Is there a holiday that’s more fun than Halloween? I think not. I thought it was a bit silly until we lived in the USA, went to our first Halloween house party, and experienced the fun of dressing up in costume and partying with friends.
I was shocked at the lengths people went to, not just with their costumes, but decorating their homes with garden cemeteries, spooky light shows, and haunted mazes.
And then our kids came along, and we experienced the joy of trick or treating. You spend your years warning your children to never accept candy from strangers (because that’s how the baddies trap you) and then for one night of the year you encourage them to knock on strange doors and collect bags full.
Halloween is one crazy holiday and this year in Raleigh is shaping up to be spooktacular!
After researching for this guide on Halloween in Raleigh and the Triangle, I’ve realized just how many more things there are to do during Halloween. Thankfully many of these haunted houses and attractions start and finish way before and beyond October 31, 2023
Don’t tire yourself out searching for “Halloween events near” me on your phone, let us save you the time with this Halloween guide!
I’m breaking this guide down into categories including Halloween Festivals and events, Haunted Houses and Farms, Ghost tours, Halloween for kids in Raleigh, and adults only Halloween things to do across Wake County, the Triangle, and up to a 90-minute drive away.
Please leave your suggestions in the comments section at the bottom of this post if we have missed any fun events you know of?
Halloween Festivals & Events
Raleigh Halloween House
- Where: 504 Oakwood Avenue, Raleigh
- When: approximately 1 week before Halloween.
One of the best things to do for Halloween in Raleigh is visit the legendary Halloween House in Historic Oakwood, famous for its elaborate and spooky Halloween decorations including a lawn full of zombies and skeletons.
It’s our Halloween tradition to visit every year and see what is new. We are always wowed at the amount of detail and work that goes into it. This Raleigh Halloween attraction is kid friendly. Our girls love it, but use discretion based upon your child’s age and personality.
NOTE: the decorations at this house usually start to come out approximately one week before Halloween and are added over time. I would wait until a few days before Halloween to see the full display, or even go on Halloween night for the full effect.
Watch our video below of the Raleigh Halloween House from 2021. You can see our Reel of the House for 2022.
And another video of a Halloween House around the corner in Oakwood on Elm Street.
Carolina Ballet presents Dracula
- Where: Memorial Auditorium at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts
- When: October 12-29, 2023
- Various Times
- Cost: $27+
- Tickets:
What better way to enjoy Halloween than with a performance of Dracula and The Red Death from the Carolina Ballet. This hauntingly theatrical and seductively beautiful interpretation of Mary Shelley’s story is true to the original novel in that the creature longs to be loved by his creator, Victor Frankenstein.
Clayton Harvest Festival
- Where: 310 E Main ST Clayton
- When: Oct 26-29, 2023
- Cost: Free
- Website
Enjoy thrilling Midway Carnival Rides and Games, delicious food from food trucks, and craft beer. Family Night will bring joy to all with a Kid’s Trunk-or-Treat event and a movie night.
Scare-olina Skies
- Where: Morehead Planetarium Science Center, Chapel Hill
- When:
- Sat Oct 28; 5-6pm Family friendly version
- Sun Oct 19, 6pm – 7pm Adults and teens
- Cost: tba
- Website
Carolina Skies: Scare-olina Skies edition is a Halloween-themed version of Morehead’s classic star show. Come learn about stars, constellations and celestial events through legends from ancient cultures, featuring monsters, mayhem and madness!
Oakwood Cemetery Series: Burning Coal Theater Company
- Where: Oakwood Cemetery
- When: September 29 – 30, 2023 at 6:30 pm and October 1st, 2023 at 2 pm
- Cost: $20 adults | $10 students
- Website:
What a fantastic way to get to know the history and haunting tales of Raleigh in its most historic cemetery.
Every October, Burning Coal Theatre partners with the historic Oakwood Cemetery to present a series of short plays based on the lives of people buried in the Oakwood Cemetery, their partners, neighbors, associates and nemeses’. These short plays are written from Triangle playwrights.
Movies on the Lawn: Halloween Double Feature
- Where: Flowers Field, Dorothea Dix Park
- When: October 28 2023 6-11pm
There is so much to love about this ScreamFest in Dorothea Dix Park. Two classics back-to-back: Casper (7pm) followed by US (8:30pm). Come dressed in your favorite costume. There is a parade and prizes starting at 6pm. Food trucks on site and you can BYO.
Zombiepalooza, Cary
- Where: Cary Theater, Downtown Cary
- When: October 20,2023, 7pm
- Website: www.thecarytheater.com/zombiepalooza
We were quite surprised by the dedicated turn out for Zombiepalooza when we visited pre-COVID.
