Autumn is finally here! There are plenty of fun seasonal activities to enjoy during this time, from apple picking to pumpkin carving. But if you’re looking for something a bit more spooky, you’re in the right place. We’ve rounded up some of the best Bay Area haunted houses in no particular order, ranging from family-friendly to downright terrifying. Read on to start planning your Halloween season.
Want a tamer experience? Check out our list of San Francisco ghost tours.
1. Fear Overload Scream Park
Find two excellent haunted houses at this award-winning Newark location. “Darkmoor Penitentiary” takes you through an abandoned prison haunted by a sinister warden who conducted twisted experiments on the inmates. “Slotch Sanitorium” is a horrifying asylum haunted by the ghosts of its deceased patients. Get ready to scream, because these are widely considered to be the best haunted houses in the Bay Area.
🎫 Price: $24.99-33.99. Prices increase closer to Halloween.
🗓️ Dates: Sept. 21 – Nov. 2, 2024
🌐 Website: Fear Overload Scream Park
📍 Location: 2086 Newpark Mall, Newark, CA 94560
2. Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch
This popular spot in Oakland has 2 haunted house options. You can do the “less scary” version for kids and scaredy-cat adults, where they’ll turn on the lights and shut off the creatures. Or you can try the scary version, in which something dark lurks around every corner…
🎫 Price: TBA for 2024
🗓️ Dates: TBA for 2024
🌐 Learn more: Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch on Facebook
📍 Location: 4414 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611
3. Unhinged: Hotel at the Winchester Mystery House
Unhinged: Hotel brings a new chapter to the famous Winchester Mystery House. See if you can brave the immersive indoor maze through three floors of the house, the outdoor scare zone, and a limited-time Halloween museum. Be sure to decompress afterward with themed cocktails and food, plus endless spooky photo ops.
🎫 Price: $75 – 96
🗓️ Dates: Sept. 13 – Nov. 2, 2024
🌐 Website: Winchester Mystery House
📍 Location: 525 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose, CA 95128
4. Blind Scream
Blind Scream presents Reflections of Terror, where you’ll explore a grotesque abandoned home buried deep in an overgrown forest. The 20,000-square-foot attraction is renowned for its production value every single year. For the resident scaredy cats, Blind Scream has also introduced Guided Ghostly Tours where you’ll walk through the house with all the lights and sounds, but none of the monsters.
🎫 Price: $25-35
🗓️ Dates: Oct. 11 – 31, 2024
🌐 Website: Blind Scream
📍 Location: 98 Santa Rosa Plaza, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
5. Tricks and Treats at Great America
A family-friendly Halloween event with two themed sides: Tricks and Treats. The Land of Tricks is filled with all things slimy, creepy, and spooky, including a haunted 1920s village and macabre carnival games. The Land of Treats capitalizes on the coziness of fall and Halloween nostalgia, with pumpkin decorating, a candy witch, seasonal craft beers and cocktails, and endless fall-themed food. Tricks and Treats is the perfect option for those who aren’t up for a haunted house but still want to lean into their spooky side.
🎫 Price: Starting at $45
🗓️ Dates: Sept. 20 – Oct. 26, 2024
🌐 Website: California’s Great America
📍 Location: 4701 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA 95054
6. Pirates of Emerson
This walk-through haunted theme park has four different haunted houses across six acres of the Pleasanton Fairgrounds. The immersive themed sets are designed to place you in the center of the action, with a spooky pirate theme and lots of practical effects including fire. Make sure to buy timed-entry tickets in advance because they sell out quickly and are only available online. This year, anyone under 16 must be accompanied by someone 21+.
🎫 Price: $40-45
🗓️ Dates: Sept. 27 – Nov. 2, 2024
🌐 Website: Pirates of Emerson
📍 Location: Alameda County Fairgrounds, Valley Ave, Pleasanton, CA 94566
7. Grimm’s Hollow
Take your friends on a wild family-friendly journey through twists and turns of a haunted maze, where you can either get stuck in a dead end or unlock a secret path. The bravest among you can take a stab at the much scarier Maelstrom, where you’ll have to find your way out of a locked space while angry spirits wreak havoc around you.
