Halloween Haunts for Children
Harvest Festivals, Sideshows, Zoos & More
Find More: Halloween Haunts Master List – Theme Park Halloween Attractions – Halloween Haunted Houses & Hayrides – Halloween Yard Haunts – Community Halloween Haunts – Halloween Parties, Street Fairs & Costume Contests - Halloween Tours & Performances - Halloween News – Halloween Photographs - Halloween Video
Are you a parent looking for family-friendly ways to spend Halloween in Los Angeles? If you do not want your kids scared but do want to get into the spirit of the October season, there are several Halloween events for children that we call “Halloween Sideshows”: special afternoon or one-day presentations that take place in year-round facilities like zoos or wildlife stations. These activities involve pumpkin-carving and face-painting for the would-be trick-or-treaters, without any scary monsters with chainsaws to terrify them.
Click here for the latest news on Halloween events for children. (You will find one-shot events that do not show up on this page, which lists recurring, annual attractions.)
Please note: Most Amateur Halloween Yard Haunts are safe for kids. Also, many Halloween Haunted Houses present family-friendly matinees on weekend afternoons.
Looking for more frightening ways to spend Halloween in Los Angeles? Check out our listings for Theme Park Halloween Attractions, Community Halloween Haunts, and Halloween Parties, Street Fairs, and Graveyard Tours.
AFTERSCHOOL ADVENTURES: HALLOWEEN TALES
Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road San Marino, CA 91108
2011 Date & Hours: October 26, 3-3:35pm
Webpage: Click here
Description: This afternoon, the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens offers Halloween fun for kids in Los Angeles, with pumpkins, gourds, and ghostly tales! Children from 5 to 6 years old can get into the Halloween spirit with some spooky stories and creative crafts in this after-school program in the Children’s Garden with instructor Laura Moede.
Fees: Members – $10; Non-Members – $15 (includes one accompanying adult)
Registration: 626-405-2128
BEACON HOUSE HAUNT
The Beacon House
1003 S. Beacon Street, San Pedro, CA 90731
Phone: (310) 514-4940
The Beacon House’s annual Halloween event usually offers fun for the whole family. In past years, there was a haunted maze, a street fair, and other entertainment. For 2010, the event was scaled back to a Halloween dance party. No word yet on what will happen in 2011 and beyond…
Listed on our page for Community Halloween Haunts.
BOO AT THE ZOO
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens
5333 Zoo Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Phone: (323) 644-4200
Website: www.lazoo.org
2011 BOO AT THE ZOO DATES & TIMES: October 29 & 30, 10am to 5pm.
NOTE: A special preview of Boo at the Zoo is available to GLAZA members. Those with a Family Deluxe level membership or higher may enter the zoo from 8:30 to 10:00am on Saturday, October 29, before the zoo opens to the general public. To RSVP for this event, call 323 644 4770
2011 LOS ANGELES COUNTY ZOO TICKETS: $14 for adults, $11 for seniors (over 62), and $9 for children from 2 to 10, free for children under 2. All Halloween activities are included with the regular price of admission.
DISCOUNTS: Admission is free to GLAZA members.
BOO AT THE ZOO INFORMATION: The Los Angeles County Zoo asks you to “Have a safe and spooky Halloween at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, where fun festivities will take place throughout the Zoo at this year’s Boo at the L.A. Zoo!” Activities include Creepy Creature Encounter, a variety show, a Witches Bew puppet show, a pumpkin patch parade, pumpkin carving demonstrations, and face-painting.
CASTLE DARK: FUN BY DAY
Castle Park
3500 Polk Street
Riverside, CA 92505
Website: www.castlepark.com
2011 Dates: “Fun by Day” throughout October; “Fright by Night” October 8-31
2011 Hours: “Fun by Day” noon-closing time; “Fright by Night” 8pm-closing. (Castle Park closes at 8pm weekdays, 10pm Fridays & Saturdays, 9pm Sundays.)
2011 Tickets: $22.99 for all-day General Admission, $14.99 for all-day Junior Admission, and $15.99 for Fright By Night Only admission.
