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!
Atrium Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble Celebrate Halloween with the San Diego Shakespeare Society as actors present spine-chilling performances that connect to works of art from across the Museum’s collection. Enjoy scenes from Richard III, Hamlet, Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth. Look for the meeting point sign inside the MOPA@SDMA atrium prior to each one-hour performance.
Free with Museum admission. Performance date and times are subject to change.
Location: Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art Saturday, October 25 1:00 and 2:30 p.m
As the sun dips below the horizon, casting long, eerie shadows across the tracks, the Sip & Scare Sunset Special sets off on its 60-minute spine chilling journey through the Campo backcountry. The air is filled with the haunting jams, while passengers sip on a complimentary crafted cocktail from our undead bartenders.
Darkness envelops the landscape as the ghost train comes to a screeching halt. Prepare to confront the ultimate terror: The Lost Train of Dr. Deadtrack! Step into the early 1900s, where the experimental transit car, San Diego & Arizona 666, mysteriously vanished while en route to a top-secret research facility in the desert. Onboard, scientists and military officers were tasked with testing a new weapon developed by the eccentric Dr. Alistair Deadtrack, a genius turned mad by his obsession with electricity. Rumors swirl that the train reappears on moonless nights, just like this one, trapped in a time loop, with ghostly passengers reliving their final hours. You’re about to board the cursed train, but once it starts moving, there’s no getting off…unless you survive until the end!
Didn’t survive the Haunted Train? Join the ghosts and ghouls for a rocking party in the Graveyard with food vendors and UNDEAD entertainment! Grab Tickets!
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
Below is a list of all the homes decorating in this neighborhood:
CarlsbadThere 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.
Address: 2270 Wueste Road, Chula Vista, CA 91915
I was REALLY surprised to learn about this neighborhood, only because I had never heard of it before! This in my opinion, is the best neighborhood to see Halloween lights. There are some *very* close competitors such as Bressi Ranch and Harmony Grove. But this is literally house after house after house of Halloween homes that have gone alllll out.
Many people already know of this neighborhood so brace for traffic jams. Carpool with friends and family, maybe uber if you’re not too far or be prepared to walk a ways. It’s worth it though trust me!
Address: Porch Swing St. Chula Vista, CA 91915
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
This Halloween, The Gondola Company is bringing back its popular A Haunting in Venice Cruises, running October 26–31 through the quiet canals of the Coronado Cays in San Diego Bay. Inspired by the film A Haunting in Venice, these evening cruises blend the relaxation of a traditional Venetian gondola ride with the mystery and charm of Halloween. Guests are escorted by masked, cloaked gondoliers while soft organ music and haunting melodies create a uniquely eerie ambiance. New for this year, guests can pre-order the dramatic Black Rose Boo-quet ($85) to enhance the mood and are encouraged to come dressed in costume to fully embrace the theme.
Larger groups can book the Haunting Carolina Cruise, a private gondola seating up to 14 for a floating masquerade experience. Operated by The Gondola Company, this seasonal favorite is one of Southern California’s most unique Halloween events. Prices start at $139 and cruises start at 3 pm.
Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event includes costume contests, zero-waste activities and crafts, games, interactive nature education and a chance to meet real birds of prey that are part of their Hawktober tour!
Address: 1628 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Del Mar, CA 92014
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.
They’ve been decorating their home for over 20 years filled with super creepy stuff. Halloween 6-11PM they will have scare actors
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.
October 18, 2025 – 5:45 pm – 7:45 pm
Address: 2746 Reche Road, Fallbrook, CA 92028
“The Curse of Clementine” event at Fort Cross happens every Saturday night in October Reservations Available for 7:30 & 8:00 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!
Get ready for head to toe (or roof to floor) decorations. Yes, it is a bit scary so decide accordingly if you or a family member gets scared easily. The food is phenomenal and they have many themed menu items and drinks! I think the fantastic dining experience makes the place a lot less scary (speaking personally with our child who was scared at first and then had a blast once the food started rolling out).
