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 new list of San Francisco ghost tours.
1. Fear Overload Scream Park
Find two excellent haunted houses at this award-winning Newark location. “Happy Days Asylum” will take you through a twisted asylum from the point of view of a patient surrounded by hair-raising whispers. The other experience is “House of Phobia: Rise of Monsters,” in which you’ll enter the sinister house where guests entered and never returned. Get ready to scream, because these are widely considered to be the best haunted houses in the Bay.
🎫 $23.99-32.99
🗓️ Now through Nov. 5, 2023
📍 2086 Newpark Mall, Newark
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…
🎫 $8 per person
📍 4414 Piedmont Ave, Oakland
3. Unhinged: Housewarming at the Winchester Mystery House
Unhinged: Housewarming brings a new chapter to the famous Winchester Mystery House. See if you can brave the immersive indoor haunt, the outdoor scare zone, and a limited-time Halloween museum. Be sure to decompress at the outdoor Lavish Garden Party with fun themed cocktails and food, sideshow entertainers, and endless spooky photo ops.
🎫 $65-70
🗓️ Now through Oct. 31, 2023
📍 525 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose
4. Blind Scream
Blind Scream presents Doc Hunter’s House of Horror, wherein a nefarious doctor brings reality and the supernatural within dangerously close proximity. The haunted house promises “bone-cracking doctors and bloodthirsty werewolves,” plus the return of “Lil’ Horrus,” a demented little boy with some nasty hobbies. 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.
🎫 $25-50
🗓️ Oct. 13-31, 2023
📍 98 Santa Rosa Plaza, Santa Rosa
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.
🎫 Starting at $39.99
🗓️ Now through Oct. 28, 2023
📍 4701 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara
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+.
🎫 $40-80
🗓️ Now through Oct. 31, 2023
📍 Eastern end of Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton
7. Grimm’s Hollow
This haunted house in San Jose is part labyrinth, part haunted house, and part escape room. 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 Oubliette dungeon after-hours, where you’ll have to find your way out of a locked space while angry spirits wreak havoc around you.
🎫 $12
🗓️ Oct. 13-31, 2023
📍 Easterbrook Discovery School, 4835 Doyle Road, San Jose
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.
🎫 $12-30 (includes access to other attractions)
🗓️ Year-round, Wednesday-Saturday
📍12320 San Mateo Rd, Half Moon Bay
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.
🎫 $20-30
🗓️ Oct. 20-21, 26-28, 2023
📍2007 Franklin St, San Francisco
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.
🎫 Starting at $70, general admission park tickets sold separately
🗓️ Select dates now through Oct. 29, 2023
📍Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, 1001 Fairgrounds Dr, Vallejo
11. Terror Vault: The Initiation 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 “INsight,” in which a paranormal cult opens your eyes to “true consciousness,” showing the horrors lurking in our dark world. They’re also bringing back the ’80s Fang Bang Vampire Bar, which serves Halloween-themed cocktails and snacks.
🎫 $55-75
🗓️ Now through Oct. 31, 2023
📍 88 5th St, San Francisco
12. Dead Time Dreams
San Jose’s popular haunted house presents NIGHTMARES, an open-air scare zone with plenty of room to run from monsters. They’re also stepping 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.
🎫 $20-30
🗓️ Oct. 6-31, 2023
📍 2501 Tully Rd. at East Capitol Expressway, San Jose
13. Scotts Valley Haunted House
This beloved haunted house in Scotts Valley has been bringing the frights for over 20 years. This year’s theme “Schmetterling’s Institute of the Mind,” where they invite you to submit your mind to science in the interest of studying human thoughts, behaviors, and yes, fear. They’ve hinted that this may be the last year of the haunted house, so if you haven’t been, this would be the year to make the trip.
🎫 $15 cash at the gate. Proceeds benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
🗓️ Oct. 26-28, 2023
📍 555 Glenwood Drive, Scotts Valley
14. NightMARE Island
*On hiatus for 2023*
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.
📍1080 Nimitz Ave, Vallejo