This week marks the official start of Fall and that means Halloween is right around the corner.  In fact, Saturday, September 25th marks the start of Holiday World's Happy Halloween Weekends, which have become a staple Halloween tradition for many area families and amusement park fans from around the country.  Several amusement parks that are within driving distance of Owensboro, Kentucky and the tristate celebrate Halloween annually.  Here's a look at the amusement "haunts" and the highlights of each.

Happy Halloween Weekends at Holiday World (in Santa Claus, Indiana) feature "Halloween fun for the whole family."  In addition to spooky amounts of haunted fun, Holiday World offers rides on their popular coasters like the Voyage and Thunderbird, Happy Halloween Weekends feature a trick-or-treat trail, hayrides, Halloween-themed shows, Holidog's 3D Halloween Adventure, Carnival Chaos and more.

Plus, there's a fun walk-through attraction called the SCAREbnb.  Take a look!

Happy Halloween Weekends take place Saturdays and Sundays from September 25th through October 31st.

Holiday World CEO Matt Eckert joined me on the show to chat about all the Halloween festivities and give you a sneak preview.

About three hours northeast from Owensboro is Kings Island in Mason, Ohio (just outside Cincinnati).  Kings Island has one of the most legendary Halloween events in the country.  Their Halloween Haunt was just named, by a USA Today poll, THE top Halloween theme park event in the United States.  Here's a sneak preview of what you can expect if you go!

In addition to Kings Island's legendary rides like The Beast, Orion, Diamondback and Banshee, Halloween Haunt features haunted mazes and "scare zones" (like Coney Maul) located throughout the park.

This is actually the second time that Kings Island's Halloween Haunt has snagged top honors in the USA Today poll.  It was also the top attraction back in 2018.

Halloween Haunt begins September 24th and runs through October 30th.

Six Flags St. Louis hosts Fright Fest and it returns this year.  According to the Six Flags website, it's "back and spookier than ever."   Fright Fest features a variety of haunted attractions like Uncaged Chaos, the Slaughter House and Odd Ball's Funhouse.  Like Kings Island, Six Flags has "scare zones" that are full of zombies, clowns, vampires and more.  Plus, there are special Halloween-themed shows and rides on Six Flags' most popular attractions like Batman, Boomerang, Ninja and Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast.

Fright Fest gets underway Friday, September 24th and runs select dates through October 31st.

Here's a fun look at a past Fright Fest event from CoasterNick, who shared a video compilation of his Six Flags visit from 2019.

 

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