While fall in Florida may not bring sweater weather, the season still gives us all the fall feels with fall festivals, pumpkin patches and Tampa Bay Halloween adventures. At Tampa Bay attractions like Busch Gardens, spooky season begins right after Labor Day. By the time October rolls around, Tampa Bay Halloween events abound.
What are the best Halloween things to do with kids in Tampa Bay? To help you plan your Halloween adventures, weโve compiled a list of our favorite not-so-spooky and spooky Tampa Bay Halloween events for families.
Not-So-Spooky Tampa Bay Halloween Adventures for Families
Busch Gardens Spooktacular
Spooktacular at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a magical Tampa Halloween event full of not-so-spooky family fun. On Saturday and Sunday afternoons Sept. 9 – Oct. – 31, families can explore a whimsical world of enchantment created by Kandy, a friendly witch-in-training. Halloween adventures in Kandy’s Spooktacular world include trick-or-treating, a costume parade, story time and more.
To kick off Halloween season in Tampa Bay, Busch Gardens invited our family for a hosted experience to check out Spooktacular on opening weekend. Check out this post for details on our Busch Gardens Spooktacular adventure.
Fairgrounds St. Pete’s Hocus Focus Tampa Bay Halloween Adventure
Already a celebration of all things weird, wacky, and wonderful in Florida, Fairgrounds St. Pete adds a spooky element to its immersive art experience from Oct. 5 – Nov. 6. For Halloween 2023, this family-friendly immersive art museum located in St. Petersburg, Florida invites guests to play a Hocus Focus eerie eyeball immersive game.
Learn more about the Fairground St. Pete immersive art adventure inside the Mermaid Star Motel in our Fairgrounds St. Pete family adventure guide.
Pumpkin Patch Express at the Florida Railroad Museum
On select weekend dates in October, the Pumpkin Patch Express at the Florida Railroad Museum takes families for a ride on a historic train for a trip to the museumโs very own pumpkin patch. The Pumpkin Patch Express was one of our favorite Halloween adventures when my son was a train-obsessed toddler.
In addition to riding the train, kids can pick a pumpkin to take home and enjoy hay rides, games, and arts and crafts. The Florida Railroad Museum is located 35 miles south of Tampa in Parrish, FL.
Ybor City Fantasma Fest’s Tampa Bay Halloween Adventures
A free family Halloween event in Ybor City, Fantasma Fest is presented annually by Fantasma Fest presented by Ybor Merchants Association. The Ybor City Halloween Festival kicks off with Little Monsters Pumpkin Patch where kids can get a free pumpkin and decorating kits. During the event, kids can also trick-or-treat at select Ybor City businesses. My kids had a blast showing off their costumes here in past years.
After trick-or-treating, stick around for the Big Monsters Bed Race. In the afternoon, Ybor City merchants will be zooming down historic 7th Avenue drag-race style on homemade beds on wheels!
Tampa Riverwalk Trick-or-Treat
A free Tampa Halloween event held on Oct. 28, Tampa Riverwalk Trick-or-Treat invites costume-clad kids to venture down the Riverwalk in search of treats. More than 50 treat stations will be set up in Water Works Park, Curtis Hixon Park, MacDill Park and along the Riverwalk. The event also features a costume contest at Water Works Park, food trucks, photo stations and more.
After trick-or-treating, stick around for even more family Halloween adventures. After-dark events include a Tampa Halloween Lighted Boat Parade along the river and a family Halloween movie on the lawn at Curtis Hixon Park presented by Tampa Theatre.
Tampa Bay History Centerโs A Night at the Museum
On Oct. 22, the Tampa Bay History Center invites families to trick-or-treat while experiencing how the museum comes to life after hours. Look out for pirates, explorers, Florida pioneers, and other creatures sneaking around the museum galleries at this Tampa family Halloween event.
Open to children of all ages with an adult companion, the Tampa Bay History Centerโs A Night at the Museum also features a costume contest, photo opportunities, crafts and games.
Spooky Tampa Bay Halloween Adventures for Families with Older Kids
GhostFest at May-Stringer House in Brooksville
A Halloween haunted house in a Florida haunted house, May-Stringer House Museum in Brooksville, Florida celebrates its haunted history with a scare house experience for four nights in October.
Considered Florida’s most haunted house, May-Stringer House hosts ghost tours on weekends throughout the year. Reservations are required for ghost tours but GhostFest does not require tickets or reservations. Scare house admission is $8 cash at the door.
