Hello everyone! This is a friendly reminder that any of these fun places we may visit, we are a guest at. Please treat both businesses and trails with the utmost respect. We here at Hidden San Diego follow the 'Leave no Trace' mantra, meaning whatever you bring with you comes back with you. If you see trash on a trail, please do your part to help remove it. Remember, we are not picking up trash from another person but instead cleaning up for Mother Nature. Happy adventures!
For those of you who enjoy getting out and about during the Halloween season, we’ve got you covered on all the annual hot spots. These range from kid-friendly to adults only (or with parent’s approval). These range from the best neighborhoods to hit up to some of the most interesting events in all of San Diego County. Read up and enjoy!
Located in San Diego’s world famous Balboa Park, The Haunted Trail is a stroll through the park you will never forget. Enter the mile long Trail through the twisted grove of pines and gnarled oaks. Visitors watch your back, you’ll never know which way the terror will hit you. True to form, the Haunted Trail is not for children under 10 or the faint of heart. Experience an outdoor terror that is simply too big to house indoors.
Join in the fun as we board the Pumpkin Express train ride at the historic Campo Depot and travel to the Great Pumpkin Patch. Children and their parents will enjoy the one hour train ride, then may tour the Haunted Train. Each child gets to pick out his or her own pumpkin and decorate it inside our Display Building.
The Great Pumpkin doesn’t want you to miss his train, so plan on being at the Campo Depot at least 45-minutes before your departure time, especially if you haven’t been to Campo before.
Although there are multiple homes in this neighborhood with some really nice decorating, what sets this home apart is everything is made by hand. Enjoy animatronics and ghoulish scenes that change out every year!
Address: 122259 Eastbourne Rd
There are various streets that really go all out, complete with themes such as the Pirates of Peppertree Way, an insane clown home, a great pumpkin house and one covered with the biggest spider web I’ve ever seen!
They’ve got the coolest speakeasy bar here which is hidden in a corn maze! You’ll need to figure out the password to enter!
Beyond the speakeasy there is SO much to do here! There is also a haunted corn maze with scare actors and another non-scare corn maze which still feels like a horror movie at night.
They’ve also got a ton of food vendors, live music and pumpkins for purchase, apple cannons and an inflatable carnival! Runs through October 31st! The speakeasy is only Friday and Saturday’s.
You can appreciate the haunt from the outside all month long each October but the haunted house only happens on Halloween. There are many cool special effects and props including a crazy portal! This is a free event starting at 7pm on Halloween. Address: 4523 Limerick Way, San Diego, CA 92117 Instagram page
Del Sur Halloween Homes: Continuing our search for the best Halloween neighborhoods in San Diego County landed us in Del Sur. We originally came here to see the amazing @delsurpiratehouse (which is worthy enough of a drive to see). Thankfully we drove around the blocks a bit more because we landed on a TON of AMAZING homes! These were my three favorite streets: Via Montenero, Fair Hill and Claire Ct. 92127.
Join us foolish mortals when the veil is thin and the spirits are waking for a night of frightfully fun activities! Friday the 13th at the Gaslamp Museum will open the doors to downtown San Diego’s most haunted building for a night of ghastly delights.
Explore the paranormal by learning about popular spirit hunting methods, hear ghost stories straight from those who’ve lived them, grab a photo looking your ghoulish best, and perhaps even find out what your future holds…. All this and more spooky surprises throughout the night! Purchase tickets.
One of the best haunted houses we have in San Diego is located at an abandoned amusement park out in east county. Not much effort is needed to make this place creepy as the decay from years of being abandoned is adding all the natural spooky touches itself! The Haunted Amusement Park, formerly known as Scotty’s Scare Trail, is only open on weekends, I highly recommend checking this one out if you’re into the Halloween spirit.
Over 50 years of fall traditions and memories have been created at the Bates Nut Farm Pumpkin Patch. Family and friends enjoy the tractor hayrides, straw maze, petting corral and pony rides. Grab a wheelbarrow and pick from variety of pumpkins: Big Macs, Ghost, Cinderella, Jack O’ Lantern, minis, squash, gourds and other fall décor. In addition, weekends at Bates include live entertainment from 12:00 -3:00, BBQ, kettle corn, food trucks, rock climb, bounce, slide and other family friendly events. Check our calendar for details and schedule. Admission is free. $5.00 parking on October weekends.