Description: During October, Castle Park bills itself as “the perfect place to bring the kids for Halloween” – promising that, during daylight hours, children “can trick or treat, ride the rides, and enjoy all the fun and excitement of the Fall season, without a single scare.”
When the sun goes down, Castle Park rechristens itself “Castle Dark” and offers scarier entertainment. Learn more on our page devoted to the Theme Park Halloween Attraction.
THE CATACOMBS
No Longer in Operation
Formerly in Ventura, California
Listed on our page for Community Halloween Haunts.
DISNEYLAND’S HALLOWEEN TIME
Disneyland Park – 1313 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, CA 92802
The Enchanted Kingdom’s annual Theme Park Halloween Attraction is family-friendly rather than frightening; kids and their parents are sure to enjoy.
Listed on our page for Theme Park Halloween Attractions.
Click name for more information.
FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL
Forneris Farms
15200 Rinaldi Street
Mission Hills, CA 91345
Website: www.fornerisfarms.com
2011 Dates: October 1-31
2011 Hours:
- Weekends: 9am – 5pm
- Weekends: 2pm – 5pm
- Last Ride/Ticket at 5pm
- Pumpkin Patch and Farm Market: 9am – 6pm daily
2011 Prices:
- Corn Maze: $7.00 per person (Children 3 & under FREE with paid adult)
- Tractor Pulled Train Ride: $4.00 per person (1yr & under FREE with parent)
- Farm Frolic Area for Kids: $3.00 (parent FREE with child paid ticket)
Description: This harvest festival is not as Halloween-oriented as the Halloween Harvest Festival at Pierce College, but it does include “scare people” driving the farm equipment. On weekends, there is a refreshment stand serving fresh roasted corn on the cob and more. Plus, there is a Farm Market with fall decorations and farm-grown produce daily.
Other Activities:
- Pumpkin Patch – Farm grown and the most beautiful, with every shape and size
- Corn Maze Adventure – Get lost!
- Tractor-pulled Train Ride – Take a narrated ride around the Farm
- Farm Frolic Area for Kids – Mini maze, Giant Hay Pyramid, the Great Pumpkin jumper
- Antique Tractor Row – Magestic machines showcased
- Guess the Pumpkin Weight Contest – win “Big Max” and $100
- Live Entertainment – Weekends
NOTE: Attractions subject to closing without notice – due to weather
For more info, call (818) 361-0714 or (818) 730-7709. Otherwise, send email to: fornerisfarms@socal.rr.com or admin@fornerisfarms.com
Forneris Farms Harvest Festival Archive
GHOST TOUR AT STRATHEARN PARK
Location: Strathearn Historical Park & Museum, 137 Strathearn Place, Simi Valley, CA 93065
Phone: 805-526-6453 (for group reservations of ten or more)
Website: www.simihistory.com/ghost
2011 Dates & Hours:
- Friday October 14th — 7:00pm to 10:00pm
- Saturday October 15th — 6:00pm to 10:00pm
- Sunday October 16th — 6:00pm to 9:00pm
- Friday October 21st — 7:00pm to 10:00pm
- Saturday October 22nd — 6:00pm to 10:00pm
- Sunday October 23rd — 6:00pm to 9:00pm
- Friday October 28th — 7:00pm to 10:00pm
- Saturday October 29th — 6:00pm to 10:00pm
- Sunday October 30th — 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Admission: $8.00 (no charge for children under 5). Free parking is available along Strathearn Place. Please follow directions of Parking Attendants.
Description: Ghost Tour at Strathearn Park is a family friendly event. It is NOT a “Haunted House” type of event and is appropriate for children of all ages. It is the history of Simi Valley told in a very entertaining way by those who created it.
This is a walking-standing tour with limited seating at a few of the stops. The tour can accommodate wheelchairs and strollers. Tours are limited to 20-25 people. All tours are filled on a first come basis. Tours last approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes; a new Tour will start approximately every 10-15 minutes
No flashlights allowed inside the park. No photography or sound recording allowed within the park.
Reservations taken for groups of 10 or more.
