Looking for a spooky good time this Halloween? You’re in luck! Florida is full of great cities to celebrate the holiday. From haunted houses and hayrides to costume contests and carnivals, these cities know how to do Halloween right.
So whether you’re looking for a family-friendly event or a truly terrifying experience, be sure to check out one of these destinations.
You might not expect it, but Jacksonville is one of the best places in Florida for Halloween fun. The city offers plenty of haunted attractions, as well as fall festivals and other events leading up to the holiday.
And with its large population, you’re sure to find all the costume party options you could ever want.
If you want to experience a Halloween festival in Florida, you’ve come to the right place and if you’re looking for an authentically creepy experience, St. Augustine is the place to be.
There are many places to celebrate this spooky holiday in the Sunshine State!
Orlando, St. Augustine, and other cities all have great Halloween attractions. Here are the best cities in Florida for Halloween booking a hotel stay.
Read on to discover more!
1. Halloween in Orlando
Orlando, Florida is the ultimate destination for Halloween fun. With amazing events, themed parties, and movie screenings, Orlando can make for an unforgettable holiday.
It has been named the ‘Halloween Vacation Capital’ and is an exciting place for families with kids.
With a variety of events for all age groups, Orlando has something for everyone, from spooky fun for the little ones to more frightening activities for the big kids.
Universal Studios in Orlando is home to Florida’s biggest Halloween event, Halloween Horror Nights. Here, you can experience terrifying scare zones with live actors and special effects.
2019’s theme was Stranger Things, which was inspired by the Netflix show.
The Halloween events in Orlando aren’t all expensive. In fact, many of them are free. Orlando has a variety of events, from scary movies to trick-or-treating.
Whether you’re looking for a spooky hayride or a ghostly costume party, the city offers something for everyone.
Orlando is home to some of the best trick-or-treaters. There are many places to trick-or-treat, including downtown Baldwin Park, which is known for its door-to-door activity.
While most houses stop handing out candy once dark, some remain open until 9 pm.
Orlando hosts one of the most popular Halloween events, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. This spooky event features multiple themed areas, amazing fireworks, and plenty of trick-or-treaters.
All of these events are free with regular park admission, so there is no need to pay extra for them.
The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens host an annual Halloween celebration called Zoo Boo Bash.
The event is open to the public and includes trick-or-treating, pumpkin-patch photo-taking, and a spooky hayride.
2. Halloween in St. Augustine
There are plenty of ways to have a spooky Halloween in St. Augustine, including trick-or-treating and trunk-or-treating. This historic city is also home to two historic cemeteries that have graves dating back centuries.
Ghost tours are another popular activity in this haunted city.
You’ll want to plan your trip to St. Augustine accordingly. Many of the attractions and activities will require walking, so you should be flexible in your plans.
You’ll also want to check out the historic streets of St. Augustine. This historic area is home to the Old Jail and many historic attractions.
Other historical sites you’ll want to visit are the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park and Fort Mose Historic State Park Museum.
The Old Jail is a popular haunted attraction in St. Augustine. A tragic drowning of two young girls in 1873 led to a number of paranormal activities at the site.
You can even take a ghost tour of the old jail, which is part of the National Register of Haunted Places.
Another popular Halloween activity in St. Augustine is trick-or-treating at the city’s Alligator Farm. This annual event is a great way for kids to learn about alligators, watch feedings, and see creepy creatures.
Admission costs $10 and benefits the park’s educational missions.
If you’re a family looking for a spooky getaway, St. Augustine is the perfect spot. This ancient city is rich with history and offers a great atmosphere for mystery and haunting activities.
Enjoy the fall family activities while exploring this historical city.
3 Halloween in Dade City
If you’re looking for a good Halloween scare, head to Dade City, Florida. The city is home to Scream-A-Geddon Horror Park, which features six terrifying attractions.
The park is open from mid-September to early November. The attractions include a haunted hayride, the Blackpool Prison, and a zombie paintball course.
For those who are interested in history, visit the Dade City Heritage Museum, which is housed in restored historic buildings, including a schoolhouse, train station, and church.
The museum also has numerous artifacts and household items from earlier eras. Guided tours are available. You can also attend a haunted house experience at Dade City’s Haunted House.
The city is also home to the Dade City Pioneer Museum, which aims to raise interest in pioneer life in Florida. The museum has over six acres of indoor and outdoor space, including an authentic 1912 train depot.
The museum also features a collection of tools, farm equipment, and antiques from the early days of settlers in the area.
The city has many attractions and festivals throughout the year. Popular festivals include the Kumquat Festival and the Pioneer Days Festival.
There are also wildlife preserves such as the Giraffe Ranch. You can even feed the giraffes here. But unlike zoos, the giraffes are in their natural habitat and do not live in cages.
