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Tag: haunted attractions

  • 13 best (and scary) things to do this Halloween season around Charlotte

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    Charlotte is diving headfirst into the Halloween spirit, offering plenty of thrills and scares over the next month.

    With haunted mazes, ghost tours, costume parties and bar crawls, there’s no shortage of ways to get your heart racing in Charlotte during Halloween season. After all, as the classic line from “Halloween” goes, “Everyone’s entitled to one good scare.”

    Check out these events in Charlotte, Indian Trail, Blacksburg, Gastonia and beyond — and be ready for a season filled with fright:

    Note: Hickory Grove Haunted Trail in Gastonia, which we featured last year, has decided not to open for the Halloween season, stating that it has been busy with its other business, Mountain View Driving Range.

    Carolina History & Haunts Charlotte Ghost Tour

    Location: 201 North Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202

    When: Year-round

    Cost: $20 for adults, $15 for children ages 7 to 12 and free for children 6 and younger.

    In uptown Charlotte, Carolina History and Haunts offers a glimpse into The Queen City’s history. Guided by lantern light, participants can explore local landmarks while hearing tales of spirits that are said to still linger. Road tripping? Similar tours are also available in Greensboro and Winston-Salem.

    Country Days Corn Maze

    Location: 416 Joe Lee Helms Rd, Indian Trail, NC 28079

    When: Through Nov. 1 on Friday, 5-10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; and Sunday, 2-8 p.m.

    Cost: $26 for the Big Maze with unlimited farm activities (wristband included) and $24 for the Little Ears Maze with a wristband.

    Celebrate fall at Country Daze Corn Maze, featuring a Maze-O-Poly game with farm-themed squares. Special appreciation weekends include Health Care & Public Servants, Educator Appreciation and Military, Veterans and Seniors 65+.

    Fear Farm

    Location: 424 Ninety-Nine Island Rd., Blacksburg, SC 29702

    When: Through Nov. 1 on Fridays and Saturdays, 7-11 p.m. unless otherwise noted on the event calendar, plus a couple of Sundays (Oct. 19 and 26).

    Cost: $30 for general admission, $20 for children and $15 for a fast pass add-on.

    Fear Farm offers several haunted attractions for one ticket price, along with free parking. Upon entering its new Fear Farm Midway, you’ll find carnival games, food, picnic tables, an escape room, a new putt-putt course and photo ops with characters. New for 2025 is “Monster Maze” and “Club 13”, joining main attractions “Abyss,” “Mineshaft Mayhem,” “The Coven,” “Confinement,” “Twistyz” and “Farm House.”

    Funny Bus

    Location: 301 E. 7th St, Charlotte

    When: Through the end of October

    Cost: $35

    This fall, step aboard the Funny Bus, where its Halloween-themed tours will include appearances by Beetlejuice and Wednesday Addams. You’ll get a blend of Charlotte’s scary stories with a comedic spin, as well as some local trivia.

    Want more laughs? LaZoom tours has a Charlotte Ghosted Tour you can take, too.

    A performer in a full Beetlejuice costume, with a black-and-white striped suit and ghoulish makeup, poses dramatically inside a vehicle. The interior is bathed in purple light, and a glowing purple sign that reads “BEETLEJUICE” is visible in front of them.
    A performer dressed as the character Beetlejuice entertains guests aboard Charlotte’s The Funny Bus, featuring dramatic purple lighting. Funny Bus

    Hillside Horror

    Location: 2122 Hoots Rd, Roaring River, NC 28669

    When: Every weekend through Nov. 8.

    Cost: $25 for a ticket including entry to the corn maze, haunted woods and spooky hayride.

    Hillside Horror, located in the North Carolina foothills, features a corn maze, haunted houses, a spooky hayride and live actors for over an hour of terror. Due to intense elements like pitch-black areas, uneven terrain, tight spaces and loud noises, the attraction is not recommended for anyone with health issues such as heart conditions, asthma or claustrophobia.

    Kersey Valley Spookywoods

    Location: 6948 Cecil Farm Rd, Archdale, NC 27263

    When: Every Friday from Oct. 3-Nov. 1, from 8-11 p.m.

