Explore the scary side of Halloween, if you dare…
In the Des Moines metro, there are several options both indoors and out to enjoy being scared. Grab your older kids or book a babysitter for the night and get spooky.
Haunted Houses in Des Moines
The Slaughterhouse
Where: 500 Locust St Des Moines
When: Weekends starting September 29th, times vary
Admission: $20 – $45, advance tickets required
Features: A local favorite takes scary to a whole new level, literally. Now located in a massive subterranean lair, you can be sure they’ll take advantage of the darkness below.
Ames Haunted Forest
Where: 1400 S 4th St, Ames
When: Weekends in October, 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Admission: $25
Features: Take a nighttime walk through these woods if you dare. The added element of the outdoors creates an extra chill during fall nights, just beware of what lurks behind the trees.
Barnum: Circus of Freaks
Where: 97 Indiana Avenue, Des Moines
When: Weekends in October, 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Admission: $25 – $45
Features: From spine-tingling spectacles to jaw-dropping curiosities, this haunted attraction is a chilling journey through the macabre. Dare to witness the eerie, the unsettling, and the supernatural as you navigate through darkened corridors and shadowy chambers.
Sleepy Hollow Haunted Scream Park
Where: 4051 Dean Avenue, Des Moines
When: Weekends in October, times vary
Admission: $28 – $48
Features: With features like Nightmare’s Funeral Home, Castle of Blood, Terror in the Trees, and new this year, The Island of Dr. Demonik, you are sure to get a good scare or two in.
Linn’s Haunted House
Where: 3805 6th Avenue, Des Moines
When: Weekends starting September 29, hours vary
Admission: $20
Features: In its 39th year at this former supermarket you can crawl through several claustrophobia-inducing tunnels. Also, watch out for spider webs and flying insects while trying not to get crushed by moving walls!
Phantom Fall Fest
Where: Adventureland, Altoona
When: Weekends in October, hours vary
Admission: $34.99 and up
Features: When the sun goes down, the Phantom takes screams to the extreme with four haunted houses and three scare zones. Creepy characters create hair-raising haunts as they prowl the park after dark.
Zombie Hollow
Where: 2310 Saint Charles Rd Winterset, Iowa
When: Weekends in October
Admission: $12-$18
Features: Nights include lights, sounds, fog, and special effects. Kids ages 6 and older can come during daytime hours.
Tormented Souls Haunt & Scream Park
Where: Catch the Terror bus in Edgewood Park in Madrid, Iowa.
When: Fridays and Saturdays in October
Admission: starting at $22
Features: 22 acres of spirits, zombies, demons, and mayhem. Scares include a haunted maze and Zee-Pocalypse paintball.
Bonus – Villisca Ax Murder House
Where: 508 E 2nd St., Villisca
When: Year-round, Tuesday-Sunday, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Admission: $5 – $10 for day tours
Features: Take a little drive down to Villisca in southwest Iowa for not technically a haunted house or is it? This scene of a gruesome crime in 1912 provides daily tours or for the true-crime enthusiast, you can spend the night!
Also:
Haunted Woods in Carlisle
Zombie Hollow in Winterset (both closer than Ames)