They even have a pup menu and fun Halloween sensory kit you can order off the kid’s menu! Address: 2171 Avenida De La Playa, La Jolla, CA 92037
This Halloween, follow the path beyond the rainbow, where an Oz-inspired, dreamlike world of wonder and mystery awaits at Estancia La Jolla.
Click your heels and step into our enchanted garden soirée that feels part spellbinding celebration, part journey to the Emerald City itself. Sip wickedly whimsical cocktails, indulge in magically crafted bites, encounter curious characters, and lose yourself in an evening of unexpected entertainment and delightful surprises. Dress to dazzle in your most magical, moody, or mythical attire, and prepare to celebrate Hallows’ Eve in a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
Because one thing’s for certain: this isn’t a dream, and we’re not in Estancia anymore…
Park staff and volunteers will be your spirit guides on a dark and macabre (yet completely safe) Haunted Trail at Oakoasis County Preserve on Oct. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. Wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers if you dare to travel with us!
Oct. 20, 4 – 7 p.m. Address: 9841 Vine St, Lakeside, CA 92040
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.
Fright for Future is a free haunted maze of true terrors bringing scary issues concerning people, planet, and animals to light this Halloween! This is their 4th year putting on the haunted maze and they collaborate with 9 local nonprofits. It’s entirely volunteer run. Open for the public for two weekends in October (17-19 and 24-26) in San Diego CA. Address: 3720 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92105
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
Fun residential Halloween maze.
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 deranged carnival, corn maze, Dia de los Muertos, witch coven and fortune teller.
Haunt runs the entire month of October from 7pm-11pm. Address: 1050 Bells Dr. Oceanside, CA 92057
Those in Ramona can get in on the haunted trail action the following weekend, at Dos Picos County Park on Oct. 21 from 5 to 9 p.m. Anyone lurking about in south county can get spooked by their own eerily lit path at Potrero County Park on Oct. 21 from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Rangers at both parks have added extra not-so-scary activities to their party plans to thrill and fulfill park guests – so plan to make a night of it.
One resident in Rolando goes hard every year with different Halloween themes. This year it is a pirate ship with a secret bar inside. To know if the bar is open, look for smoke coming out of the volcano. Address: 4648 Rolando Blvd. San Diego, CA 92115
A 16 year old boy goes all out on handmade Halloween decorations for his family home with wood-carved/hand-painted Disney characters.
Address: 11972 Aspen View Ct. San Diego, 92128
This residential home has created the most incredible Haunted Mansion display. Enjoy a 13 minute interactive show with singing pumpkins, madame Leota and ghosts. It is so well done! The show starts as soon as it’s dark every night and ends at 10:30pm. On the weekends there’s fog and an extra part to the show.
Address: 9632 Abbeyfield Rd Santee ca 92071
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.
Their 19th annual event takes place Oct. 14, from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Visitors can take a short trek through scary scenery, participate in costume contests, play games and win prizes, and cap the evening with an outdoor showing of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. PARTY PERKS: The Hawktober crew will be stopping by at 4:30 p.m. and the first 100 kids at the event will receive a free pumpkin!
Address: 19324 Santee Lane, Valley Center, CA 92082
the Day of the Dead—is returning to Rancho Guajome Adobe Oct. 28 at Rancho Guajome Adobe from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Peruse decorated altars, try your hands at papel picado and other crafts, enjoy food, listen to music, cheer on Ballet Folklorico dancers, and be awed by the Catrin and Catrina parade!
Address: 2210 N. Santa Fe Ave., Vista, CA 92083
North County definitely has some of the craziest homes and neighborhoods I’ve found so far in regards to Halloween decorations. Gabel’s Graveyard is one of them.
Although only a single home, they have gone all out with the creepiest animatronics along with sound effects and fog machines. It definitely feels like you’re entering a horror movie.
Address: 1896 Ithaca Dr, Vista, CA 92081
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