Who says Halloween is just for kids? These fright-filled festivals featuring freaky corn mazes, ghostly gatherings and terrifying tales promise to deliver jump scares for mature thrill-seekers.
Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream
If you’ve ever wanted to try to outrun a giant snake, here’s your chance. Road trip to Williamsburg now through Nov. 1 to brave Anaconda: Dead on Arrival, a new haunted house set in an abandoned movie set in the jungle. Also new to Busch Gardens this year is Fright at the Museum, where the past comes back to haunt you. Both attractions are part of the theme park’s haunted houses and terror-tories, which include fan favorites like a dive bar for the undead and Clown Town. A ticket also includes four sinister shows featuring dancing skeletons, naughty nurses and Jack the Ripper as a rockstar. Access is included with regular admission, which starts at $61.99. Not recommended for children. 1 Busch Gardens Blvd., Williamsburg
Clifton Haunted Trail
Get your $20 tickets online Oct. 2-22 (or pay $25 at the door) for this Oct. 24 fright night in the tiny Civil War-era town of Clifton, where many of the historic buildings are rumored to be haunted. Wear comfortable shoes for hiking uneven terrain and watch out for branches in addition to zombies and other ghostly creatures of the night. Get directions here, and bring $5 cash for parking, but leave your flashlights at home. Clifton Town 8-Acre Park, Clifton
Factory of Fear
When a deadly disease takes over the ARTfactory in Manassas, can you find the cure? It may be a search to die for as you lumber through the four-story creative-arts-center-turned-immersive-Halloween-experience. Best for thrill-seekers ages 14 and up. Tickets are $28. 9419 Battle St., Manassas
Fields of Fear at Cox Farms
Cox Farms’ family-friendly Fall Festival by day takes a dark turn at dusk. Tread lightly through the Dark Side Hayride, a wooded path surrounded by chainsaws, spiders and all things fear-inducing. And don’t forget Cornightmare, the farm’s original haunted trail. If spine-chilling frights aren’t your jam, you’ll be relieved to know not everything is scary. The Firegrounds offer a respite from screaming with a dance floor, karaoke and a six-lane slide. Open Fridays and Saturdays from 7:30-11 p.m. through Nov. 7, the fear-filled adventure costs $40-$45 and tickets are available online only. This event is not recommended for children younger than 12. Visitors younger than 14 must have a supervising adult. 15621 Braddock Road, Centreville
Halloween Haunt at Kings Dominion
Hundreds of creatures from the underworld emerge to make your worst nightmares come true at this popular theme park down I-95. Once the sun goes down, the grounds come alive with the echoes of the dead in haunted houses, mazes and spooky live shows. New this year is Diablo: The Infernal Path, which the website describes as “Hell like you’ve never imagined.” And stay alert while walking through the Sinister Scare Zones, where “every single step could put you face-to-face with the kind of terror that takes up permanent residence in your nightmares.” Admission is included with regular tickets, which start at $44.99 online. Available on weekends now through Nov. 1, these attractions are not recommended for children younger than 13. 16000 Theme Park Way, Doswell
Hitchcocktober at Angelika Film Center
Catch films by legendary filmmaker and master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock, including Strangers on a Train (Oct. 7), Rear Window (Oct. 14), Suspicion (Oct. 21) and Vertigo (Oct. 28), plus a Halloween showing of Psycho on Oct. 31. The theater’s location in the heart of the Mosaic District makes it easy to turn movie night into a date night. Grab some grub and a bucket of beers in the theater’s café, or stop before or after at one of the neighborhood’s many restaurants. 2911 District Ave., Fairfax
Laurel’s House of Horror
Tucked inside an abandoned, 50-year-old movie theater in Laurel, Maryland, are three creepy attractions: a haunted house (featuring four different themes), escape rooms and paranormal tours. Visitors can try to escape from two rooms, one of which pulls you into iconic horror movie scenes, while the other is based on Tim Burton’s classic Beetlejuice. The ghost-hunting tours are after-hours events with paranormal investigators who use tracking instruments, night-vision cameras and other paraphernalia to track the undead. This haunt is recommended for children ages 10 and up. Tickets start at $29.95. Check the website for the full schedule. 935 Fairlawn Ave., Laurel, Maryland
Markoff’s Haunted Forest
You may want to practice deep breathing during the hourlong drive to this Halloween haven west of Germantown. Upon arrival, test your courage on the mile-plus-long Haunted Trail, or make your way through The Town, a haunted Western experience. Visitors ages 12 and up will enjoy the terrifying trails the most, although a Lights on Night makes them accessible to anyone who prefers to avoid jump-scares. Tickets start at $35. Afterward, stop by Markoff’s Midway for giant bonfires, a DJ, roaming ghouls and goblins, and live entertainment most nights. See the website for open nights now through Nov. 8. 19120 Martinsburg Road, Dickerson, Maryland
Milltown Haunt
The setup is scary, but the idea is not. A portion of the proceeds from this annual Lovettsville attraction, open weekends now through Nov. 7, goes to local nonprofits. (This year, the beneficiary is the Loudoun Career Fire Fighters Foundation.) So rest assured you’ll be doinhg some good while you have the bejeezus scared out of you. Although there are no age restrictions, some elements may not be appropriate for kids under 13, and anyone younger than 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets cost $40-$55. Prefer to skip the scary stuff and just visit the farm midway, which has food trucks, music and firepits? Admission to that is $5. 13936 Milltown Road, Lovettsville
Workhouse Haunt: Dark Encounters
Here’s the story: Thirty years ago, friends were road-tripping through rural Virginia, looking to bust myths about local legends. They vanished, but their broken camcorder was recovered. To find out what that footage reveals, you must navigate an outdoor trail that winds through the abandoned historic buildings that served as the District of Columbia’s correctional facility from 1910-1998. Tickets ($35) are timed entry. While you wait, enjoy music (and, on Fridays, karaoke) in the Grooveyard, grab some grub from the on-site food truck and shop the night market. This seasonal set-up, which runs select dates Oct. 3-30, is not recommended for children younger than 13. Oct. 17 is a sensory-friendly night, with no strobe lights and quieter sounds. For double the fun, catch a performance of Bat Boy: The Musical at Workhouse Arts Center’s Theater in Building Three. Tickets to the theater production are $50. 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton
