Halloween Activities near Salt Lake City Utah (from a Local)

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year, the ability to be whatever character, good or bad you want and not be punished or ridiculed for it. A child who dreams of being a princess, a little boy who dreams of big muscles and fighting like spider man can let their imagination run wild. So for all my fellow U-tards, here is a guide on Halloween Activities near Salt Lake City Utah.

Halloween Themed Ride on a Historic Train

About an hour north of Salt Lake City, there is a small town called Heber Utah - where every season their iconic train, the Heber Creeper transforms into a holiday delight. It is certainly a family friendly event, but as a solo traveler, I've quite enjoyed going on my own as well. 

Pumpkin Train

They start off with the Pumpkin Train, where adults, toddlers, and babies alike can dress as pumpkins. It is a 40-minute train ride costumed characters enthrall you with G-rated stories and jokes. Each passenger is given a delicious pumpkin cookie, and at the end of the trip, you get to pick out a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch for carving. They also have a family-friendly haunted train car, and if you survive the haunted car you even get a Halloween sticker.

Wizard Train

If you can't make it on the Pumpkin Train, then I suggest the Wizard Train! Dress up as your favorite wizard, and take a 90-minute train ride through the fall colors and canyons. Each wizard will be sorted by the sorting hat, receive a delicious chocolate frog, and if you are brave enough - you get to try the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean. There will be costumed wizards, characters, wands, games, trivia, photos and more.

The Best Haunted Houses Near Salt Lake City Utah

If you haven't been to Utah or lived here during Halloween - you will miss out on the incredibly spooky culture of Haunted Houses. Yes indeed, from Happy Valley Haunts, to spooktacular and incredibly terrifying hands-on haunted houses - there is something for everyone. There is even a new wave of 'leveled hauntings' where you can choose the level of fear you want to experience within a haunted house (for your little ones as well. Boo-fore I get ahead of myself, I will just briefly share my top 5 haunted houses for the whole family.

Castle of Chaos

Castle of Chaos is the “home of hands-on horror" and known for The Mansion, The Caverns, Nightmare in 3D, X-Scream Dungeon. There are several ticket options including General Admission, glow wand admission (that keeps the monsters away). There are four levels of scares, and the extreme haunt: X-Scream Hands-On Horror™ involves some pretty heavy hands-on actor interaction. Not only can the actors touch you, but they can pick you up, drag you off, get you wet, place things or our pets on you, restrain you, mock torture you, put you in things, and anything else that is legal and safe. They have 5 levels of tickets that range from mild glow wand to extreme.

Haunted Forest

I remember going to the Haunted Forest as a kid and really liking it. This place has been running for more than 25 years. You wind your way through the forested areas, into and out of creepy makeshift buildings and get scared off with a grand finale. While there are mixed reviews on this haunted area, I really enjoyed it as a kid.

There is a legend of a bootlegger, Cletus, that murdered people for years, and would hide their bodies in this forest when he migrated west with his wife along the Pony Express. He finally admitted it to his wife, and finally shared his moonshine recipe with her one day. Well she slipped some cyanide in his drink and then drank the rest of it after he died. The folks near the town said the place became so haunted, that they ended up moving the whole town - to present day American Fork. Years later, the bones of those Cletus had murdered were recovered from the Bone Creek, thus named for how many bones were found along the river banks. 

So it isn't just paid actors at this place, it truly has a history and is said to be quite haunted. Being in a forest setting, and not a building made to look scary - it does add a more realistic 'scare' factor. 

Nightmare on 13th

Nightmare on 13th boasts itself as one of the top haunted attractions in America. Getting through the 2 haunted houses takes you about an hour. Everyone gets a free online photo taken with one of the haunted characters, which you download from their site (I lost the QR code so mine still has the watermark). There are different themes throughout the haunted house - Dolls, Clowns, Vikings, Dragons, giant rats, trolls, ice cream factory with body parts, small spaces, tunnel of vomit (as I call it because of the spinning). There are puffs of air, electronics, actors dressed in really spooky costumes, shift floors, tight spaces, strobes, flashing lights that accost the senses in every way. There are also really cool strobe lights with a watery effect, that trick your mind to make you feel as though you are walking forward to drown (really trippy). The black room with a single red strobe to lead you forward, as you see figures streak across the room - slowly picking visitors off one by one. 

