Amusement parks are great places to let loose, relax, and have a great time with your group, but during the Halloween season, they transform into something entirely different. Monsters, maniacs, and mayhem await as you scream your lungs out at these top "spookmusement" parks, amusement parks all over the country that have a knack for scaring the pants off of their guests. These five spooky parks will have you sleeping with the lights on afterward with some of the scariest and immersive experiences you’ll find anywhere. Run for your life through the mazes, try to keep your eyes open during the horrifying shows, or yell for help as you ride some of the most thrilling coasters.
Children under the age of 13 are not recommended for these trips.
Halloween Horror Nights - Universal Orlando, FL
Welcome to the nation’s ultimate Halloween experience, the premier Halloween event that is comprised of 9 haunted houses, 5 scare zones, 2 shows, and 30 terrifying nights. Follow legendary Jack the Clown through such sections as the Insidious house, the Purge house, the American Werewolf in London house, the Walking Dead scare zone, and the Freddy vs. Jason scare zone. Be sure to check out Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure as well as Jack the Clown Carnage show for more spine-tingling thrills as well. You can even ride various thrill rides such as Revenge of the Mummy and MIB Alien Attack. This park comes alive with hordes of mutants and monsters after dark, and it has recently seen over a quarter of its visitors leave the Insidious House due to its graphic and immersive qualities. Maybe bring an extra pair of undergarments for this trip!
Knott’s Scary Farm - Buena Park, Ca
Once a year Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park in Buena Park California transforms into something more terrifying, the aptly named Knott’s Scary Farm. These 160 acres of horror comprise the nation’s largest Halloween event, packed full of roaming monsters, terrifying mazes, and hair-raising scare zones. Your group will have plenty of options for true themed "thrill" rides, including My Bloody Clementine, the murder mine ride, Supreme Scream coaster, Montezuma’s Revenge, and Bigfoot Rapids. The 11 on-site mazes are perhaps what draw the biggest crowds, with everything ranging from Houdini’s ghost led Black Magic to the popular Edgar Allen Poe Forevermore horror maze. You can even take part in a laser gun Special Ops Zombie game, scaring guests more often than you’d think. This park is perfect for all your terror-inducing needs!
Phantom Fright Nights - Kennywood-Pittsburgh, PA
Kennywood Amusement Park takes on a whole new level of terror every fall with the most intense spectacles of sheer terror in Pennsylvania. At this creepy after-dark park your group can learn what true Biofear is in an immersive virus filled doomsday scenario, take a boat ride down Voodoo Bayou, try to escape the Villa of Vampires, or explore the Mortum Manor. Besides these haunted attractions, you can also ride some truly thrilling rides, such as the Black Widow, the Ghostwood Estates, or the world’s most terrifying coaster, Phantom’s Revenge. There is a very popular 4D theater that screens Friday the 13th, sending guests into Camp Crystal Lake for real, or you can watch a Lords of Salem showing followed by a frightening Rob Zombie tribute band. This park has got it all!
Howl-O-Scream - Busch Gardens-Williamsburg, VA
Get ready to walk on the dark side of the gardens in Williamsburg as your group gets all the chills and thrills or this cursed park. Brave guests will want to walk through Wendigo Woods or Demon Street when they arrive, 2 out of 5 of the haunted "terror-tories." Check out the Monster Stomp show on Ripper Row (you may even see Jack himself) or head over to the newest haunted house addition, Scarlett’s Revenge. The creator of this house is also the producer of the Blair Witch Project, so be prepared for some serious scares. After leaving this buried house full of dark magic head over to Cornered, the terrifying maize maze or grab a bite to eat at Blood Banquet or Demon Drinks. You can ride the scream-inducing Tempesto, Griffon, or Curse of Darkastle as you discover all the hair-raising scares, sinister shows, and gruesome creatures within Busch Gardens.
Nightfall - Old Tucson- Tucson, AZ
Last but not least on our list is Tucson's only haunted town, Nightfall. Here your group can bury yourselves in a terrifying town with unbelievable live shows, disturbing haunts, and an impressive collection of hideous live characters that all play part in this other-worldly terror. This attraction has been voted as a contender for the top 10 best national theme park Halloween events by USA Today and attracts guests nationwide annually. Walk around the perpetual nightmare of insanity that is known as Psychomania, Tour the apocalyptic hell of the Bunker, or take part in an all-time fan favorite, the Iron Door Mine. These tunnels underground are thought to be truly haunted by the wayward miners who have been deserted here. Take advantage of the live Magic of Macabre or terrifying Fertile Ground shows, or maybe the Twisted Circus or Haunted Hayride! Grab your group and get out here, this ghost town is gobbling up guests faster than you can say "ghost!"
