Things to Do in NJ & Beyond Halloween 2023

We all love to celebrate Halloween as it's probably one of your child's favorite times of the year. There are so many fun things to do this Halloween! Check out these non-scary events for kids, from costume parades, pumpkin festivals, to haunted fun scenes. Please confirm dates and times before you go. Most events require tickets. Visit our NJ Kids calendar for more Halloween events.

Boo at the Zoo at The Bronx Zoo

Every Sat & Sun, Sept 30 - Oct 29, 2023. Family friendly Halloween event at the Bronx Zoo. Halloween crafts, Trick or Truth Trail, Costume Parade, Pumpkin Carving Demos, Wildlife Theater, Spooky Stories, Boo Playground, Pumpkin Trail, and plenty of animal fun. Note: Sensory Sensitive Spooktacular Mornings held Oct 15th & 29th. Buy tickets online.

Storybook Land Halloween Fun

Month of October. Haystacks, cornstalks, and non-scary fun take over at Storybook Land! Kid-friendly events with no fright in sight. Climb aboard the Happy Hayride for a tour of park or find your way out of Elmer's Hay-Mazin' Maze. Decorate a pumpkin and enjoy fun family rides and attractions. Wander around the beautifully decorated park, filled with mums and pumpkins. If you want to have even MORE fun, come for Trick-or-Treat Weekend on October 21, 22, 28, and 29, 2023. 6415 Black Horse Pike, Egg Harbor Township, 609.646.0103. Buy your tickets at the door or special online pricing.

Dinosaurs After Dark at Field Station Dinosaurs

Every Fri & Sat, Oct 6 - Oct 28, 2023. A spooky, fun and thrilling adventure for the whole family featuring a lantern lit tour of the park. But watch out, the trails are dark and there’s a vicious T-Rex lurking in the shadows. A fearless Dinosaur Wrangler will lead a Tyrannosaurus Hunt along trails with a stop at every dinosaur and a few surprises along the way. At the end of the night, gather around the campfire for a dinosaur sing-a-long, hot chocolate, and marshmallows! Buy your adventure tickets in advance online. 3 Overpeck Park Driveway, Leonia, NJ, 855.999.9010, jerseydinos.com

Fintastic Fall Days at Adventure Aquarium

Through Nov 5, 2023. Discover glowing gourds in the shape of aquatic animals at Adventure Aquarium. Explore glowing sea creatures, underwater pumpkin carvers, and other exciting experiences. Reserve tickets online. 1 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ.

Halloween Light Show at Demarest Farms

Through Oct 31, 2023, evenings. A family friendly Halloween event featuring the spooktacular Halloween Light Show! Take your vehicle on a guided 20-25 minute tour and enjoy 32 acres of Halloween light displays. Take home farm fresh goodies from the retail farm market. Must buy tickets online. 244 Wierimus Rd, Hillsdale, NJ.

Haunted Wild West Fest at Wild West City

Sept 30 - Oct 29, 2023. Spooky Day Time Fest - hit the ghost town trail, enjoy nonstop western entertainment all day. Take part in a fun and spooky western experience, fun for kids of all ages. See night time scare factors along the Train Ride and Frontiersman trail. Book your tickets online. Stanhope, NJ, wildwestcity.com

Fall-O-Ween at New York Botanical Gardens

Sept - Nov 2023. Plenty of family fun! Walk through eye-popping pumpkins of all sizes, gourds, fright & foliage, and spooky scarecrows. Special weekends of pumpkin parades and pumpkin carving. 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY, nybg.org

Pumpkin Patch Trains at Whippany Railroad Museum

Sun, Oct 1, 8 & 15, 2023. Hours: 1PM, 2PM, 3PM, & 4PM. Hop onboard "The Pumpkin Patch Train"! A 10-mile, 45-minute round trip ride and back. Children with valid train tickets can go to the Pumpkin Patch and pick out a free kid-sized pumpkin and receive a pumpkin decorating kit. Buy your tickets online. 1 Railroad Plaza, Whippany, NJ.

The Corn Maze Train at Delaware River Railroad Excursions

Trips run through Oct 29, 2023. Enjoy a scenic train ride, then as an add-on experience, you can explore the corn maze trail on the old Snyder Farm, where getting lost is half the fun. There are 2 mazes to explore and miles of trails. Also tour the Susquehanna Mining Company onsite and pan for gems. 38 Market St, Phillipsburg, NJ.

The Great Pumpkin Train at Delaware Railroad Excursions

Sat & Sun, Sept 30, 2023 - Oct 29, 2023. Take a ride on The Great Pumpkin Train along the Delaware River. Every child can pick a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch. 38 Market St, Phillipsburg, NJ, 877trainride.com

Rolling Railway Trick-or-Treat at Didonato Family Fun Center

Select dates Sept and Oct 2023. Little goblin-friendly Halloween outdoor train ride. Fun for kids of all ages. Admission includes Halloween hay maze, train ride, giant slide, treats, toy market, photo op with the local witch, and more! 1151 S White Horse Pike Hammonton, NJ.

Spooky Fest at Liberty Science Center

Oct 7-29, 2023. Fun for the whole family. Enjoy Boo! A Halloween Laser Show, watch Haunted House 3D movie, take part in a Spider Scavenger Hunt and look for 13 Spooky Skeletons, check out the Pumpkin Dissection Lab, dance at the daily Halloween Dance party and more at the Liberty Science Center! 222 Jersey City Boulevard Jersey City, NJ.

South Jersey Pumpkin Show

Oct 6-8, 2023. This festival is packed full of family fun. Enjoy over 100 crafters, food vendors, wineries, hayrides, children’s games, pony rides, kids rides and scarecrows galore. $20 per car load. Salem County Fairgrounds, 735 Harding Highway, Salem County, NJ.