Ghost Tour at Strathearn Park Archive
HALLOWEEN GHOST TRAIN
Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum
Griffith Park – 5202 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Website: www.lals.org
This scaled-down kid-size Halloween train ride is decorated with spooky scenes during October, providing one of the family-friendly ways to enjoy Halloween in Los Angeles.
Click name for more information.
HALLOWEEN FAMILY FESTIVAL – 2010 Only?
Lost Canyons Golf Course
3301 Lost Canyons Drive
Simi Valley, CA 93063
Website: www.gullwings.org
2011 Date & Hours: None Announced
Prices: None Announced
Description: This all-day festival made its debut in 2010 as the climax of the three-week-long Golftoberfest at Lost Canyons Golf Course, which also included the 13 Nights of Terror haunted house, presented by Shipwreck Productions. No word on whether the the Halloween Family Festival or 13 Nights of Terror will return…
The Halloween Festival and Family Safety Fair features:
Pumpkin Decorating Contest
Halloween Costume Contest
Carnival-Style Halloween Games
Jumpies
Kids Golf Clinic
Kids Putting Contests
Holiday Shopping Boutique
Haunted House
Root Beer Garden
Beer and Wine Tasting
Charity Silent Auction
Police and Fire Safety Demonstrations
Children’s Self Defense techniques
HALLOWEEN HARVEST FESTIVAL
Pierce College - 208000 Victory Boulevard in Chatsworth.
This family-friendly Halloween event features kid-safe activities during the day (a corn maze, petting zoo, face painting, pumpking carving, etc) and a more adult Factory of Nightmares by night. Get more information on the Harvest Fest here.
LEGOLAND’S BRICK-OR-TREAT
Legoland California – One Legoland Drive, Carlsbad, CA
Phone: 949-660-1988
Like Disneyland’s Halloween Time, Legoland’s annual Halloween Theme Park Attraction is designed to appeal to children who don’t want to have nightmares. Listed under Theme Park Halloween Attractions. Get more information by clicking the name.
LOS ANGELES HAUNTED HAYRIDE
Griffith Park -4730 Crystal Springs Road, Los Angeles, CA
We used to include this Halloween event because it offered a family-friendly Halloween carnival, complete with rides and activities for children who might be too frightened to go on the hayride itself. However, in 2011, the carnival rides disappeared, leaving only a psychic and a stage show – which, although entertaining, are not enough to justify the trip on their own. For more information, click here.
MR BONES PUMPKIN PATCH
Location: 702 North Doheny Drive, West Hollywood
Dates: October 8 through 31
Hours: Sunday – Thursday 9-7; Friday – Saturday 9-8.
Link out: Click here
Description: Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch offers a variety of kid-friendly activities.
From the website:
Since 1986, our family has traveled from Oregon bringing the spirit of the farm and exuberant joy of Halloween to the heart of Los Angeles. Kids anxiously anticipate the arrival of the patch, year after year. We’re happy to serve communities throughout the city, including Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood and Malibu.
We offer beautiful fresh autumn decorations, long-stemmed pumpkins, cornstalks, indian corn, gourds, squash, straw bales and an outrageous Halloween boo-tique. We offer everything you need for a magical Halloween. Carving, pumpkin painting services, delivery and flame retardant certification are available upon request.
OLD TOWN HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION
Central Park & One Colorado Courtyard
Old Town Pasadena, CA
Phone: 626.356.9725
Website: www.oldpasadena.org
Click here for the latest on Old Pasadena Halloween Celebration.
2011 Dates: Monday, October 31, 4-10pm
PRICE: Free
Description: Old Town Pasadena offers a weekend of haunted Halloween happenings for the entire family! Spooky activities include a pumpkin hunt, kids Halloween craft center, costumed characters, Halloween moon bounces, live ghoulish music, scary animal and bug show-and-tell, kid-friendly haunted house, store-to-store trick-or-treating and much more! Read more from the press release below:
The celebration begins, Saturday, October 30 at 1pm for Old Pasadena’s first family Halloween Celebration at Central Park. Kids are invited to join in a special Halloween pumpkin hunt. Mini pumpkins filled with candy, treats and toys will be hidden amongst fall hay, a mini graveyard and much more. Dressed up little ones can make their-own scary art project at the Armory Center for the Arts’ craft center. The festivities also include a scary animal and critter show-and-tell from the Natural Museum of History, three Halloween moon bounces, and roaming costumed characters for photo opportunities. Throughout the celebration live ghoulish music will be performed by the LA Music Academy. Come early as the first 200 in attendance will receive a free caramel apple.
