October is one of my favorite months of the year. For as long as I can remember, the 1st of October is a day in which I plan out the month ahead. As I have gotten older and started traveling more, I have been able to add “Visit Spooky Travel Destinations” to my list of traditions. The US West Coast is filled with fun places for children, towns for the entire family to enjoy, and some downright terrifying stops. Happy Halloween month!
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Spooky Travel Destinations for Kids: Disneyland, Anaheim, California
The “Most Magical Place on Earth” goes all out for their Halloween celebration. From September 7th (they start even earlier than I do!) to October 31st they decorate the park, change up some rides, and even offer a special after-park-hours event.
The Pumpkin Statue is busy all day long, and to get a photo with it you will have to wait in line!
Last year I had a chance to visit! This coincided with the inaugural themed celebration at Disneyland’s sister park: California Adventure. Each park had its own fun touches. It is worth it to buy the Park Hopper ticket at this time of year, to access all of the Halloween fun in both parks. Children 3 and under are free, Ages 3-9 are $160.00 and adults will run you $167.00 per Park Hopper Pass.
Only have one day to visit Disneyland? Check out my post for the perfect tips!
This spooky travel destination retains its usual park rides and character meet and greets during the Halloween season
Disneyland
In Disneyland, the Main Street becomes a Pumpkin Festival. The street is lined with jack-o-lanterns, and you practically walk right into a huge Mickey Pumpkin upon entry. Characters transform too! Last year I got to see both Minnie Mouse and Goofy in their spooky attire.
The Halloween fun starts right at the entrance!
The fun does not stop there, because certain rides offer themed experiences. Both Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion become even scarier rides.
*Note: As of 2019, this ride is now Star Wars themed Hyperspace.
Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy is predominantly for older children. Although it has a height requirement of only 40″, it is completely in the dark. FastPasses are available for the ride, and they are beneficial at this busier time of year. Haunted Mansion Holiday melds The Nightmare Before Christmas with the original, already scary ride. We did not get a chance to experience it, because Fast Passes ran out around 4 PM.
Goofy is all dressed up for Halloween!
California Adventure
California Adventure continues the Nightmare Before Christmas theme, with Oogie Boogie greeting you at the entrance. A Headless Horseman Statute awaits in the park. If you stick around long enough, you will see the cool effects added to the statue. The biggest change to the park is Cars Land. Luigi’s Honkin Haul-O-Ween and Mater’s Junkyard JamBOOree are perfect themed rides for younger kids. My favorite Halloween addition of the entire park was Guardians of the Galaxy: Monsters After Dark. Although I was very upset that Disney built the ride in what was previously Tower of Terror, this makes up for it. The lovable characters from the Marvel movie paired with the drop factor will leave you full of adrenaline!
Visiting California Adventure at night was a treat!
Monsters After Dark is officially one of my favorite rides at Disney!
Spooky Travel Destinations for the Family: Spirit of Halloweentown, St. Helens, Oregon
***September 2020 Update: It looks like Halloweentown will still be happening this year, of course with modifications. Grab my Guide To Halloweentown & Check out the Spirit of Halloweentown Facebook page for details!
If you grew up watching Disney Channel (Family Channel in Canada) in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, you have probably seen the movie “Halloweentown”. The story revolves around a teenage girl and her family, who find out they are witches from another realm.
My sister and I spent our childhood watching this movie, and its sequels, together!
Halloweentown
Back in 1998, the movie was filmed in St. Helens, Oregon. Every year since, the town has put on a month long festival, transforming the town and hosting events. Whether you have seen the movie or not, there is something for everyone in the family.
Meet Benny, the skeleton cab driver from the movie!
Some of the activities include photo ops around the town, a haunted house that is accessible for both children and adults, and movie marathons. In 2018, I got to attend the 20th anniversary celebrity pumpkin lighting. The original cast were all present to light the pumpkin (minus Debbie Reynolds, who sadly passed away in 2016). To see the cast of a movie I watched year after year as a child was magical. To see so many people show up for this event was also magical.
Last year (2017) there was a small, unassuming memorial to Debbie Reynolds, who plays Grandma Aggie in the movie
The town itself has such charm, being located right on the Columbia River. It remains a small town with antique shops and an old-style movie theater. Best part? Touring around the town is free!
Planning a trip to Halloweentown this year? Use my Adventure Planner to make sure it is the trip of your dreams!
Visiting during the Celebrity Pumpkin lighting was such a cool experience, even for my husband who is not the hugest fan of the movies!
Spooky Travel Destinations for Adults: Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California
The story of the Winchester Mystery House is a unique one. Its owner, Sarah Winchester, lost both her husband and her daughter at a young age. She was convinced this was because their family had made their fortune in Winchester Repeating Arms. Their rifles amassed many casualties throughout the Civil War. Sarah spent almost 40 years constructing a mansion, non-stop. There are some pretty odd features: a staircase that leads nowhere, a door that opens from the 2nd floor to a drop down below, and a creepy seance room. It is said these designs were put in place to confuse spirits.
