Get scared indoors or outdoors, enjoy time with the kids, or take a murder-mystery cruise
Now that we’re into October, many people are ready for cooler fall weather, along with the chills that Halloween brings. Venues throughout the area offer a variety of activities—some more for kids, some more for adults. Whether you’re looking for fun entertainment, food or getting your thrills, the following can get you started on the trail to Halloween.
BB Riverboats Halloween Cruises
7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 27: Join BB Riverboats for The Haunted Steamer!, an interactive murder-mystery dinner experience on an Ohio River cruise launching from Newport, Kentucky. Presented by Murder and Merriment Theatre Company, it’s the story of the wife of a famous Hollywood horror film director who travels aboard a steamer ship with her husband to San Francisco. After a year of being terrorized by ghosts, she fears she might be starring in a very real-life horror film that could scare her to death. Eat, drink and play detective for the night by questioning suspects and searching for clues to solve the mystery.
Noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 22: Parents are encouraged to dress their children in superhero and princess costumes, while BB Riverboats provides the villains, during the Princess, Villains, And More Halloween Party Cruise. Games and apple decorating are part of the fun.
Dent Schoolhouse
Consistently ranked as one of the top haunts in the country by various publications, the old schoolhouse at 5963 Harrison Ave. in Green Township continues to add more to the experience. New this year is the Monster Midway, which includes photo ops, mini escape rooms, axe-throwing, donuts/cider/fudge and an expanded gift shop. On any given night, 50 to 65 actors promise some scary experiences. Open Thursday-through-Sunday evenings and Oct. 31. Lights-on, lights-out and behind-the-scenes tours also available. Details on the website.
Fright Night Weekend
Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine will offer free showings of Halloween movies this weekend. At 8 p.m. Friday, check out Ghostbusters; 7 p.m. Saturday, Halloweentown; 9 p.m. Saturday, Beetlejuice; and 8 p.m. Sunday, Hocus Pocus. Drinks will be available for purchase.
Halloween Haunt at Kings Island
At 6 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for the rest of October, Kings Island becomes more than a venue for rides, eating and everyday entertainment. It also becomes a place that’s not for the meek. Voted “Best Theme Park Halloween Event” in the country by USA Today readers, Kings Island’s Halloween Haunt features exhilarating nighttime roller coastering, spooky mazes and scare zones, live monster entertainment, haunted attractions and hundreds of horrifying creatures lurking throughout the park, ready to scare parkgoers as they walk by. Before launching Halloween Haunt at 6 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday, the park will open at 11 a.m. for Tricks and Treats Fall Fest for children. The Mason park closes at midnight Fridays and Saturdays and 11 p.m. Sundays, except for the final Sunday (Oct. 30), when it will close at 7 p.m. Kings Island says Halloween Haunt is intended for mature audiences and is not recommended for children under 13.
HallZOOween at Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Enjoy trick-or-treat stations, special animal activities, Phil Dalton’s Theater of Illusion shows, Hogwarts Express Train Ride and the Scare-ousel as the Cincinnati Zoo offers kids and adults alike a day of seasonal fun during HallZOOween, 3400 Vine St., Avondale. Noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 15-16, 22-23 and 29-30. Kids costumes encouraged but not required.
Haunted Scream Park at Land of Illusion Adventure Park
Five premium haunted houses await park-goers who dare to go in: Dysphoria, Dr. Psycho’s Haunted Estate, Phobia, Temple of Terror and the Killer Klown House. If that’s not enough, take the Middletown Haunted Trail, which started in 1997, for additional chills and thrills. Live spooks, lunatics and chainsaw-wielding madmen promise to get your attention. The national music group Hairball will appear this Friday and Saturday. Food, treats and drinks are available for purchase at the Voodoo Lounge and Creepy Café. Haunted Scream Park is open 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 7-8, 14-15, 21-22 and 28-29, and 7 to 11 p.m. Oct. 27 and 30.
Trick-or-Treat at Findlay Market
Head over to Cincinnati’s historic outdoor market in Over-the-Rhine for some Halloween fun. Enjoy costuming, decorating trick-or-treat bags and children’s games from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and a haunted house from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library will provide a children’s story time and crafts from 1 to 4 p.m. Trick-or-treat in the market will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Findlay Market, established in 1852, is reportedly Ohio’s oldest continuously operated public market.
