Halloween Activities for Kids
Pennhurst is one of the Halloween things to do near me. I hate it. For those of you who do not know what I am talking about, Pennhurst is an asylum that was open for decades in suburban Philadelphia. It was closed in the 1980s. Today you can find former residents who will tell you the horror stories that occurred there.
It was basically a dumping ground for people with disabilities and they faced extreme abuse and neglect there. I cannot watch the videos. {trigger warning if you choose to watch!} If you go to YouTube, you can find them. Had he been born in a different time, I would have been encouraged to put Kevin there. Please know the facts before you give them your money.
So, on a happier note, there are dozens of fall activities for kids near Philadelphia.
Things to Do in Philadelphia with Kids | Fall and Halloween
- Halloween Haunt at Dorney Park, Allentown, PA
- Sesame Place-The Count’s Spooktacular-spooky fun for your little ones!
- 31 places to pick apples
- 15 fun farms to visit in Pennsylvania
- 5 Haunted Houses in Philadelphia
- 4 Lancaster county Haunted Attractions
- Frightland in Middletown, DE has 8 separate attractions
- Chadds Ford Pumpkin Carve- this is amazing, if you live in the area, go!
- Knoebels in Elysburg, PA-worth the trip to have a great fall weekend and enjoy the leaves too
If you are looking to do an overnight or weekend getaway, northeast Pennsylvania has many fun things to offer.
Don’t miss my list of 31 great places to go apple picking.
As always, double check websites before you go. Many venues have altered their schedules or are requiring advanced ticket sales due to the pandemic.
Longwood Gardens Pumpkin Patch
Come play in our pumpkin patch!-Open September 30 Through October 31.
Visit our outdoor Children’s Corner to see, touch, and strike a pose for a photo with our pumpkins. The Pumpkin Playground features a collection of colorful pumpkins that kids can move, manipulate, and play with. Wander over to our Vegetable Garden to see the largest pumpkin on display, weighing in at over 800 pounds.
The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular at Sesame Place-Celebrate silly, spooky fun at The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular at Sesame Place, September 22 through October 29th.
Come in costume and play in our not-too-spooky Halloween haven featuring two new Halloween shows, themed mazes and a Sesame Street character hayride. Don’t miss exciting rides, the Neighborhood Street Party Halloween Parade, the all-new Cookie’s Monster Land, and everyone’s favorite furry friends dressed up in costume!
Kennett Square Halloween Parade will take place at Downtown Kennett Square TBD.
Halloween at Franklin Square
Franklin Square has plenty to offer-from spooky mini golf, a pumpkin patch and a Trick-or-Treat trail…click the link and you will find something for your family.
Boo at the Zoo
Dates: TBD
The Philadelphia Zoo invites the whole family to Boo at the Zoo, a masquerade party and wild trick-or-treat adventure around the cages and tanks. Games, crafts, music, and storytelling add to the festivities.
The Great Pumpkin Carve at Chadds Ford
Dates: TBD
Local artists take on a patch of monster-sized pumpkins at The Great Pumpkin Carve as they carve and decorate the giant gourds into massive masterpieces. Along with live music, food, and hayrides, the displays create a spooky-fun atmosphere.
West Chester Halloween Parade
Bring your little monsters downtown and be in a parade! Fun for the whole family. Contact the West Chester Parks & Recreation for details.
Main Street in Newark~Halloween Festivities
Halloween Parade and Trick-or-Treat Main St.
Date: Sunday, October 24, 2021 Time: 3 p.m. Location: Main Street
Newark’s annual Halloween Parade is drawing near. Plan now to be a part of this special Halloween event, complete with marching bands, floats, antique automobiles, costumed characters, and much more.
Delaware State Parks-please double check their website for times and exact information!
Group hayrides are available at Bellevue State Park from September through November. They have special activities attached to some of the hayrides such as making candy apples or decorating pumpkins. See their website for a complete list of days, times and prices.
Things to do in Pennsylvania in the Fall
Steamtown National Historic Site
On October 31, visitors can take a 45-minute round trip train ride into the dark depths of the Nay Aug Tunnel as they hear spooky stories read by a park ranger. Dating back to 1850, the site also includes several interactive museums featuring rotating exhibits, theater presentations and walking tours that showcase the region’s role in the Industrial Revolution. For more information, please visit www.nps.gov or call 570.340.5200.
Roba Family Farms
The Harvest Festival at Roba Family Farms continues until the moon rises on Halloween. Families and friends gather together to enjoy a day on the farm. Visitors can enjoy a festive Halloween Parade, navigate their way through a corn maze, trek around on a pony, pick their favorite pumpkin and ride around the farm aboard a hayride. For more information, please visit www.robafamilyfarms.com or call570.563.2904.
Haunted Mysteries of the Beyond at The Houdini Museum
Voted as one of the “most haunted places in Pennsylvania” by the Pennsylvania Department of Tourism, fright seekers can join the Houdini Museum for a terrifying evening of paranormal activity in this 150-year-old haunted house. The event starts with experts telling haunting tales of the building’s frightening history of the deaths that took place there. Visitors can shiver to experiments in mind reading, clairvoyance, telekinesis and more with audience members. The evening ends with a séance to summon the spirits of the three people who tragically died in the same room. For more information and available dates, please visit www.houdini.org or call 570.342.5555.
Bonfire at the Iron Furnaces
This fifth annual festival explores the roots of Halloween in Celtic Culture while highlighting Northeastern Pennsylvania’s industrial past through live music, theater, dance, cultural exhibits and the ceremonial lighting of the bonfire. Vendors will offer fall inspired food and drinks. The Scranton Iron Furnaces’ four massive stone stacks remain as part of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Co., built in the mid-1800’s. For more information, please visit www.scrantonbonfire.com or call 570.963.4804.
Scranton Ghost Tour
The Scranton Ghost Walk and Tour takes visitors through historic downtown where they learn the haunted tales of some of the key downtown historic spots, as well as other nearby locations in what has been called one of the most haunted cities in the country. Visitors can view historic locations believed to be haunted, many of which have been certified by local paranormal investigation group. For more information, please visit www.scrantonghosttours.com or call 570.383.1821.
Halloween with Leatherface
Saturday, October 31, visitors can go for a horrifying ride on the Halloween Express at the Steamtown National Historic Site or take The Trolley of Terror with Dan Yeager, the actor who portrayed Leatherface in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. These petrifying rides with one of the most infamous monsters will shock even the toughest of those who board the Halloween Express or the Trolley of Terror at their own risk. For more information, please visit www.nps.gov/stea/index.htm or call 570.340.5204. For more information, please visit www.ectma.org or call 570.963.6590.
After the chilling train and trolley ride, visitors can take the Scranton After Dark Walking Tour through the highly haunted streets of Scranton with ‘Leatherface.’ For more information, please visit www.lackawannahistory.org or call 570.344.3841.
Halloween evening culminates with a frightening celebration at the Trax Halloween Bash where visitors will rub elbows with “Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s” scariest character from 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. at the beautiful and historic Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel. For more information, please visit www.radisson.com/scranton-hotel-pa or call 570.342.8300.
Circle of Screams
Circle Drive-in, America’s only haunted drive-in theater, is showing scary movies every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this October along with three shockingly scary attractions. Along with watching a movie on the giant outdoor screen, guests can board the Hayride of Torture to travel by a tractor-pulled wagon, deep into the dark woods where only the evilest creatures live. They can also tour the Carnival of Fear with 3D glasses, entering a world of spine-chilling clowns and ghouls in the most horrifying carnival of their lives or step into the Asylum Vortex to see what insanely disturbing creatures lurk there. For more information, please visit www.circleofscreams.com or call 570.489.5731.
Reapers Revenge
Combining a haunted hayride, dark forest walkthrough, pitch-black indoor walkthrough and zombie maze, Reaper’s Forest challenges those who dare to test their fate. Set on 60 acres of land, guests can board the Haunted Hayride to begin their journey into the woods after which they will have to leave the safety of the wagon to enter the Lost Carnival, filled with the souls of sideshow freaks and deranged midway clowns. They will make their way through the Tunnel of Love and venture next into Pitch Black, an indoor maze where they are robbed of their sight. If they make it to the outside world, a maze through a moonlit post-apocalyptic wasteland awaits. For more information, please visit www.reapersrevenge.net or call 570.253.4746.
Lackawanna County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Located in Northeast Pennsylvania just west of the Poconos, Lackawanna County is named for the picturesque river which flows through it. The county, including its largest city, Scranton, saw rapid growth at the turn of the 20th century by producing coal during the growth of steel production. This early industrial heritage lent the county a rich multicultural heritage as mining drew immigrants from around the world. While the area has recently transitioned to a more diverse economy due to the globalization of the steel industry, the county preserves its cultural mix with various heritage festivals as well as outdoor activities. Lackawanna County is part of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Previous Events: Here is the list of events and activities that were previously on this list, but I was unable to find current information. Sorry, I googled my little heart out…couldn’t find anything.
- Trick or Treat at Exton Mall and Christiana Mall
- Anything from the Promenade at Saucon Valley
- Anything from Penn Township, Chester County
- Anything from Rittenhouse Row