Halloween Events 2016

Halloween is my favorite holiday. My husband and I have thrown a huge Halloween party every year since 2010, and we do not mess around. We have ridiculous costumes every year, and one of our favorite activities is planning what we will dress up as for Halloween every year. This year, our second baby is due to come into this world fewer than two weeks after Halloween, so we chose to cancel Rymer Halloween Extravaganza 2016. (Sorry, friends! I just can’t handle a bunch of drinking adults in my house when I am due to have a baby at any moment.) However, just because we aren’t throwing our annual party doesn’t mean we aren’t celebrating my favorite holiday.

There are so many fun Halloween themed activities around Chattanooga this time of year! Check out the following list, and let me know what you plan to do to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve this year.

Enchanted Maize at Blowing Springs Farm

Fridays – Sundays, Sept. 30 – Oct. 30
10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
$10 admission (Ages 3 and under are free.)

Adventure for the whole family begins by getting lost in Rock City’s annual corn maize. Make sure to fuel up with our homemade funnel cakes, and more! Don’t forget to swing by the Critter Corral and meet the loveable furry animals. A family outing is not complete with a little competition, so drive around in pedal carts for a friendly family race. End the night with a relaxing hayride made for the entire family. Fall, fun, laughter and enchantment await…only at the Enchanted Maize at Blowing Springs Farm.

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Ruby Falls Haunted Cavern

Fridays – Sundays, Sept. 30 – Oct. 30, Additional days: Oct. 13, 20, and 31
Times vary by night
Tickets are $20 – $30 depending on night. 10% discount if purchased online.

Located in a cave crawling with terrifying monsters, the Ruby Falls Haunted Cavern is a unique attraction that adds a new level of fear to the traditional haunted house. Located in Chattanooga, TN, the Haunted Cavern has been named one of the top 10 haunted houses in the nation by Rand McNally. If you’re brave enough, hop in the elevator and descend 26 stories underground…where no one can hear you scream. Ruby Falls Haunted Cavern is recommended for adults and teens.
WARNING: Site opens to scary video with sound.

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Lake WinnepeSPOOKah

Oct. 1-30
Fridays and Saturdays: 6:00 – 11:00 p.m.
Sundays: 5:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Tickets: $26.00, Children ages 1 and 2 and Seniors 55 and over: $13, Under 1: Free

Enjoy an atmosFEAR of haunted rides, eerie edibles, and screaming thrills throughout this SPOOKtacular Halloween Event! Lake WinnepeSPOOKah scares up creepy delights and frightening fun. The faint of heart need not fear, for along with the terrifying scares of the Feargrounds, there will be plenty of fun, laughter and surprises all over the park for all ages to enjoy. The park’s popular antique carrousel, stomach-churning Twister, and other rides will be open for guests to enjoy under the night sky.

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Tennessee Valley Railroad’s Halloween Eerie Express

Oct. 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, and 29
5:45 and 7:30 p.m. with an additional 3:30 p.m. departure on Saturdays only
$22 for ages 2 and up

Passengers begin by boarding a vintage train for a trip over four bridges and through Missionary Ridge Tunnel. Once arriving at the Funhouse Station, riders disembark and enter the Funhouse area. Features include storytelling, a tour through the “gentle thrills” Eerie Fun House, hot cider, blacklight mini golf, games, temporary tattoos, coloring pages, ride back to Grand Junction, and a bag of treats for the children. The event is a little over an hour and a half in length. Designed for families with younger children, it is NOT a haunted house and you will not be scared by anyone jumping out from behind a wall!

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Acres of Darkness

Fridays and Saturdays in Oct. starting the 14th
8:00 – 11:00 pm
Audubon Acres
$15 for nonmembers, $10 for members

Face the forest’s natural dangers and more in Chattanooga’s naturally terrifying Haunt in the Woods! Featuring an all new cast of characters and surprises, the Acres of Darkness is haunted by a host of horrors you won’t see anywhere else. The Acres of Darkness is fun for the entire family with activities and entertainment for all ages. There are two trails plus the family area. One for the families, and our Haunted Trail for those who dare. Enjoy a s’more and a cup of cocoa by the bonfire or journey to the depths of the forest for the fright of your life. All proceeds benefit the environmental conservation and education programs of the Chattanooga Audubon Society.

