Haunted Houses, Pumpkin Patches and Trick-or-Treating – Looking for some great Halloween fun in the Washington, DC Area? During the month of October, celebrate Halloween and get spooked at a haunted house, romp around a pumpkin patch or go on a haunted city tour or through a haunted forest in Washington, DC, Maryland or Northern Virginia. The following is a roundup of the best events this season.
Pumpkin Patches in the Washington DC Area - Find the best pumpkin patches and fall festivals in the DC area, including Maryland and Virginia. Enjoy family-friendly farm activities and enjoy the Halloween and fall harvest season.
Corn Mazes in Maryland and Virginia - In recent years, this has become a favorite family fun way to celebrate the Halloween season. Stroll through a giant corn maze and find puzzle pieces that will complete your own maze map
Ghost Tours in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia - Take a guided walking tour and hear ghost stories and legends about infamous haunted places such as Lafayette Square Park, Historic Alexandria or downtown Annapolis. Find ghost tours around the region.
Halloween Costume Parties in Washington, DC for Adults - For adults ages 21 and over. Gather your friends and get creative and dress up for a night of fun and frolicking.
Halloween Parades Around the Washington DC Area - Get in the spirit of the season and check out the season’s most popular and creative costumes. Many communities around the region host a parade to encourage kids to show off their costumes.
DC Drag Queen Race - October 24, 2017. A crowd gathers in Dupont Circle for an informal street parade and race of costumed drag queens. This is one of the most popular local Halloween events.
Night of the Living Zoo - October 27, 2017, 6:30 - 10 p.m. National Zoo, Washington DC. Wear your best costume while enjoying the zoo by moonlight. Experience bone-chilling and mind-boggling performance art including palm readers, fire eaters, talking bats, and illusionists. You must be at least 21 years old to attend this event. A valid ID is required for admission. This is an adults-only event.
Scream City - RFK Stadium, 2400 East Capitol Street. SE Washington DC. Through October, Open every Friday and Saturday and most Thursdays and Sundays. Two indoor haunted attractions: Slaughter Factory and Exorcism Estate will keep you screaming all night long. This event is presented by the same company as the popular Field of Screams in Olney, MD.
Fright Fest at Six Flags America - September 23-October 29, 2017. Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Enjoy the spooky attractions and shows at one of the Washington, DC Area’s largest Halloween celebrations. Enjoy a family friendly event with street entertainment, your favorite rides in the dark and a special trick-or-treat trail just for kids.
Halloween Trains at Montgomery Parks - Weekends throughout October. Montgomery Parks offers two different Halloween-themed train rides; a fun and festive ride (geared to ages 8 and under) at Cabin John Regional Park and a very scary option (for ages 8 and up) at Wheaton Regional Park. Visitors are encouraged to bring canned food items for drives at each location.
Markoff’s Haunted Forest - Calleva Farm, 19120 Martinsburg Rd. Dickerson, Maryland. Get spooked at this Halloween event near Poolesville, Maryland. Markoff’s Haunted Forest has been rated the #1 Halloween attraction by Channel 7 (ABC). The Enchanted Forest, a not scary Halloween attraction designed especially for younger children. The scenes are well lit and recommended for children aged 8 years and under. Open weekends through October.
Field of Screams - OBGC Community Park, 4501 Olney-Laytonsville Road (Route 108), Olney, Maryland. Celebrate Halloween with 4 terrifying haunts in one location. Take a 30 min walk on the TRAIL OF TERROR and a tour of the new HAUNTED TRAIL, try a ride on the HADES’ HAYRIDE or checkout the NIGHTMARES 3D HAUNTED HOUSE. Open through October, Fridays and Saturdays and select Thursdays and Sundays.
Halloween Haunt at Kings Dominion - September 23-October 29, 2017. Doswell, Virginia. The amusement park features ten mazes, six scare zones and more than 20 thrilling rides. While the attractions of Haunt bring out the scares at night, families and children will enjoy the all-new Planet Snoopy during the day, featuring Halloween family-favorite activities, including a hay maze, pumpkin painting, the chance to get behind the wheel of a pedal tractor, live entertainment and more.
Air & Scare at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center - October 21, 2017, 2-7 p.m. National Air and Space Museum, Chantilly, Virginia. Join creepy space aliens, mysterious astronauts and ghostly pilots for safe, indoor trick-or-treating. Visitors will enjoy story times, face-painting stations, hands-on activities, karaoke, simulation games and robotics demonstrations.
Cox Farms Fields of Fear - 15621 Braddock Road, Centreville, Virginia. Fields of Fear is Cox Farms scary night-time adventure. It features Cornightmare℠walkthrough cornfield terrors, Dark-Side hayride, a giant slide by torchlight, firegrounds, shopping, food, games, and entertainment. Not recommended for children less than 12 years of age. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Open Friday and Saturday nights, Sept. 22-Nov. 4, 2017, 7:30-11 p.m. (last admission 10 p.m.)
Shocktober at Paxton Manor - 601 Catoctin Circle NE Leesburg, Virginia. Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in October 2017, 7-10 p.m. (9 p.m. on Sundays) The haunted tour is interactive and extremely scary. (not recommended for children under 13). There are refreshments, concessions, and a cellar full of killer CLOWNS.
Haunted Forest at Halloween Woods - Algonkian Regional Park, 47001 Fairway Dr, Sterling, VA. Open Fridays and Saturdays in October , Gates open at 7 -11 p.m. Wristband sales and portion of the ticket sales goes to Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Wicked-woods Haunted Forest - I-95, Exit 118 - Thornburg, Fredericksburg, Virginia. The outdoor attractions include a haunted manor, an insane asylum and a quarter mile trail into the deep woods. Get spooked by terrifying scenes, animatronics, movie quality sets and props and professional makeup. The haunted forest is not recommended for young children. Fridays and Saturdays in October 2017, 7-10 p.m.
Route 29 Haunted Cornfield - Buckland Farm Market, 4484 Lee Highway, Warrenton, VA (540) 341-4739. Open on Friday and Saturday nights during October, from 7-10 p.m. Attractions include a 20 minute walk around the Haunted Farm, Hayrides, Moon Bounce, Pumpkin Patch and lots more. Not recommended for children under 10.
The Death Trail - 16120 Dumfries Road, Dumfries, VA. The half mile trail takes visitors through some of the scariest woods in Prince William County. October 13-29, 2017.
BY RACHEL COOPER