Part of the Nightmare on 13th is the Institute of Terror, where patients roam the corridors of the asylum waiting for unsuspecting victims to scare. This is a VERY dark haunted house, so you have to use your hands to find your way through. They strategically place items with a bit of stick, slime, poke, and more tactile sensations - along with the paid actors of the asylum. It only takes about 15 minutes to walk through the corridors, but it is quite fun. 

The last few years, this haunted house has been overly crowded, so felt like you were following a herd of cattle and lost its scare. THIS HAS CHANGED, now there are more timed entries, electronic tickets, and a MUCH funner experience with lots of scares for each visitor. 

Fear Factory

The Fear Factory dates back to 1894, this former cemetery factory is a deadly paranormal hotspot. It is full of a history of twisted accidents. If some in your party aren't partial to haunted houses, then do not fret - there are also DJ's, bands playing, concessions and a few deadly characters outside. It takes about 45 minutes to go through Fear Factory. They have several options for extreme levels of fright depending on your ticket purchase, as long as your willing to sign the waiver. 

Asylum 49 (Tooele) 

Combining forces with the former Dead City Haunted House, this haunted house is a full contact haunted hospital. You do have to sign a waiver, but this is not for the faint of heart as the place is also a hot spot for paranormal activity. There is a haunted museum, and escape room type quests. 

They do have different levels of contact for those not looking for a full on heart attack experience to join the dead. There is a no contact, light contact, full contact, and personal escort with a psychotic doctor to really torture you. Don't know if I'm personally brave enough to experience a full contact haunted house, but let me know in the comments below if you are - tell me ALL THE DETAILS. 

Castle of Chaos

Choose your own level of Chaos on this place, with five levels of fear! The fear level can be catered to both kids and those not easily scared. For those who really love the adrenaline high, try one of their escape rooms! 

The Krusəb(ə)l Extreme Haunt will run you about $250 and take 5 hours to complete, not many end up surviving the experience and beg to be released before the time is up. To give you an idea there is a recommendation to not wear anything that cannot be stained or torn..... SO if you are indeed....insane.....or just like being scared - then try your hand at surviving this. 

For those looking for a more traditional scare, they have those experiences too - Make sure to get your tickets online as it gives you a 10% discount. 

Frightmares at Lagoon

This one has mixed reviews from people, I've been a few times myself and enjoyed it. However, as I've gone to haunted houses in Utah through the years, I've discovered that for the cost, any other haunted house is just as good with a bit of a cheaper price point.

If you want the fun of the rides AND to have a scary haunted house experience though - then it is MUST. The ticket will cost around $104 ($76 kids), but also gets you access to the rides, and other amenities available throughout the theme park. They do put quite a bit of effort into the costumes, makeup, and decorations to be fair, I haven't been for several years personally because of the price point - so if you go - let me know what you think in the comments below. 

This year (2024) they also have started Peter’s Pumpkin Patch that has different family friendly activities - like coloring pumpkins, cookie decorating, kid friendly Halloween activities. You can attend this for just $12, I do not believe it requires a season pass. 

Family Friendly Little Haunts

This is the Place Heritage Park that is mainly run by the Latter Day Saint Church in Salt Lake does host a good time for family friendly fun. At Little Haunts you get home made donuts, little haunted pioneer homes with scary ghost stories, Carmel dipped apples, and haunted train rides. The kids can dress up in costume and as they visit the different homes (at least pre-pandemic) they would hand out treats. I'll have to visit this one again and give you an update though, as it has been a few years since I've been to this one. 

Corn Mazes Near Salt Lake City

Pack Farms - Farmington, UT

Darryl Pack started farming with his family in Davis County about 1950. They’ve been selling pumpkins to local grocery stores for years, but demand caused them to open their farm ten years ago so you can pick your pumpkin from the field. You can also enjoy the hay maze and scarecrow picture gallery.

