the less-scary fall activities. Kids can trick or treat with the Peanuts crew, view the Great Pumpkin Parade and much more. Once the sun goes down, things get spooky at the well-known amusement park. A number of scare-zones, haunts and mazes are available for fans of the fearsome.
Fright Fest (Six Flags Theme Parks)
More for the teenagers in your group, Fright Fest is deemed too intense for many kids younger than 13 years old.
The festivities take place on select dates at all six of the Six Flags parks in the United States, from Great Adventure in New Jersey to Magic Mountain in California.
Fright Fest features new attractions in 2018, including new efforts to play on guests’ fears, a macabre mirror maze, a new maze and a new show. If you are really looking to scare your teens and adult kids, this could be the Halloween outing for you.
Halloween Horror Nights (Universal Studios Orlando)
Families who love movies and television shows have no better destination for Halloween than Universal Studios Orlando. The Halloween Horror Nights attractions include haunted houses based on various films and television series. This year, the esteemed park has haunted houses based on Netflix’s Stranger Things, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Poltergeist and Halloween favorite, Trick ‘r Treat.
These might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but families who have watched these classics together will definitely get a kick out of the haunted houses.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (Walt Disney World)
While this entry on the list is definitely not the scariest, it probably is the one with the most callbacks to your own childhood.
The party runs nightly in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Aug. 17—Oct. 31. Some rides get changes for the occasion, including a new story on Pirates of the Caribbean, new music on Space Mountain and new lighting effects on the Mad Tea Party. Guests can meet characters dressed up in Halloween costumes, trick or treat throughout the park, watch a special parade and watch characters from Hocus Pocus put on a show.
Just make sure you ride the Haunted Mansion for some topical entertainment.
Read This Next
#WhereverFamily
Insta FeedDestinations
Sep 2, 2026Look Past the Traditional Classroom with Scott Dunn’s Back-to-School Itineraries
Parents looking to provide their kids with hands-on learning experiences going beyond textbooks by visiting unique destinations with family-centric approaches will find that and more with Scott Dunn's private, expert-led itineraries. These experiences provide lessons the classroom cannot.
Sponsored Content
Best of Both Worlds
Enjoy the best of both worlds when you fly with TAP Air Portugal thanks to the Portugal Stopover program. With the program, TAP passengers, whether traveling for business, leisure or both, can stop in Portugal for up to 10 days at no additional airfare on the way to their final destination. What does this mean for travelers wishing to explore by both land and sea? It means after flying to Portugal with TAP and experiencing the country in an entirely new way, travelers can then embark on scenic river and ocean cruises from Portugal’s port cities, or fly with TAP to another European destination.
Destinations / North America
Sep 2, 2026Visit an Old-Fashioned County Fair in Maine
Celebrate autumn with a family trip to a traditional New England county fair. These annual celebrations of agriculture and country life are filled with sights and activities for the whole family to enjoy, from admiring prize pumpkins and meeting live animals to witnessing horse shows, listening to country music and dancing, and doing craft demonstrations. Most fairs also have carnival rides and hands-on activities for kids.
Destinations / Europe
Sep 2, 2026A Brand-New, World-Class Aquarium Coming to Dublin, Ireland
A groundbreaking new marine attraction, OceanÈire, was recently announced in Dublin, Ireland, promising to redefine family entertainment, marine research and conservation in Ireland. While a debut date and specific location has yet to be revealed, OceanÉire already unveiled several details of the multimillion-dollar aquarium.
Sponsored Content
GET TO KNOW TAP FORBIZ
Unlock flexible, refined business travel with TAP Air Portugal’s program, TAP FORBIZ. Developed for small, medium and large Companies, with options for corporate events, TAP FORBIZ offers exclusive advantages adapted to each type of business.
Hotels
Sep 1, 2026Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa to Welcome Return of Elf on the Shelf This Holiday Season
The magic of Christmas quickly approaches as summer comes to a close, and families can experience the holiday season in a unique way this year.
ShareThis