These 25 Theme Parks Do Halloween Fright Right

Theme parks are going all out this year to turn your autumn visit into a frightfully good time. And we aren't just talking spooky sound effects and the "Monster Mash" on a loop, either. The following 25 events at American theme parks are all guaranteed to turn an October night into one of the best of the year.

It's back and it's bigger than ever. This year, Universal Orlando is rolling out the blood red carpet to creepy characters from Stranger Things, Halloween 4 and Poltergeist. See the infamous blinking Christmas lights and Demogorgon from Stranger Things before taking to the streets to stagger your way through one of several scare zones, including one themed after a New Year's Eve party gone awry. Select nights through November 3rd.

Each year at Halloween, Hersheypark in the Dark swirls a little scariness into the park's usual sweetness. All thirteen roller coasters will be operating, but four of them will be racing through the moonlit sky without any lights on. After you've ridden in the dark, have your night illuminated at a Glow Dance Park featuring your favorite Hershey's characters. And yes, there will be chocolate. Weekends through November 4th.

The roller coaster capital of America keeps the excitement going well into fall during the Haunt. A moody fog takes over Cedar Point during the event and hordes of spooky characters appear to be hiding behind every corner. Battle the deranged crazies at the Cornstalkers scare zone before conquering your fear of the dark at Hexed, where you will be issued a flashlight to navigate your way the dark world of a witch's lair.

We already know that Hot Springs is a great place in the summer, but things stay wonderful well into October there, too. When you've had your fill of colorful leaf-peeping, head over to Magic Springs for some screams. The kids will get a kick out of the haunted house based on the video game Fortnite while adults will love getting the daylights scared out of them inside toxic Wasteland and circus-gone-berserk CarnEvil #9. There will also be a family movie series and a live performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show. Weekends through October 28th.

The Happiest Place on Earth turns into one of the cutest Halloween-themed places in the country each year. You won't find chainsaw-wielding madmen at this child-friendly haunting, but you will find a cast of Disney characters sporting costumes and even a few Disney movie villains strutting their stuff. Make sure the kids don't forget their pumpkin-shaped buckets, as there are plenty of magical trick-or-treating opportunities in the park as well. Daily through October 31st.

Beware of Six Flags Great America near Chicago-the ghosts of former employees have returned to run the Giant Drop of Doom ride while the Condor has been taken over by an evil flock of blackbirds. After the rides have given you an adrenaline rush, experience the unsettling thrill of being surrounded by maniacs at Massacre Medical Center. Select nights through October 31st.

Tampa Bay's beloved Busch Gardens has turned up the creepiness level to eleven this year. Several haunted houses and scare zones will be scattered around the park during Howl-O-Scream, including the eerie Insomnia attraction where parkgoers will get a first-hand look at a harrowing haunted asylum where the patients are being forced to stay awake. Spoiler alert: you might have trouble getting to sleep afterward. Select nights through October 28th.

America's only mountain-top theme park always offers breathtaking views and a touch of nostalgia, but during Octoberfest, Glenwood Caverns will overflow with fall fun, too. Stop by during the week to tour a pumpkin patch and take in the colorful foliage, but come back on Saturday for hayrides, face painting and on two special days, a traditional German "oompah" band that will transport you to Munich. Saturdays through October 28th.

The star of this year's Knott's Scary Farm is a myriad of maniacal mazes. Try your best to survive a face-to-face meeting with a monster called the Pumpkin Eater in one before trying to slither your way out of a series of spooky subterranean caves in The Depths. The park is also hosting live shows like The Conjurers and Hacks! that will leave you both creeped out and cackling with delight.

Cincinnati's Kings Island is offering guests a delightfully disturbing experience at this year's Halloween Haunt. In addition to a spin on several of the park's most iconic rides like the Beast, guests can walk the gory gauntlet of a series of haunted houses. Highlights include the bloody Backwoods Bayou, the harrowing hospital Urgent Scare and the evil laboratory called Chaos. Select dates through October 28th.

Sure, the park is located in the town of Santa Claus-not far from fall camping heaven Hoosier National Forest-but October might just be the merriest time of the year at Holiday World. Each weekend, the park puts on a harvest season show complete with corn mazes as far as the eye can see and fun-filled hayrides. As far as haunted houses are concerned, things stay family-friendly at spooky residence SCAREbnb, but the fear factor gets cranked up at Carnival Chaos. Weekends through October 28th.

The Smokies are arguably one of the best places to see fall foliage in the USA and after you've seen the daytime color, head to Dollywood for a spectacular nighttime show. Once again this year, the park will be filled with thousands of glowing jack-o-lanterns that create just the perfect autumn atmosphere. Watch expert pumpkin carvers and get your face decorated with glowing paint all while keeping an eye out for the gorgeous glimmering pumpkin tree. Daily through November 3rd.