Wheeler Historic Farm - Salt Lake City, UT

This agricultural living history museum and outdoor recreation are operated by Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation that was founded in 1887 by Henry Wheeler Sr. They have a pumpkin patch, corn maze, hay maze, and wagon ride. Each October they also hold a Scarecrow festival and contest.

Crazy Corn Maze – West Jordan, UT – 8 Acres

Open for over 20 years, their Halloween themed activities grows every year. There is also a separate haunted trail called Night Stalkers, where you are stalked through the corn maze by creatures after dark. The Enchanted Pumpkin Patch is a 4-acre pumpkin patch you can both pick your pumpkin, as well as wander through the patch after dark. The pumpkins are all lit up and might give you some ideas on how to decorate your own. 

Cornbelly’s – Lehi, UT – 12 Acres – 3 Mazes

Up for US Today’s Top Ten Corn Mazes it is a perfect place for the whole family to run amuck. It is the ultimate place during the day for those coveted Fall photos, with PLENTY of setups dotted throughout the area for photo ops. There are animal shows, face painting, games, rides, inflatable dinosaurs/monsters, mini hay mazes, zip lines where it feels like if Halloween had a state fair, this would be it.

At night, there is a separate haunted maze and other haunted attractions here - so you can stay all day and get all your Halloween traditions knocked out in one place on the same day.

It is located right behind Thanksgiving point, where you can grab some sandwiches and swing over to the Farm barn and petting zoo, or the Dinosaur Museum.

Pumpkin Patches Near Salt Lake City

Cross E Ranch - Salt Lake City Utah

This is the only interactive working cattle ranch in Salt Lake City Utah. During their Fall festival, there are plenty of animals to interact with. Their corn maze (of which there are 3 different ones) is 14 acres, with nearly 7 miles of trails weaving throughout the corn maze. They also have a 12-acre pumpkin patch, hayrides, corn pits, straw pyramid, mini straw maze, zip lines, pig races, fire pits, slides, and new this year they have an archery shooting range! I've also recently heard they have the BEST apple cider donuts (think East Coast quality) - it is a bit less commercialized here than Cornbelly's is and feels more homey and relaxed for those who don't like crowds. 

Schmidt’s Farm – West Jordan, Utah

This pumpkin patch is one of the largest with around 500 tons of pumpkins produced each year. While it doesn't have the family activities that Cross E Ranch has, it is a garden center that boasts some of the best pumpkins around. They also have some delicious salt and peppercorn to take home along with your pumpkins. The crazy corn maze is close by if you wanted to make it a longer activity for family and friends.

Maybe's Pumpkin Patch - South Jordan

This is a farm with historical roots, in fact, it is named as a 'Utah Century Farm' because it was founded in 1884. It is a 14-acre patch, with over 45 different pumpkins and plenty of Instagram-able backdrops, barns and photo booths to capture the moment.

Halloween Park Fun

Evermore

Update April 2024 Evermore Park was unfortunately closed for good, while it was purchased by other developers, no official plans were published to the Media on what it will be. I've left a bit of description below for those curious as to what it used to be. 

As a World Walker, you enter into Evermore Park where it feels as if you are walking onto a movie set straight out of Europe. There are seasonal themes to the park, but during Halloween, you enter Evermore Lore. You take a quest through the fairyland where the Fae King has fallen to the darkness and you must help the other inhabitants figure out how to protect themselves and save the Fae King. The story develops and becomes a little more haunted each time you go back.

Witches Night Out

This is a GREAT night out for all those who want to channel their inner witch. It is a great bonding activity for sisters, Moms, and an occasional wizard. It is set in the Gardner Village shopping area that caters to interior decorating shopping. You don't have to spend money if you don't want to, there is music, scavenger hunts, escape rooms, and lots and lots of places to take fun photos and watch the ducks play in the pond. Make sure to get there on opening night as there is a big dance party around a cauldron. 

