Where to Celebrate Spooky Season in the Silver State
Consider your October fully boo-ked. From ghostly strolls and haunted museums to scary movies on the beach and train rides that end at pumpkin patches, there’s skele-tons of spooky season fun to be had in Nevada. No matter where you’re celebrating in the Silver State, discover family-friendly delights, terrifying frights, and everything in between.
Find fall and Halloween outings for every scare level
Haunted Houses
Immerse yourself in eerie settings with wicked creatures, jump scares, and blood-curdling screams around every corner—if you dare…
Sparks is home to Andelin Family Farm and its Corn Creepers Haunt, where terror lurks within an outdoor corn field. In Carson City, Dark Prison delivers three, immersive haunted houses within the former Nevada State Prison.
Head south to Las Vegas if you’re brave enough to check into Hotel Fear (which has been taken over by an unknown government agency). Just don’t end up in the next-door Asylum, which may not be the “mental health facility” it purports to be…
Travel Nevada Pro Tip
Dying to deal with the undead? Dress up and amble your way through 40 stops on the Reno Zombie Crawl, or practice your survival skills at Andelin Family Farm’s Zombie Paintball.
Fall & Halloween Trains
All aboard for thrills and chills. Four museums and railyards throughout the Silver State are offering fall and Halloween train rides during October. Some are spookier—like Virginia & Truckee Railroad’s Haunted Halloween Graveyard Train—while options like the Boulder City Halloween Express are fright-free.
On numerous pumpkin patch trains, riders go home with a hand-picked gourd ready for carving. Pick up a wristband for the two-day Harvest Train Festival at Nevada State Railroad Museum—Carson City for trips on two historic locomotives, plus food trucks and a build-your-own-spooky-train workshop for kids.
Fall Farm Festivals
Looking for less Halloween and more autumn adventures? Head for the farm(s). Pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and hayrides are practically a guarantee, and some offer everything from scarecrow factories and cow trains to farmers markets and apple cider donuts.
- Deeth: Lotspeich Family Farm Pumpkin Patch
- Ely: Ely Renaissance Faire & Pumpkin Festival
- Fallon: Lattin Farms Fall Festival
- Gardnerville: Annual Coffin Races & Fall Festival
- Las Vegas: Farm Fall Harvest Festival at Las Vegas Farm
- Las Vegas: Gilcrease Orchard’s Fall Harvest
- Pahrump: Fall Festival
- Pioche: Fall Festival in the Park
- Sparks: Fall Attractions at Andelin Family Farms
In Las Vegas, groovy ghoulies, friendly witches, and spooky creatures of all shapes and sizes have taken over Opportunity Village. Once inside, HallOVeen at the Magical Forest reveals trick-or-treat stations, mini golf, rides, carnival games, and food and drink options.
Also in Vegas, AREA15 becomes ScAREA15: Strange Circus on Halloween night. Out-of-this-world characters, interactive photo ops, immersive art installations, and live entertainment bring the twisted big top to life.
Select Your Scare Level
Virginia City is considered one of the most haunted places in Nevada—and the whole country. Naturally, the town celebrates Hauntober all month long. Choose from paranormal tours, opportunities to “talk to the dead” at historic cemeteries, a saloon crawl, a Victorian ball, and more.
Bring a blanket, flashlight, and chairs for scary movie nights on the beaches of Lake Tahoe. Spooky Harbor (at Sand Harbor State Park) will screen “Casper,” “Hocus Pocus,” “The Craft,” and others on Friday nights through Halloween. Ratings range from G to R, so plan accordingly.
For one night only of spooky celebration in Ely, head for White Pine Public Museum’s annual Nightmare on Aultman. Costumes are highly encouraged at this event exclusively for ghouls ages 21 and up, and there’ll be a catered dinner, live music, and ghost stories (plus your ticket comes with four complimentary drinks).
Ghost Walks & Tours
These spirits aren’t leaving the Silver State anytime soon…
Travel Nevada Pro Tip
P.S. Don’t forget to download your FREE Paranormal Passport 2.0 before you go! Digitally check in at dozens of out-there destinations and earn points toward uncommon prizes.
If you ain’t afraid of no ghosts, then good news—Nevada’s full of ‘em. Always popular (and sometimes sold out) during spooky season, many of these history-packed ghost tours are offered year-round.
- Boulder City: Haunted Boulder City Ghost & UFO Tour
- Carson City: Carson City Ghost Walks, Nevada State Prison Tours, and Nevada State Prison Paranormal Ghost Walks
- Las Vegas: Vegas Ghosts Tour
- Lovelock: Marzen House After Dark
- Reno: Reno Ghosts Tour and Reno Ghost Tours
- Silver City: Haunted Hills, Mills and Mansions Ghost Tour & Fundraiser
- Virginia City: Bats in the Belfry Guided Ghost Tours
Nevada Day Parties
Oct. 31 is a big-deal date around here, and not just because of how much we love Halloween. The Silver State officially became a state on Oct. 31, 1864, and now the last Friday of the spookiest month is celebrated as a state holiday. You’re invited to the birthday bashes, too.
Nevada’s capital city becomes party central for commemorating our favorite state. Carson City’s Nevada Day Parade & Celebration kicks off with a hot air balloon launch and a massive parade, complete with military flyover and more than 200 floats. The fun continues with a fan-favorite beard contest—where folks compete for awards like longest, shaggiest, best groomed, and best overall beard—and single-jack rock drilling, where contestants honor 19th-century mining techniques by boring holes by hand. Bring an appetite for a pancake breakfast at the governor’s mansion and a chili feed, and celebrate all weekend long at the Nevada Day Powwow.
It’s a three-day extravaganza in the “Gateway to Death Valley,” too. Beatty Days Festival takes over the entire town with a loaded schedule of only-in-Nevada events. Don’t miss the legendary bed races—teams of kids and adults race actual beds down main street. Then there’s competitions like root beer belching, chicken drop bingo, and the pickle liquor hoot-n-holler, where you take a shot of pickle juice and hot sauce then yell out in style.
That’s only scratching the surface of everything Beatty has going on over the weekend. Pumpkin carving, pinata breaking, trunk-or-treating, a pet parade, and a tombstone 2K walk/5K run will fill your days with endless entertainment.
If you want to celebrate Nevada Day at the birthplace of Las Vegas, head for the Springs Preserve and Nevada State Museum. Nevadans get into this 180-acre nature park for free on Oct. 31, and activities go all morning and afternoon long.
Haunted Hotels & Museums
The Silver State is home to so many haunted hotels and museums, they deserve their own spotlights.
If you’re hoping to spend the night with some spirits, check out 13 Ways to Creep into Nevada’s Haunted History. We detail some storied locations—including Tonopah’s Clown Hotel, Virginia City’s Silver Queen Hotel, and Pioche’s Overland Hotel & Saloon—and tell you which rooms are believed to still house ghostly residents.
For more unconventional history and eerie artifacts, dive into Paranormal Nevada: Where to Experience Otherworldly Oddities. Places like Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum, Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum, and The Washoe Club & Haunted Museum in Virginia City are awesomely frightful any time of year, but visiting during October makes everything extra spine-chilling. You’ll also get a peek at the alien adventures you can partake in throughout the Silver State.
Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum is home to what’s believed to be the world’s most haunted object.
An actual, on-site crypt adds to the frequency of ghost activity at the Washoe Club & Haunted Museum.
Will the Lady in Red leave a pearl under your pillow? See if you have a chance encounter with this famous ghost at the Mizpah Hotel.