Last year we explored the neighborhood at Harmony Grove Village to see all the homes that were decked out with Halloween decorations! This is a great way to get the family out for some spooky festivity while getting a little exercise too!
The main street is Trail Ridge dr. but make sure to walk or drive around all the streets as there are a ton decorated. I recommend checking them out closer to Halloween as some of the homes may decorate later in the month.
“The Curse of Clementine” event at Fort Cross happens every Saturday night in October. Two reservation times at 8:00 and 8:30 pm.
This event lasts about 45 minutes each round and begins with jug band music that encourages audience participation, along with a hoedown for some extra fun. There is an opportunity to share ghost stories to really set the spooky mood. The evening concludes with the haunted hayride.
Reservations are required. This event sells out every weekend, so don’t wait!
Butlers greet you and other guests assembled in front of two ominous chamber doors. When those doors open, you are formally announced to the Manor’s hostess who seats you within the Mausoleum where you will dine. Your senses will be overwhelmed by the elaborately detailed ambiance.
While you dine on food perfectly prepared and served in courses, abridged dramatic telling’s of Edgar Allan Poe classics are presented by your Ghost Host. After dessert is cleared an award winning magician appears from the shadows and the magic and mayhem begin.
Demonstrations of the paranormal ensue and fears are explored as the intimacy of the Chamber allows you to witness the unexplained so close you believe it must be magic, suspending belief, forsaking logic and reality. When your evening closes, it leaves one lesson behind… …You Will Believe in Ghosts! Purchase Tickets
Are you thrilled by the idea of facing cursed clowns, circus freaks, extraterrestrials, mad scientists, demented toys, vampires, a sea witch, La Llorona and the undead? If so, then we have the place for you.
This event is only for adults and brave teens ages 13 and up. If you are looking for family-friendly Halloween fun, then take the tadpoles to the daytime Halloween Spooktacular instead for trick-or-treating, costumes, dance parties, animal shows, exhibits and more fun. Then get a babysitter for the little ones and prepare to jump out of your skin as the monsters emerge at SeaWorld San Diego Howl-O-Scream.
This house comes complete with synchronized music you can play from your car while you admire their spooky home. Tune in to 95.1 and enjoy the show! Music and light start nightly from dusk (6:45-10pm). Address: 5592 Thoroughbred St., Oceanside, CA 92057
Cameron Denning and his wife are still relatively new to the neighborhood and boy are they good at contributing! This couple goes ALL out on the decorations and most of the props are made by hand!! There are several themes which include an abandoned carnival, Dia de los Muertos and witches and scarecrows.
It looks like some of the other neighbors are inspired as well on their block as a couple other homes have some pretty great decorations too! Haunt run the entire month of October from 7pm-11pm. Address: 1050 Bells Dr. Oceanside, CA 92057
One resident in Rolando goes hard every year with different Halloween themes. Address: 4648 Rolando Blvd. San Diego, CA 92115
The creator, Josh, has done an incredible job with decorating. He said he gathered his inspiration from visiting over-the-top Halloween homes when he was a child, knowing that one day he wanted to give back to the community with his own creation. And boy has he done that!
Beyond having a phenomenally-decorated home complete with a spooky walk-through, he also hosts fun “spirit box” hunts every other day throughout October, partnering with local businesses for the opportunity to receive amazing prizes!
On their Instagram page they give clues where the spirit box is hidden and then post picture clues every few hours until someone finds it. Once someone finds the box they are to take the box to the corresponding business to redeem their prize! So brilliant!
Address: 2962 Laurel St., San Diego. They are open every Friday & Saturday 7-9pm.
Anonymous
When I looked up nigtwalker cavern it just comes up as a escape/puzzle room. Is that what you meant in this article?
October 5, 2019
KC
We had a wonderful time driving to the Spider House in Oceanside and the Bressi Ranch Halloween Street! Such great free fun!
October 30, 2021