Parking is a bit of a nightmare though and it is along a busy highway - so get there early, or carpool in. They also have dinner experiences with the characters that come, and also a mystery dinner. It does sell out quick though and you really have to be signed up for their email list in order to get in. I would also say if you do want to do any activities it is a bit more costly than I would have anticipated. 

Frightmares

There are over nine haunted attractions during Frightmares at the theme park in Farmington. You can ride different rides and roller coasters, along with a stroll through an old cowboy town and a haunted carriage house. Hosted by Lagoon, the staff here pull out all the tricks and treats to make the whole family enjoy their Halloween.

Boo at the Zoo - Hogle Zoo

While the animals are put to bed for the night, the zoo transforms into a lighted family friendly spot to celebrate Halloween. There are various booths for kids 12 and under throughout the Boo at the Zoo where they can trick-or-treat. There are train rides, Frankenstein's Laboratory Show, Witches House and plenty of treats to purchase while there as well. 

Thriller by Odyssey Dance Theatre - Kingsbury Hall

Odyssey Dance Theatre used to be a tradition for many people in Utah when I was growing up. Much o the dancing is inspired by the very same Thriller, with Michael Jackson. While there were a few years that Odyssey Dance Theatre had to close its doors, the famous Thriller is BACK! 

Red Butte Garden - Bootanical Experience

The Boo-tanical is a two-weekend family-friendly event with a theme and activities great for kids. This year (2024) the theme is 'Adventures in Wonderland', where kids and adults see what the Jabberwokey has done to the garden - planting evil seeds that turn mushrooms into pumpkins, and teacups into spiders. Help them figure out how to stop the curse and return the garden back! 

Pub Crawls and Speakeasies

For adult festivities with a bit of adult fun, try a pub crawl in UTAH! Just make sure you use a Lyft, bike or Uber and stay downtown in Salt Lake City; the liquor laws with driving are quite strict. Some of the bars you will drawl to are Harp and Hound (starting around 4pm), Funk 'N Dive Bar, Harp and Hound, Kokomo Club, Lamplite Lounge, and Lighthouse Lounge.

Crawl With Us - Pub Crawl

This itinerary can change every year, but you can typically find this insight on Facebook. Look up 'Crawl with Us' on Facebook, or visit the 'Crawl with Us' official website for some boozy fun, and get a chance to win $1,000 for the best costume!

Prohibition Speakeasy

Every Friday and Saturday night, visit prohibition for a Burlesque and Beats show with aerial artists, drag queens, singers, and burlesquers. I highly suggest reserving a spot as it can get quite crowded on the weekends, visit Prohibition Utah. 

Area 51 - Fetish Ball

Area 51 Halloween Fetish ball runs about $20-$30, has two dance floors and a Karaoke room. They encourage sexy costumes with lots of cocktails and dancing. On a regular dancing day here, you will find Gothic Themed dancing and karaoke so they really do love the macabre here. 

Grimm Ghost Tours of Salt Lake City

Paranormal investigations, tour the 'old town' of Salt Lake where spooky tales are spun, with various spots (including Saltair) this Ghost Tour truly is something not to miss. There are some pretty Grimm tales, serial killers, and absolutely WILD murder mysteries that have occurred in the Salt Lake Area - they take you to some of the most famous ones and where there have been documented sightings (including photos) of spirits visiting from the other side. Grab your tickets for Grimm Ghost Tours early to explore the best spots with them. 

Mystique Dinner and Macabre Comedy Show - Is It Worth It? 

This Edgar Allen Poe themed dinner takes place in Gardner Village for several weeks leading up to Halloween. Many of the dinner shows sell out, and there is quite limited seating (understandably). I was able to attend in 2024, by myself and I did enjoy myself - with a few caveats. 

You wait for the doors to open about 15 minutes before the dinner actually starts. There are VIP seats, and there are general admission seats. The dinner and show cost is around $146 for the VIP seats, while you do get more interaction with the magician, I don't know that paying the extra price is worth it. The only advantage to the VIP seats I could see is that you have a better view - there is no perks to the meal, and you do get seated first but I don't know if that is worth the extra cost. 