Ghost Walk at Historic Cold Spring Village

Oct 7, 2023 - Nov 4, 2023, 8PM. Join a spiritualist medium in a 45 minute lantern lit ghost walk around Cold Spring Village. Advance tickets required. Route 9 in Cape May, NJ.

Night of Frights at Allaire Village

Oct 13-14 &  20-21, 2023. Spooky encounters as you walk through Allaire Village - ghosts, ghouls, and goblins. Scary scenes, fire jugglers, storytelling, blacksmith demos, chainsaw carving, and more! Families welcome. Buy tickets in advance. 4263 Atlantic Avenue Wall Township, NJ.

Pumpkin Festival at Historic Cold Spring Village

Sat, Oct 14, 2023, 10AM. FREE event. Families can enjoy pumpkin painting and games. Children’s Halloween Parade at 11am. Visit a haunted barn. Crafters, food vendors, and more! Donate non-perishable goods to the Share the Harvest Food Drive. Route 9 in Cape May, NJ, hcsv.org

ZooBoo 2023 at Bergen County Zoo

Oct 20-22, 2023. The Bergen County Zoo is decorated with trick-or-treat stations. See fun filled shows. Day time and night time haunted Halloween themed scenes. Buy tickets in advance. 216 Forest Ave, Paramus, NJ.

Boo at the Boardwalk at Jenkinson's

Oct 21, 22, 28, 29, 2023, 12PM-4PM. Come to Jenkinson's in Point Pleasant for crafts, trick-or-treating, pumpkin carvings, face painting, rides, games and more! Point Pleasant Beach, NJ.

Spooky Pumpkin Garden Nights at NYBG

Sat, Oct 21 & 28, 2023, 6:30PM-8:30PM. After-dark adventures for children of all ages. Explore the twisting trails at the NYBG Everett Children’s Adventure Garden at night. Meet giant skeletons, discover pumpkin scarecrows, shadow puppet shows and more! Buy tickets online. 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY.

Brookdale Haunted Theater - Scaredy Cat Tours

Oct 22 & 29, 2023. For kids and scaredy cats, walk through a haunted house and see the lighting sets and props. No scares or pop-outs. Friendly actors located throughout to tell young visitors about the Brookdale Theater. Candy, paint pumpkins outdoors, and carnival games. $ tickets. Purchase online only. 765 Newman Springs Rd, Lincroft, NJ.

Boo at the Zoo at Cape May Zoo

Sat, Oct 28, 2023. Visitors of all ages are invited to wear a costume to this fun family event at Cape May Zoo. There will be activities for kids, crafts, games, candy, entertainment, animals, pirate ship, and more!

1830s All Hallow's Eve Trick-or-Treat Celebration

Sat, Oct 28, 2023, 11AM-4PM. At the Historic Village at Allaire, learn about Halloween’s rich history and traditions, Spooky Story Telling, Craft Making, Fortune Telling, Carved Pumpkin Contest and more! $ Admission. 4263 Atlantic Avenue Wall Township, NJ.

Historic Smithville's Witches Day Out

Sun, Oct 29, 2023, 12PM-5PM. Fun family outing with your fellow witches. Wear your witch’s hat & stroll around town. Scavenger hunt throughout village. Contests, parade, special activities and more! 1 North New York Rd, Smithville, NJ.

Nearby Pennsylvania Halloween Attractions

Screamin' Green Hauntoween at Crayola Experience

Through Oct 31, 2023. Spooky family fun - enjoy a themed scavenger hunt, spook-tastic Hauntoween crafts, character photo-ops, Trick-or-Treat, pumpkin painting, and more! Have a good time while exploring 29 hands-on attractions. ALL included with admission at Crayola.

Happy Hauntings at Dutch Wonderland

Sept 30 - Oct 29, 2023, weekends. Dutch Wonderland is transformed into a Spooktacular Halloween wonderland. Friendly ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, and ghouls. Over 30 rides and attractions. Hop aboard a ghoul filled train ride, enjoy a Nightime Dive Show, collect goodies on trick-or-treat trail, or dine with special characters. 2249 Lincoln Highway East Lancaster, PA.

Franklin Fright! at The Franklin Institute

Weekends in October 2023. Take part in an immersive Halloween-inspired environment at The Franklin Institute. Trick-or-treat your way through the museum, and experience live science shows. Special guest Gourd’n the Giant Pumpkin Robot. Buy your ticket now. 222 North 20th Street Philadelphia, PA.

The Count's Halloween Spooktacular at Sesame Place

Through Nov 5, 2023. Sesame Place in Langhorne PA is transformed into a family friendly haven. Trick-or-treat around the park. Come in costume, hop on rides, see special Halloween shows, and check out the Neighborhood Street Party Halloween Parade. Sing and dance with your favorite characters.

Hershey Park Halloween

Weekends, through Oct 29, 2023. Enjoy family fun and sweet treats while you stroll through Treatville, experience lights out rollercoasters, and tour ZooAmerica. Experience thrilling Dark Nights Scare Zones, included in every Hersheypark ticket.

Trick or Treat Train at New Hope Railroad

Sept 30 - Oct 31, 2023, select dates. 45 minute child friendly ride. Official railroad trick or treat bags, assorted trinkets, and candy will be handed out both onboard the train as well as at the station! All ages are welcome. The Fun and spooky Halloween Train Ride tests the nerve of all onboard. 32 W Bridge St, New Hope, PA, newhoperailroad.com

Read more at NJ Kids things to do, Guide to Scary Halloween Events