Haunted Woods – Tampa Bay Halloween Adventures at Hillsborough River State Park
On Oct. 21, Tampa’s Hillsborough River State Park offers spooky fun for the whole family with its annual Haunted Woods event. This Tampa Halloween events features a scare trail, costume contests and a kid-friendly Enchanted Woods area with treats, crafts and games.
Admission to Haunted Woods is $10 for adults and $5 for kids ages 6 – 12. All proceeds from Tampa Halloween adventures in the Haunted Woods go to Hillsborough River State Park Preservation Society to help enhance this beautiful park.
UNDead in the Water
A nautical Tampa Halloween adventure, UNDead in the Water is a unique haunted attraction on a historic WWII cargo ship. For 14 nights in September and October, the American Victory Ship invites brave adventurers to climb aboard and test their nerves of steel. Due to lighting and its scary nature, this event is not recommended for children under 11.
Sparkman Wharfโs Haunted Wharf
A free Tampa Halloween event for all ages, Sparkman Wharf invites families to explore a haunted pirate shipwreck on Halloween weekend. Haunted Wharf promises silly spooky fun for the kids and, as the night gets darker, scary surprises for the adults.
Tampa Theatre Ghosts of Tampa Tour
Tampaโs historic movie palace has long been known as one of the most haunted places in Tampa. Want to learn why? Check out Tampa Theatreโs Ghosts of Tampa Tour, a special Halloween version of the theatreโs popular โbalcony to backstageโ tour.
Offered on select dates in October, this 90-minute Tampa ghost tour shares the theatreโs spooky stories and shows you the spots where a few friendly phantoms frequent.
The Official Ybor City Ghost Tour – Tampa Bay Halloween Adventures Year-Round!
Want to explore more haunted places in Tampa? Ghost-hunting Tampa Bay Halloween adventures await every night in Ybor City, Tampaโs historic Latin quarter. With a history rich in cigar-rolling, mafia secrets and ties to the Cuban revolution, Ybor City is full of mystery, restless souls and spooky spaces.
The Official Ybor City Ghost Tour led by Tampa Bay Tours is the only ghost tour that offers complete access to the Cuban Club, which The Travel Channel featured on its list of the 10 Most Haunted Places in the U.S.
Tampa Bay Tours also offers The Official Downtown Tampa Ghost Tour. Featuring stories of genocide, murder, mayhem, and mobsters, this Downtown Tampa Ghost Tour includes visits to the Tampa Theatre, The Floridan Palace Hotel and Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Both Tampa ghost tours are designed for ages 8+.
Looking for more spine-tingling ghost tours you can experience year-round in Florida? Check out these popular Florida haunted adventures.
Family-Friendly Halloween Adventures in Orlando
Want to check out some family Halloween events in Orlando? Here are our top picks for Orlando family Halloween adventures outside the theme parks.
Happy Frights at Harry P. Leu Gardens
Celebrate Halloween in the garden at Happy Frights at Harry P. Leu Gardens, Sept. 29 โ Oct. 31. A family-friendly Orlando trick-or-treat adventure, Happy Frights invites families to trick or treat through 12 immersive worlds.
In this Orlando family Halloween adventure, families will meet a dancing bridge-troll, walk through a garden of sunflowers, explore a neon-light maze, climb up a giant hay-pyramid, celebrate Dia de Muertos and more. Along the way, families can visit eight trick-or-treat stations.
โVampirates: When the Blood Moon Risesโ at Pirates Dinner Adventure
A limited-time Halloween-themed dinner show for all ages, โVampirates: When the Blood Moon Risesโ brings vampire fun to Pirates Dinner Adventure from Sept. 19 โ Oct. 31. With aerial artistry, swordplay, death-defying stunts and dynamic duels, Vampirates is a thrilling Orlando family Halloween adventure.
โGators, Ghosts and Goblinsโ at Gatorland
Celebrate Halloween in Florida swamp style at Gatorland‘s Gators, Ghosts and Goblins Halloween event on weekends, Oct. 14โ29. A family-friendly daytime Orlando Halloween event, Gators, Ghosts and Goblins is included with regular admission to Gatorland.
The spooky fun includes haunt zones and a Swamp Ghostโs Monster Museum exhibit, interactive characters, animal meet-and-greets, candy giveaways, a children’s Halloween costume parade and more.
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