Southern California Amusement Park Halloween Celebrations!
~ Natalia Radcliffe ~ Southern California is home to a multitude of amusement parks, making it a great destination for those of you who enjoy trying out different ones. Just within the range of about a 2 hour drive from us, we have Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios, and Six Flags! Since it is spooky season, all of the parks are decked out, Halloween style!
If you want to know what Universal Studios is up to, we did a blog on that here!
As for the others…
1. Disneyland and California Adventure
It is all things spooky at Disneyland and California Adventure during Halloween in Anaheim! With family-friendly spookiness and screams, it is something that people young and old can enjoy. There are many unique things to do at the parks during the month of Halloween. For one, you can enjoy various pumpkins scattered around the parks, carved into the likeness of characters you might recognize. Speaking of characters, you might run into some dressed up in fun Halloween costumes! Make sure to wave and say hi. The Guardians of the Galaxy ride also has a Halloween theme this time of year, called Guardians of the Galaxy: Monsters After Dark, where you have the very important task of teaming up with Rocket and rescuing a fellow Guardian from a sticky situation. The Haunted Mansion is also decked out for the holiday, in the theme of Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas. In California Adventure, you can experience the movie Coco come to life, enjoying music, food, and activities centered around the holiday Día de Los Muertos. In addition, you can go visit Cars Land, decorated to the nines for Halloween, and go on the ride Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree.
This is only scratching the surface of what the parks have to offer. We have included a link to the event so you can take a look at the full extent of what the parks have to offer. And, best of all, if you are staying with us at one of our Airbnbs this month, the parks are only about an hour-and-a-half to two-hour drive away from Prospector Ranch!
2. Knott’s Berry Farm
Located in Buena Park, the amusement park has two different Halloween celebrations. Knott’s Spooky Farm is family friendly fun that happens during the day, where you get to see the park decked out in Halloween decorations, see characters dressed up, and participate in fun Halloween-themed activities.
However, when the sun goes down, and the darkness of night starts to cover the park…..that’s when it turns into Knott’s Scary Farm.
To give you an indication of the difference, the park recommends that Knott’s Scary Farm is not suited for anyone under 13 years old. This part of the park, during the night, is filled with scares and screams. They have a variety of mazes, both indoors and outdoors, that will be sure to get you screaming and jumping with terror. Ranging from classic monster characters to new and unique stories, there is something for everyone. In addition to the mazes, there are also 5 different scare zones, where you never know when someone…or something could jump out at you. In addition, the park will be hosting a variety of spooky shows. One of these shows is Yours Cruelly, Elvira XXperience, where guests will be able to experience behind the scenes content, video clips, and memorabilia of the famous character Elvira. On specific dates, Cassandra Peterson herself, the woman behind Elvira, will be making select appearances on October 18th and 20th for autograph signings and a Q&A session.
For more information on the shows, mazes, and other activities and things to do, take a look at their website which we have included in this blog! Best of all, if you are staying with us at one of our Airbnbs, the park is only about an hour-and-a-half to two-hour drive from here!
3. Six Flags
Located in Valencia in Santa Clarita, the park also has the same strategy as Knott’s Berry Farm: dual Halloween themes! During the day, it’s Six Flags Boo Fest, a family-friendly celebration, where you get to experience the park decked out in fun Halloween decorations, go on fun rides for the whole family, participate in a costume contest, walk along a trick-or-treat trail, and a scavenger hunt, among other activities. However, when the sun starts to set, the park changes, becoming Six Flags Fright Fest.
And this is not for the faint of heart.
On their website, they literally say that, after 5pm, they will show no mercy, and the event is scarier than ever this year. You can experience frightening haunted houses, scare zones throughout the park, and chilling shows. Think you might be able to escape on the rides? Think again. Back once more, monsters share the ride with you, so you never know when you might get jump-scared by a creature of the night…
For more information on the haunted houses, scare zones, shows, and other activities, you can check out their website, which we have included here. In addition, if you are staying at one of our Airbnbs, it is only about an hour drive!