🎫 Price: $15
🗓️ Dates: Oct. 13 – 31, 2024
🌐 Website: Grimm’s Hollow
📍 Location: Easterbrook Discovery School, 4835 Doyle Rd, San Jose, CA 95129
8. Lemos Farm
Make a day of it at this family-friendly farm with a pumpkin patch, pony rides, train rides, a petting zoo, and this year-round haunted house. There’s a non-scary version for younger kids and a scary version for older kids.
🎫 Price: Available with farm pass costing $10-25
🗓️ Dates: Open year-round
🌐 Website: Lemos Farm
📍 Location: 12320 San Mateo Rd, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
9. Mayhem Mansion at the Haas-Lilienthal house
San Francisco’s Haas-Lilienthal mansion in Pac Heights will be transformed into the ultimate haunted mansion in this guided tour experience. Learn all about the famous building in a special Halloween-themed tour, but be wary of what lurks around each corner! Guests can then enjoy the 21+ Spookeasy in the house’s Ballroom saloon.
🎫 Price: TBA for 2024
🗓️ Dates: TBA for 2024
🌐 Website: Haas-Lilienthal House
📍 Location: 2007 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
10. Fright Fest at Six Flags
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is gearing up for Fright Fest, a special park experience where guests can enjoy haunted rides and attractions in complete darkness, scare zones, spooky shows and performances, multiple haunted houses, and ghoulish themed food and drinks. For the kids, Six Flags is also hosting Boo Fest, a tamer experience where families can watch fun live shows and go trick-or-treating in costume.
🎫 Price: Starting at $29 for one-day ticket
🗓️ Dates: Sept. 21 – Nov. 3, 2024
🌐 Website: Six Flags
📍 Location: 1001 Fairgrounds Dr, Vallejo, CA 94589
11. Fatal Abduction at the SF Mint
The San Francisco Mint is one of the city’s oldest buildings, and every year it transforms into the ultimate immersive haunted show courtesy of Into The Dark. This year’s theme is “Fatal Abduction,” in which a mysterious extraterrestrial force unleashes horror on humanity. They’re also bringing back the ’80s Fang Bang Vampire Bar, which serves Halloween-themed cocktails and snacks.
🎫 Price: Starting at $60
🗓️ Dates: Oct. 4 – Nov. 3, 2024
🌐 Website: Into The Dark
📍 Location: San Francisco Mint, 88 5th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
12. Dead Time Dreams
San Jose’s popular haunted house has yet to release details for 2024. Last year, they presented NIGHTMARES, an open-air scare zone with plenty of room to run from monsters. They also stepped up the scares in the “Midway of Terror,” which presents a detailed pre-show to keep you on your toes while you’re waiting your turn.
🎫 Price: TBA for 2024
🗓️ Dates: TBA for 2024
🌐Website: Dead Time Dreams
📍 Location: Eastridge Center, 2501 Tully Rd, San Jose, CA 95122
13. Scotts Valley Haunted House
This beloved haunted house in Scotts Valley has been bringing the frights for over 20 years. Last year they hinted that it may be their last run of the haunted house, so stay tuned as we await confirmation.
🎫 Price: TBA for 2024
🗓️ Dates: TBA for 2024
🌐Website: SV Haunted House
📍 Location: 555 Glenwood Dr, Scotts Valley, CA 95066
14. Nightmare Island
Test your bravery in this 45,000 square foot warehouse with enormous lofted ceilings and roll-up doors for an open-air haunted house. There’s a less-scary version with no animatronics or scare actors from 5-6pm, but starting at 6:30pm the scares are in full effect. There’s also a Halloween market with local vendors selling all your spooky necessities.
🎫 Price: TBA for 2024
🗓️ Dates: TBA for 2024
🌐 Website: Nightmare Island
📍 Location: 1080 Nimitz Ave, Vallejo, CA 94592