    Cost: $35 for general admission, $65 for VIP and $99 for immediate access.

    At Kersey Valley Spookywoods, enjoy treats, brews and live DJ music at Club Spooky, then explore Spookywoods’ original farmhouse from 1985 before boarding the dark ride tram to “ICONS,” which is rated R as it includes harsh language and intense graphic violence. The 40-year-old attraction is located on a 92-acre farm near Charlotte and Greensboro. Kersey Valley also offers ziplining, a maize adventure, axe throwing and laser tag.

    Lake Hickory Haunts

    Location: 520 Carolina Ave, Hickory, NC 28601

    When: Friday through Sunday and select Thursdays through Nov. 2.

    Cost: Tickets begin at $30.

    Lake Hickory Haunts is more than just a haunted house: As the first lakeside haunted theme park in the Carolinas, Lake Hickory Haunts has 13 attractions, including a haunted boat ride, underground haunts and overwater experiences.

    Matthews Playhouse

    Location: 100 E McDowell St, Matthews, NC 28105

    When: Oct. 24-26. Not So Spooky Hour starts at 5:30 p.m. Full Fright is 7:30-9:30 p.m.

    Cost: Haunted Trail tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at the gate. Halloween Fun Zone tickets are included in the price of a Trail Ticket or can be purchased for $5 per child.

    At Matthews Playhouse’s annual haunted trail, expect all the thrills and chills, along with fun family-friendly activities. As the theater’s largest fundraiser of the year, it starts with a “Not So Spooky Trail”, a toned-down version of the haunted trail for children ages 6 and older. But, if you’re looking to turn the scariness up, the trail will feature the “Full-Fright” experience from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Plus, you can enjoy the Halloween Fun Zone with food trucks, trunk-or-treat, face painting, DJ, crafts and games from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

    Nightly Spirits – Ghost Tours & Pub Crawls

    Location: Uptown Charlotte

    When: Year-round

    Cost: Haunted Booze and Boos tours start at $29.95, and private tours start at $350.

    Nightly Spirits Charlotte offers a dive into the Queen City’s haunted history. While ghost sightings aren’t guaranteed, the tours promise plenty of chances to “interact” with spirits on your journey. Nightly Spirits hosts haunted ghost tours and pub crawls in multiple cities, including Charlotte, and is frequently named one of the Top 10 Best Ghost Tours in the U.S. Once you book, you’ll get a confirmation email telling you where the tour begins.

    Queen City Ghosts tours

    Location: Start at The Dunhill Hotel, 237 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202

    When: Year-round

    Cost: $26 for adults and $16 for children.

    Queen City Ghosts offers tours filled with captivating stories sourced from places like the Charlotte Historical Society and the Main Library. Stops include Old Settlers’ Cemetery, Charlotte’s Old Fire Station No. 4, the McNinch House and the Tryon House Apartments, which burned down in 1940. Tour guide Amanda Caines shared, “The one that scares me the most is probably The Guthery Apartments. It’s creepy enough that I wouldn’t live there.”

    Rich & Bennett’s Halloween Pub Crawl

    Location: 20+ locations; beginning at the Pub Crawl Party Lot, 220 N Brevard St, Charlotte, NC 28202

    Date: Oct. 25. Kickoff is from 1-3:30 p.m.

    Cost: Prices range from $10 to $25, depending on purchase timing.

    Tickets to Rich & Bennett’s Annual Halloween Pub Crawl, Charlotte’s largest, will include drink specials, an event koozie, fun swag (while supplies last), a costume contest and automatic entry into a raffle with exciting prizes. A portion of the proceeds will support Carolina Breast Friends, the event’s local charity partner.

    SCarowinds

    Location: 14523 Carowinds Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28273

    When: Every Friday through Sunday until Nov. 2 beginning at 6 p.m.

    Cost: Varies per attraction.

    Brace yourself for a heart-pounding experience at SCarowinds as you explore attractions including this year’s “The Conjuring: Beyond Fear”.

    “It is the biggest and boldest attraction we’ve ever debuted at SCarowinds,” park spokesman Chris Foshee previously told CharlotteFive.

