This fall, Orange County is packed with fun activity spots to celebrate the Halloween season. From pumpkin patches to theme parks and community events, there is a wide variety of local scenes waiting to be discovered.
If you are looking to get into the fall spirit at the pumpkin patch, there are a few spots to check out. Pumpkin’s City Pumpkin Farm is located in the lot where the Laguna Hills Mall used to be and is open until Oct. 31. The patch has kiddie amusement rides, carnival games, a petting zoo, geodes and gemstones, and a diner with treats.
The Pumpkin City is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $10 for anyone 13 years or older, but Monday through Friday admission is free before 4 p.m. and all day on Halloween.
In Irvine, the Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch is another charming place that is open until Oct. 31. The patch is open Sunday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Admission is $20 Monday through Friday morning and $22 Friday afternoons, Saturday and Sunday. Activities tickets cost an additional $6 per ticket and admission does not include picking out a pumpkin.
Tanaka Farms’ weekday activities include wagon rides, a barnyard educational exhibit, a U-Pick veggie patch, a corn maze, and a U-pick pumpkin patch. On the weekends, they also offer arts and crafts, festival games, farmer golf, and their famous pumpkin cannon.
Maya Deiser (12) shares how “they had a lot more than just pumpkin activities. I liked the vegetable picking because I could take them home and cook with them.”
The local amusement parks have also stepped up to celebrate “spooky season.”
Knotts Berry Farm is hosting its annual Knott’s Scary Farm event on select nights from Sept. 21 through Oct. 31. Knott’s Scary Farm is open from 7 p.m. to 1 or 2 a.m. depending on the day of the week. Tickets are priced at $59.99 online and $109.99 at the gate.
The park is transformed into a haunting scene and offers haunted mazes, shows, and over 1,000 scary creatures hiding in the park to frighten guests.
“I liked Knotts Scary Farm because I love spooky things and Halloween and walking around and getting scared was just super fun for me!” says Megan Beal (12).
Knott’s Scary Farm’s counterpart, Knott’s Spooky Farm, is a family-friendly daytime event offered Thursdays through Sundays until Oct. 29, plus Halloween. Catered towards children, Spooky Farm includes a livery stable, pumpkin patch, trick or treating, a costume parade, and more.
At Universal Studios Hollywood you can celebrate Halloween at their Halloween Horror Nights on select nights until Oct. 31. The event includes eight haunted houses that are based on popular horror films and stories. The park also has three scare zones for “scare actors” to terrify the guests: Ghostz, Toyz, and El Terror De Las Momias.
At Disneyland, there are countless activities and attractions dedicated to the Halloween season. The Haunted Mansion ride, currently called The Haunted Mansion Holiday, has been decorated with inspiration from Tim Burton’s “Nightmare Before Christmas.” On Main Street, you’ll find a pumpkin festival with pumpkins shaped like beloved Disney characters.
California Adventure Park has more seasonal specials including Guardians of the Galaxy- Monsters After Dark, Costumed “Cars,” and Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree.
Traveling closer to home, Aliso Viejo will be hosting a Fall Harvest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Grand Park. The event will offer carnival games, entertainment, a costume parade for the kids, and community booths.
The Wraith House is another scary scene in the form of a local haunted house. The Wraith House is a non-profit haunted house in Laguna Niguel and is open this year on Oct. 27-29 as well as Halloween day.
This year, as a part of the Murphey Arts & Charitable Entertainment, a non-profit dedicated to youth performing arts, the Wraith House is benefiting local theater programs. Donations will go to the Aliso Viejo Middle School theater program and another local children’s theater company, JET Arts.