The house has been home to many paranormal sightings over the years. There are questionable pictures taken by employees, video surveillance footage, and many individual people who report their own experiences. While I have been there twice and have tried really hard to see something out of the ordinary, I have had no such luck.
*Note: There is no picture taking inside the house, so make sure you get a chance to take some around the grounds and in the beautiful garden!
I was desperately searching for some paranormal activity on this hot October day!
Standard Tours
The house itself is beautiful, and any tour you take will leave you a little bit spooked. The standard Mansion Tour lasts just over an hour, and a guide leads you through the never-ending house. In 2017 the Explore More tour began, and it takes you through newly opened rooms. Packaging both The Mansion Tour and the Explore More tour will cost you $54.00 if you buy online ahead of time. The regular tour is $39.00/adult or $20.00 Ages 6-12. I took the extended tour, and I have to say that there is something infinitely creepier about it. On this tour you have to wear a hard hat due to the sensitive nature of this part of the house, and it is an Age 10+ tour due to safety concerns.
The house itself is so beautiful!
Unhinged & Seasonal Experiences
During Halloween time, there are added tours that occur at night. New for 2019 is a multi-sensory experience called Unhinged. This tour will cost you $44-54, and is not recommended for children under 13. In 2018 the seasonal night-time theme was “13th Door”, where you would tour through 13 spooky doors that all have a significance to the house. I can imagine that being in the dark makes the house seem much more scary.
The gardens in front of the house are well maintained, and give you a good excuse to walk around the house looking for ghosts!
You can find the mansion on many “ghost hunter” shows, so if you are a fan of those, chances are you have seen this house. Whether you believe in those sorts of things or not, the house is certainly an oddity. The architecture is beautiful, and the madness that drove Sarah Winchester to build and build and build is certainly intriguing.
Here you can see just how large the house is! Three floors were lost in The Great San Francisco Earthquake in 1906
For more West Coast adventures, check out my US West Coast Road Trip post!
2019 Addition: West Coast Spooky Historical Destination: Alcatraz
Have you seen the movie Shutter Island? Alcatraz is just like that, except it is real! The only way to the island located off the coast of San Francisco is by boat, and the ride there is through the harsh and frigid waters of San Francisco Bay.
The view approaching Alcatraz!
“The Rock” served as an isolated maximum prison from the 1930s to early 1960s. There were few attempted escapes and only one that was successful (although it is believed the inmates never made it to land.) While touring the island that is home to the prison you can visit the actual cells that are riddled with bullet holes and see spattered blood stains from The Battle of Alcatraz. You can look into the cell from which Frank Lee Morris made his great escape. And you can even head into a solitary confinement cell. The guards and their families lived on the island, and you can view these buildings as well.
The interior of Alcatraz- cells upon cells upon cells
Alcatraz is a part of U.S history, so it is much less gimmicky than the other destinations. You can visit during the evening for a night tour, but that is as spooky as it gets- unless of course you run into one of the many rumoured ghosts of the island!
The view from the top of the island!
More West Coast Spooky Destinations
While these are four of the spooky travel destinations I have been to during the month of October, there are many other creepy places to check out. Portland is known for celebrating Halloween all month long. In Seattle you can visit an actual historical morgue that has been turned into a haunted house! And my personal favorite? The Whaley House in San Diego. It holds the title of the “Most Haunted House in America” and has a tumultuous history. I have some unexplained pictures from my time there, and had an eerie feeling throughout my experience.
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October is the perfect time to celebrate a bit of spooky in your life. Whether you are scared of these sorts of things, and prefer pumpkin patches and Disney movies (Hocus Pocus, anyone?) or love to be scared out of your mind at haunted houses, there is are spooky travel destinations for everyone!
Happy Halloween!
Samantha,
A Truthful Traveler
Now these are some awesome suggestions for Halloween lovers! Would be fun to visit the west coast to see these places sometime, thanks for sharing your experience 🙂
Thanks so much! Although they are cooler at Halloween, these places are still awesome any time of the year, decorated or not!!!
Interesting and fun post! I’ve heard about Disneyland but Halloweentown is something new. Gotta add these places to my bucket list. My daughter would love to visit these spooky attractions.
I hope you get a chance to see Halloweentown, it is a very special place! Thanks for reading!
Spooky! I’m the type of person who creams and jumps during ghost tours, so I’m not sure I could tour a real life haunted house!
It definitely takes some bravery to take the tour, although there are usually many people in the house so it doesn’t seem as scary!
The US seems like the place to be for Halloween-themed trips! It seems to be a country where people really do go all-out!
It is! It is the country where everyone goes all out for all holidays and occasions!
Great list of place to visit! I’m so game for Halloween at Disneyland! That would be so amazingggggg. I’ll most probably dress up as a Disney princess LOL live my childhood dream hahaha
Halloween is actually the only time of year where you can dress up in a character costume and walk through the park (or else it confuses kids and adults alike to see characters everywhere they turn!)
