Spooky season is upon us and that means haunted houses are starting to open for business in the Des Moines area.
Whether you are looking for a night of family fun or an attraction so scary you can’t sleep at night, there is a haunted house for all ages.
Adventureland’s Phantom Fall Festival
Adventureland’s annual Phantom Fall Festival is Iowa’s largest Halloween event. With four scare zones to pick from scattered around the park, attendees can ride select Adventureland attractions like the Monster, Phoenix, Flying Viking and more.
Tickets are valid from Sept. 20 until Oct. 26, according to Adventureland’s website.
The Slaughterhouse
The Slaughterhouse is celebrating 13 years of scares in Des Moines. Each year, The Slaughterhouse selects a new theme based on one of the members of the Biggs family. This year is dubbed “The Year of Crimson,” after a member of the Biggs family who has a goat for a head.
Barnum: Carnival of Freaks
The Freak Show is considered not for the faint of heart, according to Barnum Circus of Freaks. The haunted attraction is an “unsettling” and “spine-tingling” spectacle.
Sleepy Hollow Haunted Scream Park
The Sleepy Hollow Haunted Scream Park is Iowa’s largest and most elaborate Halloween theme park, according to its website. It features more than 10 attractions, including the Castle of Blood, Freakshow and Nightmare Asylum.
The Haunted Woods
Located just a few minutes south of Des Moines, the Haunted Woods is themed “The Mare Witch III.” The Haunted Woods is open Friday through Sunday. On the week of Halloween, the Haunted Woods will be open from Friday to Sunday.
Linn’s Haunted House
After suffering from a fire that resulted in $20,000 of water damage during the 2024 season, Linn’s Haunted House is back for all of October. The Linns have owned and operated the haunted house since the mid-1980s in the basement of Linn’s Grocery Store.
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Try these Des Moines haunted houses for the best Halloween scares
Reporting by Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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