Chills and thrills at 10 best theme park Halloween events

No. 10: Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood - California. Mixing the biggest names in horror entertainment with exciting original content is the Universal specialty. This year’s event at Universal Studios Hollywood brings unrivaled film production quality mazes and frightful scare zones to life.

No. 9: Hersheypark in the Dark - Hershey, Pennsylvania. The treats are still sweet come nightfall at Hersheypark, but they do take on a Halloween theme that offers a fanciful bump-in-the-night for families. The park’s famed thrill rides become “roller ghosters” and a trick-or-treat trail offers extra interactive fun for the kids. Theming throughout adds holiday allure, and a “Creatures of the Night” flashlight tour at neighboring Zoo America gives guests an educational extra to pair with all that candy.

No. 8: Halloween Haunt at Kings Dominion - Doswell, Virginia. A host of haunts are on tap at this Virginia favorite, where dangers lurk in the eerie woods and the ghosts of criminally insane inmates are looking to satisfy their eternal bloodlust. Live shows, mazes and more are in store, and the mayhem spreads each year.

No. 7: Great Pumpkin LumiNights at Dollywood - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The fall Harvest Festival at Dollywood includes a spectacular evening event known as Great Pumpkin LumiNights. Thousands of carved jack o’lanterns illuminate the night in what is the largest addition to Dollywood’s fall festival in the park’s history. The family-friendly event includes giant sculptures, pumpkin-themed food options and live entertainment.

No. 6: Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain - Valencia, California. Twenty-four nights of haunted mazes, roaming zombies and spooky shows await thrill seekers at this famed California theme park – threats so terrifying you may just opt for the relative “calm” of riding the world-class roller coasters in the dark instead. Looney Tunes characters and holiday crafts delight wee ones by day, but all bets are off at night when cannibals, ghostly circus performers, man-eating plants and more darken every turn.

No. 5: Hallo-Fun at Knoebels - Elysburg, Pennsylvania. On weekends in October, Knoebel’s Amusement Resort in central Pennsylvania transforms into Hallo-Fun, a haunted playground for all ages. Visitors can find Halloween-themed treats, games and attractions, and they can buy daily passes to enjoy the rides all day.

No. 4: Harvest Festival at Silver Dollar City - Branson, Missouri. Silver Dollar City celebrates Harvest Festival during the fall. It has added two new acres of fun, including Mystic River Falls – one of several night rides in the park through October 31. Pumpkins in the City and Pumpkin Plaza dazzle with thousands of illuminated pumpkins, and the park's outstanding Craft Days showcases new artisans from across the country each week.

No. 3: Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa - Florida. Darkened thrill rides and even darker story lines are at the heart of Tampa’s Howl-O-Scream, an event that draws in Halloween enthusiasts far and wide with its nightmarish content. Celebrating over 20 years of fear in Tampa, the event includes zombies, demons, ghosts and serial killers among other ghouls.

No. 2: Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Williamsburg - Virginia. Fear awaits in this Virginia theme park’s collection of elaborate haunted houses, immersive themed scare zones, challenging escape rooms and darkly entertaining live shows.