USA TODAY 10Best
Halloween Haunt named Best Theme Park Halloween Event
Best Theme Park Halloween Event (2021)
Looking for a family-friendly scare this Halloween? Theme parks across the country are hosting ghoulish events to celebrate the season, and you're invited.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Theme Park Halloween Event are as follows:
- Halloween Horror Nights - Universal Studios Hollywood - Calif.
- Hersheypark in the Dark - Hershey, Penn.
- Halloween Haunt at Kings Dominion - Doswell, Va.
- Great Pumpkin LumiNights at Dollywood - Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
- Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain - Valencia, Calif.
- Hallo-Fun at Knoebels - Elysburg, PA
- Harvest Festival at Silver Dollar City - Branson, MO
- Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa - Tampa
- Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Williamsburg - Williamsburg, Va.
- Halloween Haunt at Kings Island - Mason, OH
Photo courtesy of Ken Kinzie/Universal Studios Hollywood
No. 10:
Mixing the biggest names in horror entertainment with exciting original content is the Universal specialty. This year’s event at Universal Studios Hollywood brings unrivaled film production quality mazes and frightful scare zones to life.
No. 9:
The treats are still sweet come nightfall at Hersheypark, but they do take on a Halloween theme that offers a fanciful bump-in-the-night for families. The park’s famed thrill rides become “roller ghosters” and a trick-or-treat trail offers extra interactive fun for the kids. Theming throughout adds holiday allure and a “Creatures of the Night” flashlight tour at neighboring Zoo America gives guests an educational extra to pair with all that candy.
Photo courtesy of Kings Dominion
No. 8:
A host of haunts are on tap at this Virginia favorite, where dangers lurk in the eerie woods and the ghosts of criminally insane inmates are looking to satisfy their eternal bloodlust. Live shows, mazes and more are in store and the mayhem spreads each year.
No. 7:
The fall Harvest Festival at Dollywood includes a spectacular evening event known as Great Pumpkin LumiNights. Thousands of carved jack o’lanterns illuminate the night in what is the largest addition to Dollywood’s fall festival in the park’s history. The family friendly event includes giant sculptures, pumpkin-themed food options and live entertainment.
Photo courtesy of Six Flags Magic Mountain
No. 6:
Twenty-four nights of haunted mazes, roaming zombies and spooky shows await thrill seekers at this famed California theme park — threats so terrifying you may just opt for the relative “calm” of riding the world-class roller coasters in the dark instead. Looney Tunes characters and holiday crafts delight wee ones by day, but all bets are off at night when cannibals, ghostly circus performers, man-eating plants and more darken every turn.
Photo courtesy of Knoebels
No. 5:
On weekends in October, Knoebel’s Amusement Resort in central Pennsylvania transforms into Hallo-Fun, a haunted playground for all ages. Visitors can find Halloween- themed treats, games, and attractions and can buy daily passes to enjoy the rides all day.
Photo courtesy of Silver Dollar City
No. 4:
Silver Dollar City celebrates Harvest Festival in Branson, Missouri, in the fall. It has added two new acres of fun, including Mystic River Falls - one of several night rides in the park through October 31. Pumpkins in the City and Pumpkin Plaza dazzle with thousands of illuminated pumpkins, and the park's outstanding Craft Days showcases new artisans from across the country each week.
Photo courtesy of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
No. 3:
Darkened thrill rides and even darker story lines are at the heart of Tampa’s Howl-O-Scream, an event that draws in Halloween enthusiasts far and wide with its nightmarish content. Celebrating over 20 years of fear in Tampa, the event will include zombies, demons, ghosts and serial killers among other ghouls.
Photo courtesy of Busch Gardens® Williamsburg Howl-O-Scream®
No. 2:
Fear awaits in the Virginia theme park’s collection of elaborate haunted houses, immersive themed scare zones, challenging escape rooms and darkly entertaining live shows.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images / subjug
No. 1:
Halloween Haunt at the legendary Kings Island near Cincinnati is back with evil creatures, frightening mazes, haunted attractions, and night rides on The Beast, Banshee, Diamondback, Mystic Timbers, and other thrill-inducing attractions. Special lighting and fog effects turn the 364-acre complex into a spooky experience you’ll never forget.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning Halloween events!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Eric Grossman
Eric Grossman is a travel and food/drink writer... Read More
Eric Grossman is a travel and food/drink writer who has visited more than 60 countries. Always up for an adventure, Eric is constantly searching for new and inspiring experiences, with a keen interest in luxury travel and urban exploration. Memorable experiences have run the gamut from discussing the future of food with Ferran Adrià to sharing a stage with Coldplay.
Eric Grossman
Eric Grossman is a travel and food/drink writer who has visited more than 60 countries. Always up for an adventure, Eric is constantly searching for new and inspiring experiences, with a keen interest in luxury travel and urban exploration. Memorable experiences have run the gamut from discussing the future of food with Ferran Adrià to sharing a stage with Coldplay.
Gerrish Lopez
Gerrish Lopez is a food and travel... Read More
Gerrish Lopez is a food and travel writer/photographer whose adventures have taken her from tiny islands (Isle of Man, Lanai) to mega-cities like Mexico City and Hong Kong. A former vegetarian, Gerrish has grown to appreciate carnivorous fare through sampling the best meats in the world, including smoked pork jowl in Thailand and whole hog barbecue in South Carolina. Gerrish is always looking for products and services to make her travels easier and more efficient.
Gerrish Lopez
Gerrish Lopez is a food and travel writer/photographer whose adventures have taken her from tiny islands (Isle of Man, Lanai) to mega-cities like Mexico City and Hong Kong. A former vegetarian, Gerrish has grown to appreciate carnivorous fare through sampling the best meats in the world, including smoked pork jowl in Thailand and whole hog barbecue in South Carolina. Gerrish is always looking for products and services to make her travels easier and more efficient.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
