Haunts across the country opened this weekend!
Escape rooms, zombie fights and carnival sideshow freaks are a few of the themes popping up at this year's Halloween attractions. But if you're not up for extreme frights offered by hard-core haunted houses and nighttime theme park events, there are lots of low-key alternatives, with some venues avoiding scary stuff altogether. Disney World in Florida hosts Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, with a similar Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana, offers 12 acres of corn mazes, a talking pumpkin, a laser light show and more. An overnight stay at Great Wolf lodges includes Howl-O-Ween activities like trick-or-treat trails and a Monster Bash dance party. SeaWorld San Diego's Halloween Spooktacular includes "Sesame Street's Who Said Boo?" Some theme parks host family friendly activities on Saturdays and Sundays, then ramp up thrills and chills at night on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Many Six Flags parks have child-friendly activities during the day, then transition to nighttime Fright Fests, with creepy roaming creatures, haunted houses and scare zones. At Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, HalloWeekends include daytime family friendly activities like the Great Pumpkin Fest, a parade and hay-bale mazes. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, the park becomes a more intense experience, with outdoor scare zones, haunted houses and edgy shows. Great America in Santa Clara, California, also offers family friendly activities during the day, while nighttime thrills include roving monsters, nine mazes, scare zones and the park's thrill rides. Carowinds park in Charlotte, North Carolina, recommends its Scarowinds extravaganza — including a homecoming at Zombie High — for guests age 13 and older. Busch Gardens Tampa partnered with Robin Cowie, producer of "The Blair Witch Project," to create "Unearthed," about a woman named Scarlett who comes back to life after a construction crew digs too far. Busch Gardens Williamsburg gets scary with five Terror-tories and seven haunted houses.