4. Halloween in Key West
If you are looking for a unique Halloween experience, you’ll want to check out a few events in Key West. For starters, you can take part in the famous “Ghost Walk.”
This two-hour tour will include some ghost stories and a drink special. You can even dress up for the occasion!
After the tour, you can continue partying through the night at one of the many bars. One of the most famous bars in Key West is Sloppy Joe’s.
Halloween in Key West is a yearly event that is filled with costumes, parades, and street parties. Many visitors come to take part in these events. There are food, drink, and even drag queen contests!
The annual festival attracts over a hundred thousand people to the island.
Key West is also famous for its ghosts!
Many of the island’s old wooden buildings are inhabited by the ghosts of former residents.
Ghost tours can be very fun, and you may even want to try the Ghost Host tour, which takes guests to some of the island’s most famous haunted places. The Travel Channel has even named Key West America’s most haunted place!
There are also plenty of ghostly attractions in the city, so it’s sure to be an unforgettable Halloween experience.
Key West is a small town, with 25,000 full-time residents.
It’s four miles long and two miles wide at its widest point. Half of the city is Old Town.
Despite the town’s small size, Halloween is not the only holiday in Key West. This island town celebrates Fantasy Fest, culminating in a Saturday night parade.
The city is also known for Fantasy Fest, a 10-day carnival that celebrates creativity, imagination, and music. It began in 1979 by locals hoping to attract more visitors during the quiet season.
Since then, the festival has grown and attracted revelers from all over the world. The festival features a variety of spooky activities, costume contests, and themed parties.
5. Halloween in Jacksonville
Halloween is one of the most exciting holidays and Jacksonville has many activities and attractions that you can take part in. For example, there are a number of haunted attractions and festivals throughout the city.
Some of these are great for families, including Spooktacular Nights, which features Halloween-themed attractions like the Jacksonville Zoo.
You can also join a costume contest and enjoy food trucks and live music at a Halloween-themed festival.
There are many Halloween events in Jacksonville, including haunted house tours and pumpkin patches.
You can also attend Halloween cooking classes to learn about special recipes for the holiday.
There are even pub crawls that involve costumes and scary stories for the whole family. Halloween parties can be held anywhere from family-friendly events to full-on parties.
If you prefer something a little more spooky, the 13th Floor Haunted House is a great option. This haunted house teams up with St. John’s River Taxi to offer a haunted riverboat tour.
This is a great way to explore the city at night!
For a family-friendly, spooky Halloween, there are several pumpkin farms nearby.
Visiting pumpkin farms will give you the chance to see the beautiful pumpkins in person and experience a Halloween-themed farm in an incredibly unique way.
6. Halloween in Miami
Halloween might be the best holiday of the year. And what could make it better than celebrating in Miami?
The city is full of fun and festive activities to get you into the Halloween spirit.
If you’re looking for a fright, head to one of Miami’s many haunted houses. From the spine-tingling to the campy, there’s sure to be a haunted house that’s just your type.
Or, if you’re more interested in solving a mystery, check out one of the city’s escape rooms.
Many of them have Halloween-themed puzzles and challenges that will test your wit and courage.
Kids costume contests, free adult parties, and pet-friendly events are just some of the many attractions available for this spooky holiday. But be warned: traffic in Miami can get very heavy during Halloween.
Driving through residential areas can also be challenging.
Zoo Miami is another great place to celebrate Halloween. For children, Zoo Miami turns into Zoo Boo on Halloween and offers trick-or-treating, a costume contest, and fun activities like crafts.
And of course, the zoo’s animals get into the spirit. There are also special performances at the zoo.
One of Miami’s touristic anchors, the Bayside Marketplace, is another fun place to celebrate Halloween.
This huge shopping complex overlooks the bay and the downtown skyline, making it a great place to go trick-or-treating.
During Halloween, the area also features a pirate ship, a pirate fortress, and live entertainment.
Coconut Grove is also a popular South Florida destination, known for its party scene and nightlife. Every October 31, the area becomes an adult Halloween heaven.
You can stroll the streets and people-watch for free. During Halloween, most visitors dress up in costume. The city is filled with a myriad of costumes and festivities.
For those who prefer their Halloween celebrations to be on the lighter side, there are plenty of options for you, too.
Wrapping Up
All of these cities in Florida offer a variety of Halloween activities and events for all ages, as well as plenty of hotels to choose from.
So whether you’re looking for a family-friendly vacation or a wild weekend getaway, one of these cities is sure to have what you’re looking for.
These are the best cities in Florida for a Halloween hotel stay.
If you’re looking to be scared senseless, look no further than Orlando.
For a more relaxed holiday, try Tampa. And if you want to party like it’s 1999, Miami is the place for you!
