Looking for frightful fun? From trick-or-treat trails to festivals, here are 16 Oklahoma Halloween events
Got your costume and candy bucket ready?
Halloween officially arrives on Oct. 31, and several of the Sooner State's top museums, attractions and venues are offering a variety pack of tricks and treats to celebrate the culmination of the spooky season.
From a haunted cruise on the Bricktown Canal to an illuminating nighttime stroll along Automobile Alley, here's a sampling of all-ages Halloween events across Oklahoma where you can find frights and fun:
Haunted History Cruises
When and where: 6:30, 7:30 and 8:20 p.m. Oct. 27 and 28, Bricktown Canal.
Information: https://artafloatokc.org/#events.
ArtAfloatOKC, the same organization that puts on the Showboat Concert Series, brings a special narrated 40-minute tour aboard the Bricktown Water Taxi that focuses on the eerie history of Oklahoma. The spooky boat rides on the Bricktown Canal benefit Preservation Oklahoma Inc., a private nonprofit membership organization dedicated to promoting, supporting and coordinating historic preservation activities across the state.
Halloween Stuffed Animal Sleepover
When and where: 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27, Edmond History Museum.
Information: https://www.edmondhistory.org.
For this popular event, participants come to the museum for a craft and story time with their stuffed animals. Their stuffed animals stay the night at the museum and explore behind-the-scenes areas, and their owners pick them up Oct. 28. After, a digital photo album chronicling their plush pal's experiences will be emailed to each stuffie owner.
Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park's Children's Halloween Festival
When and where: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 29, Shakespeare Gardens in the Paseo.
Information: https://www.okshakes.org.
Activities at the second annual fest include a costume contest, bouncy pirate ship, live performances, pumpkin decorating and face painting. Local food trucks will be selling an array of treats. The event is free, but the nonprofit theater will be accepting donations.
Trick 'Orr' Treat
When and where: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 29 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 30, Orr Family Farm.
Information: https://www.orrfamilyfarm.com/fall.
For the favorite fall attraction's Halloween event, families are invited to come in costume and collect candy around the farm.
Arcadia Lake's Storybook Forest
When and where: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. through Oct. 30, Spring Creek Park at Arcadia Lake in Edmond.
Information: http://storybookforestok.com.
This annual event provides youngsters with a chance to walk a well-lit path in the woods to collect candy and visit life-size scenes from classic storybooks.
Halloween on the Trail
When and where: 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 29, Chisholm Trail Heritage Center in Duncan.
Information: https://onthechisholmtrail.com/events.
Tex and Jesse — the museum's animatronic characters — will give a special performance at this new events, which also will feature spooky games and art projects. Entry is $1 per child.
Fort Washita Ghost Tours
When and where: Through Oct. 29, Fort Washita in Durant.
Information: https://chickasawcountry.com/events/fort-washita-ghost-tours.
Explore by candlelight the historic site of a military post built in 1842 to maintain peace for the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations and later occupied and largely destroyed by the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
Haunt the Zoo for Halloween
When and where: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 30, Oklahoma City Zoo.
Information: www.okczoo.org/HTZ.
The OKC Zoo is hosting its 39th annual trick-or-treat trail for families, along with a spooky version for thrill-seekers ages 21 and older called Haunt the Zoo: All Grown Up from 7 to 11 p.m. Oct. 28.
Festival de Vida y Muerte
When and where: Noon to 8 p.m. Oct. 30, Scissortail Park's Love's Travel Stops Stage and Plaza.
Information: https://scissortailpark.org/events.
Celebrate the Day of the Dead with music, oferendas and dancing.
Tulsa Zoo's HallowZOOeen
When and where: 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 28, 1 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 29, and 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 30, Tulsa Zoo.
Information: https://tulsazoo.org/zoo-events/hallowzooeen.
Celebrants can visit the zoo in the daytime or evening hours to partake of candy stops, animal ambassador meet and greets, four themed activity zones, a haunted house and train and a creepy carousel.
The Procession at Factory Obscura
When and where: 6:15 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31, Factory Obscura.
Information: https://www.factoryobscura.com/events.
The OKC artist collective always plans a busy slate during the spooky season, and at this event, people will gather on the sidewalk outside Factory Obscura at sunset to light up the night at this free outdoor event. Participants are encouraged to don illuminated costumes and wield bells, chimes and shakers as the group marches through Automobile Alley. Factory Obscura's immersive indoor Mix-Tape experience, which was recently updated, will be open until 8 p.m.
Frontier City Fright Fest and Kids Boo Fest
When and where: Through Oct. 30, Frontier City.
Information: https://www.sixflags.com/frontiercity/events.
The OKC Six Flags park's annual Fright Fest is recommended for visitors 13 and older and features various haunted houses, scare zones and rides in the dark. For those seeking a daytime experience that's not as scary, the Kids Boo Fest activities include a trick-or-treat trail, family-friendly rides and fall festivities.
Halloween at the Museum
When and where: 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 29, Edmond History Museum.
Information: https://www.edmondhistory.org.
The free festivities include come-and-go crafts, games and candy.
Scissortail Park Treat Trail
When and where: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 29, Upper Park in front of Union Station.
Information: https://scissortailpark.org/events/new-enchanted-treat-trail.
Admission includes trick-or-treating on the trail, an array of special seasonal activities and roller skating at the Sky Rink. The event is free for Scissortail Park members; for non-members, admission is $10 admission for the first trick-or-treater and $5 for each additional child. Children 2 and younger are admitted free.
Castle of Muskogee's Halloween Festival
When and where: 5:30 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays in October, The Castle of Muskogee.
Information: https://www.okcastle.com.
The 60-acre attraction offers an array of thrills for the entire family, from the Castle Train and the Torture Chamber to the Zombie Hunt and Haunted Hayride. The castle's online guide ranks each Halloween offering on a scale of 1 to 5 skulls, with one representing all-ages "fall fun" and five meaning "consider yourself warned."
Oklahoma Aquarium's HallowMarine
When and where: 6:30 to 9 p.m. through Oct. 31, Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks.
Information: https://www.okaquarium.org.
The festivities include an indoor trick-or-treat trail, costume contest, an aquatic-themed 20-foot bounce house (weather permitting) and the new Oklahoma Aquarium Carousel. Last admission sold at 8 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 16 Oklahoma Halloween events from trick-or-treat trails to ghost tours