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Chattanooga Oktoberfest

Oct. 15, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Oct. 16, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Chattanooga Marketplace
Free Admission

As Chattanooga’s oldest and largest Oktoberfest celebration, this festival draws crowds locally and regionally each year. Many come to enjoy the sights, smells, and sounds of the German traditions, bringing their families for a day of entertainment, shopping, and live musical performances. The annual festival includes an array of Oktoberfest traditions: brats and other German inspired foods, four bier gartens featuring over 99 local and seasonal craft brews, and the infamous Wurstbrats Oompah Band!

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Boo in the Zoo

Oct. 21-23 & 28-30
5:30-8:30 p.m.
Adults: $9.95, Children: $6.95, 2 and under: Free
Chattanooga Zoo members receive 50% off purchase of admission
Unlimited Game and Activity Wristbands: $10

Admission to this annual Halloween celebration includes photos with costumed characters, trick-or treating, a scavenger hunt, animal enrichment activities, and a costume contest. The optional $10 game and activity wristband gives children access to many fun additional activities throughout the zoo including the haunted bounce house, phantom cornhole, pumpkin bowling, pony rides, haunted hay rides, and many more!

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AquaScarium

Oct. 28, 4:00-8:30 p.m.
Tennessee Aquarium
Ticket prices vary depending on membership and age. See website.

Come in costume and celebrate a family-friendly night of spooky critters and yummy treats! Make new friends at the mermaid lagoon, but beware of pirates looming nearby. Don’t miss an unforgettable photo op with one of your favorite characters as they SCUBA dive with hundreds of fish. Get your groove on at the Monster Mash dance party with some of the Aquarium’s lovable mascots, while enjoying the candy stations throughout both buildings!

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Harvest Moon Storyland Maze

Oct. 28 and 29, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Tennessee Riverpark
11 and older: $5, 10 and younger: $3

Come as your favorite story character to this full moon event for children and their families in Tennessee Riverpark. Inflatables, critter corral, storyland cow train, and concessions are available.

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Haunted Hustle Family Fun Run

Oct. 29, 10:00 a.m.
Downtown Family YMCA
$25 per participant

Join us at the Downtown YMCA Saturday for the first annual Haunted Hustle 5k fun run through Downtown Chattanooga to benefit Livestrong at the YMCA. Dress in costume and get ready to have some family fun! There will be festive activities on the outdoor playground for children to participate in while mom and dad run. A Performance t-shirt is included in the registration.

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Trunk or Treats and Other Church Events

Many churches in our area offer fun Trunk or Treat or Fall Festival Events for families and children. Below are some that we have found. (Events are ordered by date.)

First Cumberland Presbyterian Church Trunk or Treat
Oct. 26, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
1505 N. Moore Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37411

Peach Orchard Church Trunk or Treat
Oct. 29, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
1912 Blossom Ln, Rossville, Georgia 30741

Burks United Methodist Church Trunk or Treat
Oct. 30, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
6433 Hixson Pike, Hixson, Tennessee 37343

Ooltewah UMC Trunk or Treat
Oct. 30, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
6131 Relocation Way, Ooltewah, Tennessee 37363

Red Bank United Methodist Church Trunk or Treat
Oct. 30, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
3800 Dayton Blvd, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37415

Hixson First Baptist Church Trunk or Treat
Oct. 31, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
5800 Grubb Rd, Hixson, TN 37343

Mount Carmel Baptist Church Trunk or Treat
Oct. 31, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
86 US-127, Signal Mountain, TN

Stuart Heights Baptist Church Trunk or Treat
Oct. 31, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
3208 Hixson Pike, Chattanooga, TN 37415

Is there an event we missed? Tell us about it in the comments!