The Cary Theater hosts a free event showcasing locally created zombie short films on a huge outdoor screen. Plenty of people dressed in their best zombie gear! This is a FREE family-friendly event.
Raleigh Ghost Tours, 2023
While you can join most of these Raleigh ghost tours at any time of the year, why not add extra sprinkles to your tingles by doing it for Halloween.
Raleigh Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour
- Where: Downtown Raleigh, NC
- When: Fri-Sun, 7:30pm
- Cost: $15 child (8-14) $18 adult
- Website: Tobacco Road Tours
Let’s forget the fake zombies and ghouls, let’s bring Halloween to the REAL life.
The 90-minute family friendly Raleigh Ghost Walk combines local ghost stories, folklore and history from the 1700’s through the 20th century. You’ll visit four different Ghost & Paranormal sites. It’s entertaining and educational at the same time.
Ghosts and Dark History Guided Night Walking Tour
- Where: Downtown Raleigh
- When: Daily 8pm
- Cost: $30
- Reserve your spot
Prepare to be spooked outside some of the most haunted locations in Raleigh on a ghost walking tour. Journey to eight sites that cast a shadow over the city’s history, including the Heck-Andrews House.
Choose to extend your ghost hunt with the 1.5-hour tour which takes you to four additional locations downtown. Step into history at Isaac Hunter’s Tavern and uncover more terrifying tales of the past.
Self-Guided Ghost Hunt
- Where: Downtown Raleigh
- When: your own time
- Cost: $10
- Website: Built story
Here’s a Halloween idea to do yourself at a time that suits you. Purchase the ghost hunt tour and stories via the Built Story app.
Follow the app to explore 20 locations and listen to the haunted stories and legends connected to these notorious haunts and the City of Oaks former citizens. Sites are mostly located in downtown Raleigh and N.C. State University. You will need a car for this Raleigh ghost hunt. Suitable for elementary ages and above.
Haunted History Walking Tour
- Where: Starts Governor’s Mansion 200 Blount St.
- When: Sept – Oct
- Fri, 7-8:30pm
- Sat, 5-6:30pm
- Sat, Oct 28 Sat, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM EDT
- Cost: Pay what you want (suggested donations $15-$20 per adult)
- Book tickets in advance
This 90-minute guided walking tour will take you to four city landmarks where you’ll hear eerie tales and stories of the history and legacy of the Raleigh landmarks.
This is a history tour sharing real haunting tales from past events. You’re not ghost hunting, but that’s not to say you won’t see one! Kid-friendly but does depend on your child’s sensitivity!
Spirits of Wake Forest:
- Where: Downtown Wake Forest
- When: Sept 28 – Oct 28, 2023
- Thursdays and Fridays – 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
- Saturdays – 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 8:30 p.m.
- Cost: $15
- Website
Downtown Wake Forest’s buildings and sidewalks have seen well over 100 years of history, and they have some eerie stories to tell. Join WFD, Inc. and FTC’s incredible cast of storytellers to learn about the restless spirits that make up just a small piece of downtown’s haunted history.
Ghostly Legends at the Old Hotel
- Where: Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Cary
- When: Sat Oct 28, 2023 6:30pm & 8:30pm
- Cost: $18.65
- Tickets: Age 12 and up
Ghostly legends and haunted tales with a bit of mystery are brought to you through a medium’s special connection with the world beyond. Feel the presence of the past at Cary’s old hotel with the help of Cary Players.
Haunted Trolley Tour
- Where: Mordecai Historic Park
- When: Friday, Oct. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 28; 6:45 p.m., 7:45 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.
- Cost: $15
- Website: Recommended 6+
Raleigh’s ghostly residents are eager to greet you onboard the Raleigh historic trolley. Discover history, mystery and lore with your ghost host on the Haunted Trolley, if you dare, for a special late-night tour of downtown Raleigh’s most haunted places.
Kid-Friendly Halloween Experiences in Raleigh for 2023
While some of the other Triangle Halloween experiences we’ve mentioned may be for kids (depending on age and personality), you can be assured that the below suggestions are family-friendly Halloween events for all ages, but probably more geared to younger kids.
Kooky Spooky, Marbles Kids Museum
- Where: Marbles Kids Museum
- When: Oct, 27, 2023, 6-8:30pm
- Cost: $18 for members / $20 for non-members
- Website:
Fans of Marbles Kids Museum will love having a spooktacular Halloween after dark with a Monster Mash Dance Party, a Mad Scientist lab and more. Come in costume!
Track or Treat Halloween Express Train Ride
- Where: New Hope Valley Railway / North Carolina Railway Museum (NCRM)
- When: Oct 14, 21,
- Cost: $16
- Website:
What kid wouldn’t want to ride on a train with scenes of flying witches, smoking cauldrons, Count Dracula and other friendly creatures. You can also search for 13 hidden mummies along the train tracks.