The fun continues, Sunday, October 31 when over 75 stores and restaurants in Old Pasadena open their doors for free store-to-store trick-or-treating. Merchants will supply a variety of festive candy and confections for all the dressed up little ghosts and goblins in attendance. Bring the little ones to the One Colorado Courtyard for free haunted professional photos against a festive background and hundreds of pumpkins. One Colorado will also host multiple screenings of Halloween cartoons throughout the evening. Guests can enjoy a unique opportunity to meet and greet with various popular Halloween costumed characters.
The Old Pasadena Halloween Celebration continues into the late evening as teenagers and adults are invited to visit the Old Town Haunt, Pasadena’s award-winning scary haunted house. Descend into the darkness at the basement of the historical Union Savings Bank Building where rumor has it, mysterious occurrences have taken place in the buildings’ deadly 108 year history including reports of hideous screams, and odors of decay. Now the building is open to the public for chilling tours into the catacombs where ghosts and goblins meet from 7pm-12am. A lights-on, child friendly tour and walk-thru is also available from 12pm-4pm on Halloween day, Sunday, October 31.
The Old Pasadena Halloween Celebration is presented by Old Pasadena Management in partnership with The Armory Center for the Arts, One Colorado and the Old Town Haunt. All activities are free except the Old Town Haunt which is $15 general admission.
OLD TOWN HAUNT
20 North Raymond Street in Pasadena (Old Town)
This professional Halloween haunt for adults – located in Old Town Pasadena – used to offer light-on kiddie matinees on selected Saturdays and Sundays, from noon to 4:00pm. Since 2010, they switched to a children’s matinee recommended for ages 7-12, with no live actors, some special effects, and fewer scares.
Listed on our page for Halloween Haunted Houses.
Click the link in the name for more information.
SAFE HAVEN TRICK OR TREATING
Heritage Square Museum
3800 Homer Street
Los Angeles, CA
Website: www.heritagesquare.org
2011 DATE & HOURS: Halloween (Monday, October 31), 4:00pm to 7:30pm
ADMISSION: 5 for Adults and $2 for children 6 to 12. Children under 6 are free .
PARKING: Free street parking
DESCRIPTION: Bring your kids for Halloween treats inside the safe confines of the museum grounds. Children 1 to 12 years of age, with parent accompaniment, may come in costume and receive sweets from the Heritage Square’s costumed interpreters, who will be stationed at each of the museum’s well-preserved Victorian building.
OTHER INFORMATION: The Heritage Square Museum also presents an annual Halloween Movie Night and a Halloween & Mourning Tour, depicting the practices and beliefs of the Victorian Era regarding funerals, spiritualism, and Halloween.
Check out our archive for Heritage Museum.
SCARIUM OF THE PACIFIC
Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802
Phone: (562) 590-3100, ext. 0
Web Page: AquariumofthePacific.Org 
2011 DATES & HOURS:
- New for 2011! Halloween Family Sleepover: from 5pm on October 21 to 7am on October 22
- Scarium of the Pacific: October 22-23 & 24, 9:00am to 5:00pm.
TICKETS:
- Halloween Family Sleepover: $60 per person, $50 per Aquarium member
- Scarium of the Pacific: free with General admission to the aquarium, which costs $24.95 for adults, $12.95 for children, $21.95 for seniors.
AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC DISCOUNTS: Free admission for Members. Members guests get 20% admission. Adult tickets purchased in advance are $3 off.
FEATURES: The Halloween Family Sleepover, introduced in 2011, offers an opportunity for children (with an adult chaperone) to spend a night in the aquarium, haunted by the spooky sight of fish gliding silently through the waters. Events include: Shark Lagoon and tidepool touch time; Creepy crawly animal interactions; Pumpkin decorating; Fish feeding; Freaky flashlight tour; 4-D Movie; and Crafts.
The annual Scarium of the Pacific offers a “family friendly adventure, including the chance to meet thousands of creatures of the Pacific, frighteningly fun activities, and plenty of hands-on experiences to haunt your memory.” The aquarium offers you a chance to “Discover the creatures lurking in the depths of Pacific at the Scarium of the Pacific—a spooktacular educational Halloween event for the whole family. Enjoy special Halloween programs, including the annual children’s costume contest, the creepy coloring contest, magic shows, spooky storytelling, kooky crafts, eerie animals in the Great Hall, and much more.”
Aquarium of the Pacific Archive
SNOOPY’S COSTUME PARTY
Knotts Berry Farm
8039 Beach Boulevard
Buena Park, CA 90620
Webpage: Click here
2011 Dates: weekends in October
Hours: 10:00am to 5:30pm
Description: Camp Snoopy transforms into Camp Spooky for Halloween. This family-friendly event, including in the regular price of admission, runs at during daylight hours – a sort of safe alternative to the scary Knotts Berry Farm Halloween Haunt at night. Kids aged 3 through 11 are encouraged to dress up and attend the “Monster Dance Party and Costume Parade” and walk-through the “Haunted Harvest.” Other activities include the all-singing “Spooktacular” in the Peanuts Halloween Theatre, the Foam-tastic Pumpkin Patch, and a craft depot.
STAR ECO STATION’s Enchanted Green Hallow’s Eve
Star Eco Station Environmental Science Museum & Exotic Wildlife Rescue Facility
10101 Jefferson Blvd Culver City, CA
Phone: (310) 842-8060
Web Page: www.ecostation.org
2011 DATES & HOURS: Saturday & Sunday, October 30 & 31, noon-6pm.
TICKETS: $8 for adults; $6 for children; $7 for seniors (65 and over).
DISCOUNTS: One child free for every paying adult. Children in strollers free.
FEATURES: The STAR ECO Station transforms into a magical fairytale palace of trickery, treating and eco storytelling! See your farovite fairy tales with an environmental twist. Costume Contests, games, prizes and performaces all day.
NOTE: All proceeds go to support rescued animals.
TOLUCA LAKE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL
10601 Riverside Drive
North Hollywood, CA 91602
818- 505-8039
Website: Click here
2011 Dates: October 1-31
Hours: 10am to 9pm (longer hours as Halloween approaches, extending until midnight the last few days of the month)
TICKETS:
- $4 for petting zoo & $1 for animal feed
- $6 for maze
Description: The Toluca Lake Florist turns into the Toluca Lake Pumpkin Patch during the month of October, offering a petting zoo and a haunted maze. You will find pumpkins of every size for your Jack O’Lantern needs, along with carving kits. While parents are shopping for just the right round pumpkin, children can play with ducks and goats in the petting zoo or take a walk through the maze.
By daylight, the maze is not too terrifying for the little tykes; there are no actors in costume, just decorations of skulls, coffins, and tombstones. The tone is more fun than frightful: Herman Munster’s face is seen reposing in one coffin, and a menu offers vampire cocktails made with “real blood.” However, things do get a little more intense at night.
Overall, a perfect place to bring the kids for a fun but not too fearsome Halloween experience.
Discounts: Click here to find a coupon you can use to purchase an $8 voucher, which gets you admission to the petting zoo and the maze, plus a $5 credit toward the purchase of a $10-or-larger pumpkin.
HALLOWEEN YARD HAUNTS
Various Locations
Dates: Halloween night (possible a few days before)
Hours: dusk till…?
Price: Free
Description: Still haven’t found what you’re looking for? Yard Haunts are a great way to enjoy Halloween in Los Angeles with your children. These neighbborhood home attractions usually feature houses and lawns decorated to resemble graveyards; some offer walk-through haunted mazes (although few if any actually allow you inside their house). Most are are kid-friendly. All are free and open to the public; some accept donations, either to off-set their costs or to benefit local charities.
Click here to read a list of these Amateur Halloween events.
Check out our archive of posts for Children’s Halloween Events.
