The Best Haunted Attractions in America for 2026
Theme park mega-events, a real abandoned prison, an abandoned meat packing plant and the most detailed haunted house in the country. What to book this season.
The old Halloween
Halloween traditions & history
Turnip lanterns, soul cakes, punkies and guising — where the modern night came from, and how the United States got its own peculiar version of it.
Why Americans Celebrate Halloween
Halloween is not an American invention — it arrived in the luggage of Irish and Scottish immigrants. What America did was turn it into the second-biggest holiday of the year.
Devil's Night: America's Other Halloween
The night before Halloween has its own name, its own history, and in one American city a genuinely serious story about what happens when a prank tradition escalates.
How Scary Is Too Scary? Choosing an American Haunt
Scare ratings, age policies and actor contact explained — including the "full contact" haunts, which are a genuinely different proposition.
How Big Is American Halloween, Really?
Thousands of professional haunted attractions, a pumpkin industry measured in billions of pounds of fruit, and a candy season that outsells Easter.
Your First Haunted House: What to Expect
What to wear, what to book, where to stand in the group, and how to get through a major theme park event without spending the whole night in line.