The vintage New Hope Valley Railway travels along 4 miles of historic woods from Bonsal to New Hill and back. The journey takes about an hour, and you can bring food and drink. Train lovers will also enjoy the model railroads and artifacts located onsite at the open-air North Carolina Railway Museum.
The Great Pumpkin Carve
- Where: Downtown Cary
- When: Saty Oct 28, 2-8pm
- Cost: Pumpkin!
Pick out the perfect pumpkin at the patch and carve it or try out one of their new water-marbling pumpkins. There’ll also be hourly story time from the Downtown Wake County Library, fun art activities, and more. Stay for family-friendly Halloween specials shown outdoors, including “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.”
Pumpkin Flotilla, Bond Lake, Cary
- Where: Bond Lake, Cary
- Time: Oct 27, 2023 4-7 pm
- Cost: Free
- Website: https://www.townofcary.org
Each October, pumpkins set sail across picturesque Bond Park Lake at twilight accompanied by local music, snacks, and Halloween activities!
Floats are limited and first come first served. If you want to show off your carved pumpkin, drop it off at the Bond Park boathouse in the days leading up to the event. If you miss the flotilla evening, the pumpkins are typically left on the lake and they relight them for the next couple of nights.
Scarecrow Festival
- Where: Pullen Park
- When: Sat Oct 7, 2023; 3-6pm
- Cost: Free
Bring old clothes, some props, and the family to build your own scarecrow. Twie, straw and a structure will be provided, and there will be fall stories and activities.
Gabi’s Ghostly Gala
- Where: Whitaker and Atlantic 1053 East Whitaker Mill Road #STE 111 Raleigh, NC 27604
- When: Friday, October 13 2023 | 7p.m. – 10.p.m.
- Cost: $50 – $150
- Tickets
A fun night of dancing, music, food, drinks, and a silent auction. All money raised will go to grow the team at Gabi’s, who employs people with special abilities. Heavy hors d’oeuvres, beer, and wine included with the ticket. Masquerade mask and costumes optional-there will be a costume contest.
Halloween Spooktacular – NC Symphony
- Where: Meymandi Concert Hall, Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts
- When: Friday, October 28, 2023 | 1 & 4 pm
- Cost: $40
- Website:
Happy Halloween! Enjoy frightful fun from the movies, including music from E.T., Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, and more! Plus a costume contest!
Spellbound at Mordecai
- Where: Mordecai Historic Park
- When: Sat, October 28, 202310am-3pm
- Cost: Free
- Website:
Encounter mysterious creatures and amazing magicians, have your fortune told, create spooky crafts, and decorate a pumpkin to take home for All Hallow’s Eve. Don’t forget your costumes!
2023 Halloween Boo Bash
- Where: E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road
- When: Thurs, Oct 26, 2023 4:30pm-7pm
- Cost: Free
- Website:
The Halloween Boo Bash presented by Capital Chevrolet is a free, family-oriented festival for children ages 12 and younger.
This year’s festivities will include balloon animals, inflatable slides, and a variety of other ghostly games and activities. Small pumpkins will be available to the first 300 children. Costumes are optional, but best costumes may be featured on the Town website and social media pages.
Haunted Homes, Farms + Hair Raising Attractions, 2023
Some of the most popular things to do for Halloween is to scare yourself witless at any of the elaborate haunted houses and fear farms throughout Wake County and our neighboring counties.
You’d be dead wrong if you didn’t think these were worth the drive! I’ve chosen hair raising attractions that won’t take you much longer than an hour to get to.
Edward’s Battle Haunted House
- Where: 9401 S. Mere Street, Raleigh
- When: Not yet announced
- Cost: Donation
- Website:
Edward’s Battle Haunted House was created by a Raleigh family for their son who was battling cancer. The walk through Haunted House is filled with ghosts, goblins, vampires and other ghouls.
Donations are accepted and benefit Give Kids the World and there is a special Blood Drive connection on Oct 29. Starve the vampires!
Phillips Farm Haunted Farm
- Where: 6701 Good Hope Church Road, Cary, NC
- When: Friday 9/29 – Oct 29 Various times
- Cost: $25 cash ($27 CC) per person
- Website:
- Not recommended for 12 and under
Not only does Philips Farm in Cary have one of the biggest and most popular Fall farm experiences in Wake County, they also take it to another level at night with their Haunted Farm.
The four scary attractions include live actors, flashing lights, sudden scares, dark spaces and sound effects. You’ll be daring to live through
- The Field of Lost Souls
- The Rebellion Trail
- Big Top Terror
- The Gore House
Clayton Fear Factory
- Where: 1620 Loop Road, Clayton
- When: Oct 6 – 31, 2023; 7pm..-10p.m.
- Cost: $25
- Website: https://claytonfearfarm.com/
The most legendary Halloween attraction in Johnston County is the Clayton Fear Farm. Get ready to run, crawl, get through tight spaces in complete darkness.
Creatures of the night haunt the Slaughterhouse, Farmhouse, Fear Forest, Haunted Hayride, Fear Farm Academy and Black Hole attractions. Online ticket purchase required.
This haunted Halloween scream park is on the Boyette Family farm in Clayton, just a 30-minute drive from downtown Raleigh.
We loved their Fall Farm experience, which is sadly no longer running. Here are other 17 pumpkin patches and corn mazes near Raleigh to experience in the Fall.
Darkside Haunted Estates
- Where: 11959 NC-222, Middlesex, NC 27557 (40 mins – 1 hour)
- When: every Friday & Saturday from September 22nd through November 4th, as well as Halloween night 10/31, from 7:00 pm until 10:00 pm
- Cost: $22+
- Website:
From the ¼ mile haunted walking trail to the Mayhem Hayride through the backwoods, this Screamfest is filled with dynamic special effects in every haunted attraction at Darkside Haunted Estates.
Newest attractions include the Insane Asylum, JoJo’s Clown Town, the Slaughterhouse, the BUNDIE Hotel, the S. S. Sea Hag and RottenKorr Cemetery!
Haunted Forest Panic Point
- Where: 2808 Cedar Creek Rd, Youngsville, NC 27596 (about an hour)
- When: Sep 16 – Nov 4 Open on Halloween night
- Cost: $20 – $75 (prices change for different nights and experiences)
- Website:
Are you ready for North Carolina’s most haunted house? That’s what the ratings say anyway. And Kalyra and I went last year with one of her friends. It was loads of fun and got a few screams out of me!
There are five haunted attractions and 38 unique scenes at the Haunted Forest Panic Point. The featured attraction is the half-mile “Haunted Forest” Trail with over 30 haunters hounding your every step. (wear sturdy shoes, you’ll be on an uneven trail)
You’ll have a good two hours wandering through woods with murderers, spiders and aliens, and getting chased by bootleggers and insane creatures.
Not for children under 8 and then only daredevils with an adult for ages 9-12. Everything is designed to scare the crap out of you so be warned. There will also be bonfires, food and music.
This is their lucky 13th season. You will have to go on Friday Oct, 13 – I dare you!
Granville Haunt Farm Drive Thru
- Where: 4534 US-15, Oxford, NC 27565 (about an hour from Raleigh)
- When: Oct 6- 31, 2023 Every Friday and Saturday, Sunset to various
- Cost: $10+ depending on how passengers
- Website: https://www.granvillehauntfarm.com/tickets.html
Here is a unique Halloween experience about an hour from Raleigh. The Granville Haunt Farm Drive-Thru is an expedition through your favorite scary movies.
Drive through their giant movie screen and watch your favorite horror movie monsters come to life in their natural habitat. This unique haunt experience is fun for all ages.
Adults Only Halloween Fun 2023
Check out breweries and bars near you for their fun Halloween party events. There will be many happening across the month of October.
Official Halloween Bar Crawl in Raleigh
- Where: Glenwood Ave
- When: Oct 21; 27, 28,
- Cost: $22
- Event Registration
Bring your best costume to this Halloween Bar Crawl party in Downtown Raleigh.
Ticket includes cover-free, full access to all of the top-rated venues in Raleigh while dancing to the hottest local DJs, enjoying discounted themed food specials at 5+ venues with 100’s of people, and following an easy-to-navigate digital bar list.
2023 Raleigh Zombie Walk
- Where: Moore Sqare, Raleigh
- When: October 21, 2023; 7pm
- Cost: Free
- Facebook page
Zombies Unit for a mile long trek in downtown Raleigh terrifying its residents. Dress up and drag, limp or shamble through the city in character as the undead.
Night of the Living Dead Prom
- Where: Boxcar Bar + Arcade
- When: Friday, October 13th 9pm – 3am
- Cost: Free
- Website
Dress to impress in your deadliest prom attire and join Boxcar’s “Night of the Living Dead Prom” Party!
Dance all night to the sounds of DJ Handsome Robb, sip on ghoulish cocktails and spooky-inspired spirits. Score 4 free game tokens at the door for dressing in theme!
Boo-ze Halloween Wine Walk
- Where: Village District
- When: Friday, Oct 13, 2023; 6-8pm
- Cost: $25
- Tickets
Come dressed in your favorite Halloween costume for shopping, trunk-or-treating, scary good deals, a DJ and wine!
Comment: What Halloween attraction are you most looking forward to? What Halloween event in Raleigh or nearby did we miss? Share below and why you love it.
