Halloween in Houston

Family Friendly Thrills and Chills

Not a fan of the ghosts and the ghouls? Check out Houston's family-friendly attractions and events.

Boo on the Boardwalk
Oct. 5-31, 2018
On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the entire month of October, families can enjoy an array of Halloween themed activities at Boo on the Boardwalk in Kemah. Brave souls who dare may want to take a stroll to the dark side at the Dungeon of Doom Haunted House. For the little ones, the Little Boo Haunted Fun House offers tons of spooky fun. Other attractions include pumpkin decorating, live entertainment, and costume contests.

Halloween Monster Mayhem
Oct. 10-31, 2018
For three weeks in October, the Children’s Museum of Houston unleashes monstrous mayhem as it transforms into the Monsters’ Museum of Houston. We dare you to witness how monsters have rummaged, scoured, combed, and turned the Museum upside down to make room for their monster lairs. Don’t miss the daily trick-or-treat monster hunts, the first-ever slime-off, and the grand finale Monster Mash Bash, which includes a Thriller Dance Party for the kiddos.

Zoo Boo
Oct. 12-28, 2018 (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays)
Dress up in your spookiest costume and get ready to trick-or-treat, learn about bats, paint pumpkins, and play carnival games during Zoo Boo – the Houston Zoo’s annual Halloween event. Open for three weekends in October, Zoo Boo is one of Houston’s best Halloween celebrations. Don’t miss this year’s Halloween Zoovie Night on October 27 for fun activities and spooky films after dark.

ArBOOretum
Oct. 20, 2018
Head out to the Houston Arboretum for their annual Halloween event. Walk a forest trail with scattered trick-or-treat locations, activities and opportunities to learn about wildlife. Activities include hay rides, a petting zoo, pony rides, a cake walk, carnival games, face painting and pumpkin decorating.

Pumpkin Patch Fall Festival
Oct. 20 and 21, 2018
This two-day fall festival returns to a transformed Russ Pitman Park at the Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire. Go with your family and pick out the perfect pumpkin, ride a horse-drawn wagon, visit local vendors, play on bounce houses and climbing walls, and get some good grub. Admission is free. Games, activities and food cost a varying number of tickets.

Tricks & Treats Among the Trees
Oct. 24, 2018
Kids and the young at heart are invited to a free trick-or-treat nature trail at Jesse H. Jones Park. Costumed trick-or-treaters are welcome to enjoy fun Halloween crafts, games, hayrides, a critter storybook trail, and more. Proceeds from carnival-inspired games benefit Jones Park.

Scream on the Green
Oct. 26, 2018
Discovery Green hosts Scream on the Green from 6-10 p.m. Dress up and take part in Houston’s citywide costume contest. Plus, enjoy live music, face painting, dancing, and a showing of this year’s feature film: E.T. the Extraterrestrial.

Halloween at Washington on the Brazos
Oct. 27, 2018
Head about an hour northwest of Houston to the place “where Texas became Texas” for a full day of Halloween fun! Start off with trunk or treating in the lawn in front of the visitor center at Washington On The Brazos State Historic Site. At 3 p.m., listen to spooky tales at Independence Hall. Enjoy games, refreshments and candy. Kids in costume can partake in the costume parade that starts at 5:30 p.m. Later, at 6:30 p.m., visitors are invited to tour the museum by flashlight, listen to old tavern tales and go for a wagon ride during Night at the Museum & Tavern Tales.

Halloween Car Show
Oct. 27, 2018
Come out and see more than 100 cars from classic to contemporary, from motorized to hoof, while supporting local charities. Enjoy the fall festival atmosphere at the National Museum of Funeral History from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 28. Activities include face painting and arts and crafts for the kids, great food, a live DJ, silent auction and more.

Saengerfest Mini Monster Bash
Oct. 27, 2018
Halloween fun awaits you at the 8th Annual Saengerfest Mini Monster Bash at Saengerfest Park in Galveston. This free, spooktacular festival on Saturday, October 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. features games and prizes, trick-or-treating at participating downtown businesses, face painting, and a costume contest for children.

