Welcome To Halloween

Six Flags Magic Mountain, CA

 Slowly over the last couple of weeks there has been a change in atmosphere that I'm sure you all have noticed. Billboards and signage are adorned with creepy crawlies and spooks and specters. That of course can only mean one thing. It's time to celebrate Halloween.
  I've always loved Halloween. Something in my morbid brain feels extra comfortable with the ghosts, witches and the occasional undead and I'm not alone in this considering that Americans are expected to spend near $8 billion dollars this year to celebrate. I wouldn't be placing myself too far out a limb by saying that a good portion of that money will be spent by your favorite local theme parks. Here in southern California (the theme park capitol of the world) Disneyland, Universal Studios, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott's Berry Farm all have great events happening in their parks this year.

Universal Studios Halloween Horror NIghts

  Six Flags Magic Mountain has Fright Fest which allows you to wonder the park and experience their decorations and stroll through a variety of terrifying  mazes to get your heart pumping. An added bonus they have a group of ghoulies called the "scare squad" that wander the park looking for great opportunities to make you scream.
  Universal Studios Hollywood has chosen to relive American history in their creepy decorations representing different historical events. If you're a fan of zombies then you need to make sure you check out the Walking Dead walk through attraction. Here you can experience some of the popular walkers from the show and then some. Universal takes things pretty serious as they warn you that some of these attractions aren't intended for a younger audience. A unique feature form Universal that you can take the "Terror Tram." On this attraction you actually take one of trams down to specific areas along the well known Back lot Tour to experience Universal's own haunted mazes. One of these locations is at the Bates Motel set which a very fitting location if you ask me. You can learn more here.

Disneyland, California

  Of course we can always count on the House of Mouse to amaze us with their Mickey themed decorations. When it comes to decorating they are the king. This is the place to come if you want to keep things a little more kid friendly but still get the feelings of the holiday. Space mountain is converted into Ghost Galaxy where you are chased through the dark ride by an ominous specter that doesn't want you to return home. While this isn't really a scary ride it is just enough to make it fun. For a unique experience for the youngsters you can purchase a separate ticket on select days where they can actually trick or treat in the park. We did this a few years ago when it first started and the kid's loved it and came home with very large bags of candy. They've since changed and expanded how it's done and I'm not sure what the differences are but it's kind of a fun thing to do if you don't mind spending the extra cash.
  Of course there are a plethora of other things to do around town that aren't shying away from celebrating Halloween. The Queen Mary always has ghost tours as an option during your visit but they also have the Dark Harbor event. Basically it's a haunted maze on a historic ocean liner. If the thought of being trapped on a ship with the undead doesn't creep you out there might be something wrong with you.
  So there are just a few things going on here in SoCal that we are experiencing this year. What are you doing to celebrate Halloween 2016? If you know of something that we should check out let us know. Have a good weekend and a happy start to the Halloween season. See you next week.

Brandan