Best Haunted Houses in Central Florida for Spooky Dates

Now that we adults have grown up from dressing as our favorite comic book character to get candy in return, it's time to get scared! Whether that's by watching a classic scary movie or attending a haunted attraction, there are lots of people out there that love to get scared. I may not be one of them, but I appreciate the enthusiasm this time of year. These chilling tours and hautnted houses in Orlando will make the Halloween season even spookier!

Haunted Houses and Trails 2024

By the way, if you know anyone with older kids, check out Haunted Houses in Orlando That Are Okay for Kids.

Universal Halloween Horror Nights

Select nights August 30 – November 3, 2024

Major announcements: All of the houses for 2024 have been announced, including one based on the hit horror movie franchise “A Quiet Place.” And all the original themed houses have been announced including one based in Carey, OH – the scene of many HHN houses over the years.

Admission to Halloween Horror Nights is NOT included in theme park admission and must be purchased separately.

Related: For the full lineup and time-saving info, check out our tips for a Halloween Horror Nights Date Night!

A Quite Place – Image from Halloween Horror Nights

Our guide to Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights – Orlando includes the full lineup, tips to save time, and date ideas.

Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld Orlando

Select nights from September 6 through November 2, 2024
SeaWorld Orlando

Explore themed scare zones, brave haunted houses, ride your favorite coasters in the dark. – including the brand-new Penguin Trek Coaster.

Check out live Halloween-themed performances and more. The multiple-themed bars are a major highlight – liquid courage!

Note: Howl-O-Scream is a separately ticketed event and is NOT included with regular theme park admission. Spring for a 2-park pass which will also get you access to Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on a separate night.

SeaWorld Orlando's Howl‑O‑Scream Event Info 2024:

  • FOUR new haunted houses!
  • THREE new scare zones
  • TWO new themed bars
  • and more

Get time-saving tips for Howl-O-Scream 2024.

Clown face entrance Howl O Scream SeaWorld Orlando – image by Terri Peters

Haunting Nights

Select dates between September 27 and October 31, 2024
Harry P. Leu Gardens
1920 N. Forest Avenue, Orlando, FL 32803
$29.15 for adults and $27.90 for children 3-11.

Creative City Project brings to life an artful, exciting Halloween experience in the forests of Leu Gardens featuring immersive worlds, fun fall-inspired encounters, and a few jump scares, plus fantastic seasonal food and drinks.

Guests will be welcomed by a 10’ tall jack-o-lantern, make their way past the bridge troll and into the forest of eyes, walk through a garden of sunflowers, journey through a neon-light maze, climb up a giant hay-pyramid, meet La Catrina in the Dia de Muertos world, and so much more.

This outdoor experience is the tamest on our list.

Apparition Alley at Haunting Nights Leu Gardens with purple lighting and haunted decorations
Apparition Alley at Haunting Nights Leu Gardens – image by Dani Meyering

Mortem Manor

Open year-round; Weds-Thurs 6-10pm, Fri-Sat 6pm-midnight, Sundays 6-11pm
Old Town
5770 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, Kissimmee, FL

Mortem Manor allows you to get your scares all year long, not just during October. Located in Kissimmee, this year-round haunted house was named one of the “Scariest Haunted Houses In America” by the Travel Channel. Your tour will take you through two stories of the manor. Don’t worry about any creaks you hear while walking around, it’s just the house settling.

Once you’ve made it out alive, you can experience what your final ride in life would be like with The Last Ride. This is a coffin burial simulator that takes you through the sounds and smells of a casket ride to the graveyard.

Mortem Manor haunted houses in Central Florida
Image credit: Mortem Manor

“Catherine Returns” Haunted Halloween Maze

Fridays and Saturdays, September 27 – October 26, 2024
Lake Catherine Farms
5849 Lake Catherine Rd, Groveland, FL 
$18 per person

Are you afraid of the dark? Do you dare to enter our Haunted Halloween Maze? Last year, they told the tale of “Catherine's Nightmare.” Now experience “Catherine Returns.” 100 years of ghost stories about their farm and a little girl who disappeared a century ago. Beware: Those who enter may not survive. On Friday and Saturday nights they also offer our Dark Forest Trail of Terror for the more adventurous.

Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail

Select nights September 27 – November 2, 2024
2837 South Frontage Rd., Plant City (exit 22 off I-4)
$27 – $32 general admission, $42 – 57 for front-line access *Tickets must be purchased online in advance for the 2024 season

Sir Henry once operated a carnival long ago. Since his passing, he has been seen putting together his trails and attractions, ready to haunt the lives of those who enter his property. You can experience three outdoor haunted attractions at Sir Henry's Haunted Trail. Each trail has its own backstory, from a rich family of vampires hosting a grand ball to feast on the victims to a ghostly captain exacting his revenge. Tickets must be purchased in advance. This event benefits Folds of Honor.

Check out more haunted happenings in the Tampa Bay area.

Image credit: Sir Henry's Haunted Trail

The Haunting of River Ranch

Every Friday & Saturday, October 4 – November 2, 2024, 7-10pm
Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo
3200 River Ranch Boulevard, River Ranch, FL 33867

The Curse of Kicco the Clown continues with a new twist this year, adding even more fright to the festivities. Brave the Haunted Stables before your ride begins and experience a haunted hayride that uncovers a bone-chilling tale never-before-heard at the ranch. Plus, explore scare zones, indulge in festive food and beverages, and strike a pose at spooky photo ops.