The Nickelodeon Universe inside Mall of America will be full of Halloween Spirit this year as it transforms into the Booniverse. The Log Chute ride will be shrouded in mysterious fog and lined by jack-o-lanterns and there will also be a nightly light show being run by a funky witch. And on the big night itself, there will be trick-or-treating throughout the world famous mall. Daily through October 31st.

The Left Coast version of Universal's Halloween Horror Nights will leave you feeling lost and disoriented-in a frightfully fun way. There are 8 mazes, including ones themed around Stranger Things, Poltergeist and The Purge -offering a stroll through the bloodcurdling roots of the horror franchise-and a Walking Dead experience where you get to zigzag your way around zombies. Select dates through November 3rd.

Even if you weren't chosen to take part in The 30 Hour Coffin Challenge (it's definitely as creepy as it sounds), your screams are sure to echoing on the hills that surround Magic Mountain. Hold your nose and your breath at the creepy Sewer of Souls haunted maze before making your way to hell and back again at a labyrinth themed after the new film Hell Fest. In addition, several of the parks top rollercoasters will be operating in the dark to amp up the creepiness. Select dates through October 28th.

The Overlord has awoken and he's unleashed all his frightening little friends on Worlds of Fun. Start your night at the Haunt with a meal at the all-you-can-eat Fright Feast-where you'll be surrounded by ghouls and great good-before taking a spin on the park's rides and braving the series of scare zones and maddening mazes. New for 2018 is the head-spinning maze Khaos Unleashed that will have you questioning the laws of physics and your own senses. Select dates through October 27th.

Things are always bigger in Texas, and that includes the thrills at Fright Fest. Tour the freaky world of sideshows and experimental specimens at the Midnight Museum of the Macabre before braving the slaughter in the woods at Blood Bayou Haunted Trail. Then, stroll the post-apocalyptic world of scare zone The Aftermath. Select dates through October 31st.

Each year, the largest Halloween event in the Carolinas transforms Carowinds into Scarowinds. There are over 500 monsters on the prowl during the event, which turns every corner of the park into something scary. Hit the books with the undead at Zombie High haunted house before seeing the seedy underbelly of London at the Fleet Street scare zone. The best way to cap the evening? By taking in the bizarre displays of percussion during the Blood Drums music show. Select dates through October 28th.

Regardless if you go to Legoland California or Florida, Brick or Treat provides the same spooktacular time. Events are all family-friendly and include the opportunity to meet spooky-yet-smiley characters, take in live shows and the opportunity to build pumpkins-out of Lego of course. Select dates through October 31st.

The evil spirit inside Kennywood's premier rollercoaster The Phantom's Revenge comes to life each fall and subsequently takes over the entire park. Clouds of fog to envelope the rides and walkways and hundreds of Hollywood-quality characters prowl every corner of Kennywood and over ten haunted mazes looking for their next scare. You haven't experienced fall in Pennsylvania until you've visited Kennywood. Select dates through October 28th.

When it goes dark in Denver, head to Elitch Gardens for a great Halloween night out. All the park's rides operate well into the evening during Fright Fest, but guests will soon find out that some of them have been taken over by the creepiest of characters. There are three haunted houses that add an exclamation to the screamy experience. Select dates through October 28th.

During the daytime in October, California's Castle Park offers a family-friendly tribute to Dia de los Muertos, but when the night falls, the ghouls and goblins come out to play. The theme this year is "The Lady in White" and your challenge will be to rescue her and yourself as you tour the myriad of scary mazes. Select dates through October 28th.

Once again, Silverwood is morphing into Scarywood and frightening the daylights out of the guests brave enough to attend. There are five walk-through haunts, with the Pharaoh's Curse being new to the roster this year. Inside, guests will enter a world of ancient Egyptian evil that has been disturbed. Most of the rides can be experienced in the dark, too, a true Halloween thrill. Select dates through October 27th.

Whether it's the haunted asylum that sticks with you or the spooky underground mine that stays in your head, Terror in the Wild at Wild Adventures in Georgia is sure to nudge you towards having nightmares. After you've had your fill of thrills, make for The Price is Fright for slightly more lighthearted Halloween delights. Select dates through October 27th.

Both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have been done up with multiple spooky touches (think headless horsemen statues and Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas lurking at the entrance) that are sure to send a tiny tingle down your spine. It's still family-friendly though for sure, and the young ones will certainly be smiling when they get the opportunity to meet the always-sweet Vampirina. Daily through October 31st.