What a perfect, timely post! I am obsessed with your posts from Halloweentown — although.. gosh what a creepy, creepy movie. I loved traveling to Salem, Mass but it was SUPER crowded when we were there..
Thanks so much! Halloweentown is super fun! I can imagine that Salem gets insanely busy all October long, that is another spooky destination on my list!
Yeah, spookiness! I’ve grown up in Europe and Halloween is only starting to get popular there over the past few years, but I love it! Great post, would love to go there and visit during halloween! 🙂
I found that so interesting, that Halloween seems to only be a big holiday in North America!
Great round up! I once stayed at a ‘haunted house’ Airbnb in Seattle, and I was lucky enough to spend Halloween in Salem, MA a few years back. As an Australian I don’t have much experience with Halloween, but spooky stuff is always fun for sure!
I didn’t know we had haunted house Airbnbs here- I live in Seattle! I can imagine that Salem was extra scary and extra busy during Halloween!!!
An awesome post! I LOVE Disneyland and Disneyworld, so celebrating holidays there is a no-brainer. My brother lives in Portland and I’ve visited him there in October, and there’s this amazing house that the owners have converted into a creepy dollhouse for the week leading up to Halloween – you have to visit, it’s hilarious and quite impressive!
I have heard that Portland goes all out for Halloween, and that there are many houses that get all decorated. That sounds like a fun/spooky time!
There is no place to be for Halloween like the US! Carved pumpkins everywhere and candlelight tours of spooky houses – so much fun. And all things that bring generations together! This post is so full of Halloween energy that as I was reading it, there was lightning and thunder outside. Not kidding. Happy Halloween!
Oh that must have made for a spooky read! The US definitely takes Halloween to the next level, as it does for many holidays!
Don’t forget the Queen Mary! A haunted ship. I’ve never been but it’s on my spooky destination list!
I’ve heard of it, but I have also never been! Maybe next year I should check it out, and add it to the post! Thanks for the recommendation 🙂
My best friend and I used to do Halloween Horror Nights at Universal in Orlando. It was so much fun. I’ve also been at Disney World during Halloween, but never Disneyland. It would be fun to travel to the west coast to experience Halloween. That house in San Fran seems very creepy.
Oh that sounds awesome, I have heard the one at Universal Hollywood is also pretty spectacular. Traveling to the West Coast is a good idea at any time!!!
I knew about DisneyLand but I hadn’t heard of the others. Of course I haven’t been out to the west coast yet either so that’s something I need to do ;p
You HAVE to pay the West Coast a visit, it is so different from everywhere else in the country. It is so cool to have forests and mountains and ocean all in one place!
I e always want to see the west coast. I will get there someday ?
That sounds like a really great adventure. Going to Halloweentown is a dream of mine.
It is such a cool place! I was especially excited to go this year, as it was the 20th anniversary of the film!
Thank you so much for sharing your travels. I have never heard of some of these spooky places. I cant wait to visit.
Thank you so much for reading it! I hope you get a chance to experience a West Coast Halloween!
These all look great fun! Halloween at Disney is the best!
Disney during any holiday is the best! Disney in general is the best!
This is a great roundup! I haven’t been to any of them, but sounds like it’d be fun!
xoxo Carolyn @ http://www.mychicobsession.com
Thanks so much, it is definitely cool to add some sightseeing to Halloween fun!
The Mystery House is beautiful! I had no idea. I think a fall trip next year will need to be on the books! Great list!!
It is super cool, even if maybe it is not haunted! Seeing such a huge and odd house in the middle of a now busy city is so unique!
Halloweentown is one of my favorite movies!! I would love to travel to Oregon and check out that town!!
Yay, I’m glad someone else knows it and loves it!! It is a pretty cool town!
I love anything that deals with spooky. And since travelling to California is one place I love to go, I am looking for to the places your recommend.
Califorinia is a great place to visit in general, and has so many cool spooky things to do!
This looks really fun, definitely need to check this out!
Awesome! All of the attractions are fun in their own way!
What a fun post this is – Headless Horseman Statute, Candlelight Tours, Haunted Mansion – my kids would love to “freak-out” 😉 at such awesome spooky destinations.
Thanks so much! I love that Disney puts on a huge thing for kids, “kid” scary is sometimes the best kind of scary!
I love the the idea of Disney Halloween but the Winchester House sounds so bizarre! I think the candlelit tours would certainly add some atmosphere.
The Winchester House is definitely an interesting place, even if you just visit for what a weird house it is!
What a fun post! I’ve lived in San Jose most of my live and have passed by the Winchester mystery house a zillion times but yet to go in ?. We should make it happen this Halloween. Thanks for sharing.
That’s crazy, you should definitely check it out! It’s such a cool house, haunted or not!
What a fun article! I love your enthusiasm for all things spooky! I once stayed at the Shanely Hotel which is one of the most haunted hotels in the US. So I share your love and will be saving this for the future.
That would be a bit too spooky for me, but seems like a cool adventure! Thanks for reading!