Haunting of River Ranch Hayride with themed banner overhead
Haunting of River Ranch Hayride – image by Tim Meyering

Dr. Grimley’s Haunted Trail 

Select dates between late September and October 31, 2024
Sunsational Farms
40541 Roger Giles Road, Umatilla, FL
Tickets start at $25

Dr. Grimley’s Haunted Trail is a unique outdoor haunt with cutting-edge technology for lighting, audio, and visual effects rivaling top ranked indoor haunts. This year they’ve expanded to 2 themed trails where we’ll prey upon your deepest phobias with horrific scares designed to unsettle and disorient. Also, check out Creepy Cornhole, DJ GraveGrim and Light Show, and their nightly “Lights Out” experience with nothing but a tiny hand-held light (provided) to illuminate your way.

A Petrified Forest

October 4-5, 11-13, 16-19, 23-26, & 30-31, November 1-2
1360 E. Altamonte Dr., Altamonte Springs, FL
$34.98 for all three trails, $49.98 for VIP including three trails and a backstage tour

What separates this haunted house from its counterparts? For starters, this haunted house features outdoor trails in the woods where you never know what will be lurking around the next corner. This year’s theme is Nature's Fury, with each trail incorporating the theme in various disturbing ways.

A Petrified Forest offers backstage tours every night they’re open (the only Central Florida haunted attraction to do so) so you can see what it takes to be part of the attraction.

In addition, they offer special days for various guests like Kids Day (October 12), filled with trick-or-treating, a costume contest, and other fun games. There is also a private event (October 16) welcoming everyone with special needs to attend and experience the trails. Patrons are allowed to go at their own pace with help from staff.

Finally, if you’re into absolute terror, Total Eclipse Nights, usually take place, in which you’re only given one glow stick as you journey through the trails with no other source of light. Eek!

TIP: Since this attraction is outdoors, be sure to wear clothing and shoes that aren’t expensive and can get dirty. And make sure to park down the road at Adjectives so you get to ride the Terror Trolley for the full experience.

Image credit: A Petrified Forest

Longwood Haunted History Tour

October 5, 12, 19, & 26, 2024 7pm
Bradlee-McIntyre House of Longwood
130 W Warren Avenue, Longwood, FL
$30 per person

You are invited on an immersive journey into the unsettling past of Longwood, Florida. Storyteller and Supernatural Enthusiast, Michael Matson, will lead brave souls on this frighteningly fun-filled theatrical walking tour of the Bradlee-McIntyre House featuring the best of both worlds; the world of the living and the world of the dead, bringing them together for a ghoulishly good time!

Fields of Fright – Haunted House and Hay Rides

Fridays and Saturdays, October 11 – 26, 2024, 7 – 11pm
3000 N Spring Garden Ave, DeLand, FL 32724
$25 per person

Fields of fright Haunted Hayride starts in a cornfield and descends down to the bottom of a giant sinkhole surrounded by a web of twisted gnarly oak trees. Hear the sounds of the hayride trailer twist and buckle, and feel the chills of the night air, as the old farm tractors groan to pull you through the carnage.

When the hayride is over, if you make it, you will walk through a haunted house and descend into the haunted cornfield.

Blackwood Castle

October 17 – October 26, 2024, 6pm – 11pm (select nights)
222 E. University Ave, Orange City
$12 ($6 for children under 12)

This is no ordinary haunt-it's a chilling journey into a time best forgotten. The echoes of history and horror converge, enveloping you in an unforgettable nightmarish realm inspired by the grim days of the Black Plague of 1348. Fear shall be your guide. Your screams will echo through the dim corridors as you navigate the shadows of Blackwood Castle.

Tunnel of Terror Haunted Car Wash

Experience a haunted car wash! Your car will get cleaned while you experience some thrills and screams. October 25 – 26, 2024

Various locations

  • Brooksville (13406 Cortez Blvd.)
  • Melbourne (2800 Veterans Way)
  • Largo (1240 Missouri Ave. N.)
  • Fort Walton Beach (412 Mary Ester Cut-Off NW)
  • Fort Myers (10680 Colonial Blvd.)
  • North Port (1155 Sun Market Place)
  • Port St. Lucie (10940 S. US Hwy 1)
  • New Port Richey (4205 US-19)
  • Kissimmee (2980 North John Young Parkway)
  • Sarasota (5020 Fruitville Rd.)

$20 all locations, New Port Richey $25

Cassadaga Haunted Attraction – Ward of Oz

October 24 – 27, 31, November 1 – 3, 2024
355 Cassadaga Rd, Lake Helen, FL
$20 per person online or at the door

CHA got its start back in 2015. They are a “mom & pop” haunt ran by owners DJ Lane & Kimberly Jost. This will be their 9th year bringing you many jumps & scares from the insane ideas we have in their heads. 

Haunting on Emerald Cut

October 31 – November 2, 2024, 5:30-8pm
King's Landing
5722 Baptist Camp Rd, Apopka, FL 32712
$69 per person includes kayak rental. Only rental kayaks will be permitted on this tour. Choice of double or single kayak.

You will launch from King's Landing and paddle upstream for just under a mile. Once the entire group has reached the top, you will float through the haunted Emerald Cut! Bring your own vessel or rent a kayak for a fun spooky time on the water. Encouraging all paddlers to come dressed in your bone chilling or fun paddle attire costumes. The best dressed will receive a free 4 hour kayak rental for two! Once the float is finished, you can stick around for the floating bonfire!
Kayaking experience recommended, and you will get scared.

WANT MORE HALLOWEEN EVENTS?

Each year we create a list of more 50 Orlando Halloween events. We updated this list throughout October so our readers always have access to Orlando's most comprehensive list of ways to celebrate Halloween. Click below to visit our mega list, and also our list of Halloween Date Ideas!

50+ Events to Celebrate Halloween in Orlando

Feature image credit: Universal Orlando Resort, © Universal Orlando. All Rights Reserved.