Moody Gardens Ghostly Gardens
Oct. 28, 2018
Drive out to Moody Gardens’s Halloween celebration for some free fun! Trick-or-treat throughout the complex, make creepy crafts, get your face painted and participate in a costume contest. Families with a member dressed in Halloween costume get discounted admission to Moody Gardens attractions.

Traders Village Boo Bash
Oct. 28, 2018
Throw on your best Halloween costume and get ready to do the Monster Mash as Traders Village, Houston’s largest flea market. The free, spooky Boo Bash for kids features live musical entertainment, activities, and monster-sized trick-or-treating.

MECA Día De Los Muertos Festival
Oct. 27-28, 2018
This public celebration of Latin American folk art traditions commemorating family and ancestry at MECA will delight you with its community ofrenda exhibition, food, dance and music.

Day of the Dead de los Muertos Celebration
Nov. 1- 4, 2018
Visit the National Museum of Funeral History to learn more about the Latin American customs surrounding the Day of the Dead. Explore altars by local artists and enjoy kid-friendly activities. This year, don’t miss viewings of the Disney Pixar movie Coco on Nov. 2 and 3, free with museum admission.

PUMPKIN PATCHES & COSTUMES

Picking the perfect pumpkin can be quite a task. Luckily, Houston is packed with patches all over the city. Try Old Time Christmas Tree Farm, Dewberry Farm, Blessington Farms, or Oil Ranch for prime pumpkin picking, hay rides and other activities. Searching for the perfect costume? Be sure and stop by Frankel's Costume Co.-- a Houston staple for Halloween fashion.

Scare Tactics

Looking for an adrenaline rush or just want to get into the “spirit” of the season, check out these haunted houses.

Houston Scream Fest
Thursdays through Sundays in October, and Oct. 30 and 31, 2018
The Houston Scream Fest is more than a haunted house; it’s a month-long festival. Shoot at walking dead zombies with paintball markers, try to escape the asylum, scream your way through the castle of doom, and more. Also, enjoy live music and freak show performances.

ScreamWorld
Oct. 4 - Nov. 3, 2018
Named the best haunted house in Houston by the Houston Chronicle and the Houston Press, Screamworld contains five terrifying attractions: The Maze of Maniacs, the Haunted Hotel, the Edge of Darkness, Jake’s Slaughterhouse, and the Zombie Graveyard. Screamworld is open Thursday to Sundays from Oct. 4 to Oct. 21, Oct. 23-Oct. 31 and Nov. 2-3. Only go if you dare.

Haunted Trails
Sep. 28 - Nov. 3, 2018
Walk the trails of Houston’s most thrilling outdoor attraction. Haunted Trails features detailed sets, zombies, clowns and other creeps, body parts, creepy crawlers and more. Find out what lurks beyond the trees every weekend in October plus Oct. 30 and 31.

Houston Terror Dome
Weekends in October, Oct. 30 and 31, Nov. 2 and 3
In its opening year, The Houston Chronicle billed the Terror Dome the “Scariest Haunted House In Houston.” Get ready to scream your way out – if you make it that far. With new effects, rooms, and actors this year, Terror Dome is intense enough to satisfy the most demanding scaremonger.

Phobia
Weekends, Sept. 29 - Nov. 3, 2018, and Oct. 30 and 31
With eight haunts, Phobia can scare just about anyone. Features include the Mind Control haunt, Simon Fowler Woods, ClaustroPhobia, Darke Institute and Dawn of the Machine. The remodeled park boasts 30 acres of scare space.

Annual Haunted House at NMFH
Oct. 1-Nov. 4, 2018
The National Museum of Funeral History’s Annual Haunted House will get you into the Halloween spirit all month long. Get scared as you explore the town of Dreadford Falls following the meltdown of a local nuclear power plant. The house is rated PG-13 and is recommended for children ages 12 and up.