    A creature crawls through a doorway at The Conjuring: Beyond Fear experience at Scarowinds on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025.
    A creature crawls through a doorway at The Conjuring: Beyond Fear experience at Scarowinds on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. TRACY KIMBALL tkimball@heraldonline.com

    Scarrigan Farms Haunted Trail

    Location: Carrigan Farms, West Entrance: 1213 Oak Ridge Farm Highway, Mooresville, NC 28115

    When: Thursday through Sunday, Oct.3-Nov. 1. Doors open at 7 p.m.

    Cost: Varies; advanced reservations required.

    Carrigan Farms in Mooresville has transformed into a haunted trail for teens and adults, featuring cannibal clowns, monsters and zombies. On the trail, you can take a ride on the tragic school bus, navigate twists and turns toward unimaginable horror and run from forest freaks and wilderness psychos. And while waiting your turn to go on the trail, enjoy the eerie, red-lit quarry with campfires, music and concessions like apple cider donuts, pizzas, s’mores and more. Note: participants must be 12 or older.

    In a dark, outdoor setting, a person in a plaid shirt and a white mask wields an orange chainsaw while approaching the doorway of an old, dilapidated bus. A person in a black hoodie and baseball cap is exiting the bus with a look of alarm, while another person in a teal hoodie walks away in the foreground.
    Each fall, Carrigan Farms in Mooresville transforms into a haunted trail for teens and adults called Scarrigan Farms Haunted Trail. Carrigan Farms

    This story was originally published October 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

    Related Stories from Charlotte Observer

    Mari Pressley

    The Charlotte Observer

    Freelancer Mari Pressley was an intern on the Charlotte Observer’s Service Desk and CharlotteFive. She studies mass communication with a concentration in journalism, while minoring in writing and photography. Her previous experience includes interning for Credit Karma’s Editorial team and serving as Managing Editor at Winthrop University’s school newspaper, The Johnsonian.

    Melissa Oyler

    The Charlotte Observer

    Melissa Oyler is the editor of CharlotteFive. When she’s not writing or editing, you’ll find her running, practicing hot yoga or snuggling with her rescue dogs, X and Charlie. Find her on Instagram or X: @melissaoyler.
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  • Lincoln Mill Haunted House will host a spooky St. Patrick’s Day experience

    Lincoln Mill Haunted House will host a spooky St. Patrick’s Day experience

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    One Philly haunted house venue is continuing its year-round programming with a St. Patrick’s Day-themed attraction. Get ready to reach A St. Paddy’s Nightmare at the end of the rainbow.

    Lincoln Mill Haunted House, located on 4100 Main Street in Manayunk, is hosting its first St. Patrick’s Day event. Those on weekend bar crawls can get some unique St. Paddy’s scares for one night only on Saturday, March 16.

    Expect Lincoln Mill to have a new green hue, with over 30 “scare-actors” dressing up as Celtic mythology characters like leprechauns, banshees and goblins to give you some proper frights. The characters will be part of a new storyline.

    “Saint Patrick’s day has a long history in Philadelphia dating back to 1771 where many Irish immigrants migrated to America,” said Lincoln Mill Haunted House co-founder Jared Bilsak. “Many Irish immigrants worked in the textile mills and we thought it would be interesting to tell a story about the mill owner’s fear of their uprising.”

    Before St. Paddy’s Nightmare, Lincoln Mill also hosted a “Viktor’s Valentine” haunted experience last month for Valentine’s Day, depicting a twisted love story. The venue has done haunts themed on Christmas and the fall season as well, adding more to the “Legend of Lincoln Mill.”

    “The Lincoln Mill story is continuing to evolve and we use our off-season events to tell different parts of this story,” said Bilsak. “In A St. Paddy’s Nightmare, the mill owner has nightmares of his workers turning against him.”

    Anyone still looking for St. Patrick’s Day activities well after the March 10 parade and before St. Patrick’s Day proper on March 17 can get tickets for A St. Paddy’s Nightmare online. Tickets are limited, and attendees will choose one of three time slots to enter the attraction.


    A St. Paddy’s Nightmare

    Saturday, March 16

    7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. | Tickets $32

    Lincoln Mill Haunted House

    4100 Main St., Philadelphia, PA 19127

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    Chris Compendio

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