The area is decorated beautifully, I would expect nothing less being in the heart of a home decor village revered by Utah Moms across the state. The dry ice drinks with apple wedges and caramel dipping sauce was a nice touch. There is Halloween music playing, and two hosts - that on the night I attended seemed to want to go home, but warmed up by the end of the night. 

There are about 5 minutes of instructions of 'do's and don'ts' of the dinner. Then you can dig into your Pumpkin Cream soup, which was about a 6/10 for me personally. They come take your order for drinks, with Coke products included and some adult beverages for an additional price. I got a Chocolate Stout Beer for about $12 which was really good (8/10) and helped me calm the nerves at the family sitting next to me who was smacking loudly to annoy each other. 

You are sitting next to strangers, and you can't help hear the conversations next to you, while I do enjoy attending dinners alone most days - this is one that I would highly suggest bringing a friend with. 

The rest of the dinner was a Kale with Quinoa and vinaigrette with a radish and pickled onion with dried cranberries (6/10). The palate cleanser was a VERY sweet sorbet with mint jelly 7/10, however it made me feel as if it was the end of the meal and not a palate cleanser. The Prime Rib with asparagus petite red potatoes, mayo based horseradish and a clear Au Ju I thought was butter because there wasn't much flavor to it 6/10. Followed by a Lemon cake with strawberry marscapone and lemon drops dotted on it. 

The dinner was a bit disappointing if I'm honest, I would equate it to food like you would find at the Billagio Buffett - but not as hot and not as well flavored. I feel that the other dishes may have been better flavored, so I would try one of those before spending the money on the Prime Rib. 

The Comedy Show was fun, with a bit of marketing for the Gorillas in Uganda I could have done without. While I know it is for a good cause, I don't really wanted to be pitched a product while I'm paying the amount of money I'm paying. There were a few card tricks, some crowd interaction, and a few tricks that left me dumbfounded - I would still say it was 'good' to 'ok' -- maybe I've been too spoiled by my time living in Las Vegas and eating at Michelin Star Restaurants. Yet, I do have to give them grace, because Utah is really known for having 'delicious' places to eat - opting more for chain restaurants and 'tradition'. 

Overall, for a Utah Magic Show and a Utah version of an upscale dinner, I would go again, and give it a solid 7.5/10 - but would opt for the least expensive ticket and meal next time. Would I make it a tradition? Probably not, but would I go again with friends - yes. 

Theatre and Musicals

If you are looking for something a little more laid back, but still gets you out of the house to break up the monotony of day to day living - then try supporting the local theatres. 

Pioneer Theatre

Make sure to check out the Pioneer Theatre Company for the Rocky Horror Show (a total classic), the Off Broadway Theatre that is showing Dracula and Hunchback, the Philharmonic Orchestra and Universities always have Halloween themed concerts. 

Centerpoint Legacy Theatre

This year (2024) I attended a play with Centerpoint Legacy Theatre (just 20 min from downtown) where 'Into the Woods' was playing. Tickets are A LOT cheaper than Hale Center Theatre (in Sandy) and they put on a 8/10 show most days of the week. Tickets here will run you about $25-$45, while Hale Centre Theatre could run you $45-$75 per ticket for holiday shows. 

Desert Star Theatre

This is a show for the whole family, young and old, it is quite fun and very interactive. Make it a dinner and a show, there are tables, popcorn, and food available. Shows play year-round, but they have popular Halloween characters pop in this time of year for a pumpkin smashing good time. You do have to reserve your tickets in advance. 

Active Halloween Fun

If you want to go for a burn (aka a run that burns calories before you eat your ghoulish treats) - then sign up for the Haunted Hollows 5k run through a spooky wooded area, South Jordan has a Halloween Fun Run, and there is also the Witch Run that Gardner Village hosts as well. 

No matter what, as long as you aren't an antisocial lazy bones - and push yourself outside your comfort zone - I guarantee you will have an incredible Halloween here in Utah. The spooks, haunts and jaunts here are unlike anything I've seen in the world. 

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