If you’re looking for the perfect place to celebrate Halloween this year, head to the Smoky Mountains. With ghost tours and live Halloween-themed magic shows, haunted mansions and so much more, the Smokies has Halloween fun for the whole family this October. Try one of these 2015 events during your visit:
• Trick-or-Treat at the Pigeon Forge Community Center. Just because you’re out of town doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the fun of trick-or-treating in the Smokies. For a safe, non-scary, and FREE alternative to walking your neighborhood this year, take your kids to the Pigeon Forge Community Center. On the Thursday before Halloween every year, the Community Center invites families to trick-or-treat amongst impressive decorations and interactive displays set up by Pigeon Forge vendors. This year, you can catch this event on Oct. 29, 2015.
• Visit Ripley’s Haunted Adventure this October for one of their Fright Nights. Although Ripley’s Haunted Adventure—a more than 10,000-square-foot haunted house in the heart of Gatlinburg—is open all throughout the year, only on weekends in October can you catch their hair-raising Fright Nights. With extra performers and themed displays that engage all your senses, Ripley’s Fright Nights will have you and your guests in the mood for Halloween all month long! Shows begin at 6 p.m. nightly. No one under the age of 6 can attend Ripley’s Fright Nights; children under 12 must be accompanied by a guardian.
• Try a Haunted Historic GhostWalk through the streets of downtown Gatlinburg. For a fascinating—and slightly spooky—tour of Gatlinburg like you’ve never experienced before, join Appalachian GhostWalks on a nightly, lantern-led walk through the city. On these GhostWalks, tourists will have a chance to learn about the Cherokee Indians and early settlers of the area, as well as visit the sites of scientific investigations into paranormal activity within certain properties and buildings. This fascinating ghost tour is safe for the whole family and can be reserved by clicking here.
• Watch the Live Ghost Show at Hauntings on the Parkway in Gatlinburg. Get off your feet and enjoy the exciting ghost show at Hauntings on the Parkway this Halloween. “A Live Ghost Show” is Gatlinburg’s only scary sit-down attraction. It is an interactive ghost show where objects and ghostly figures come to life right before your eyes! Shows are played every 20 minutes throughout the season, and this is a spooky Gatlinburg event the kids are welcome to join in on as well.
• Visit the Trick or Treat Kickoff Carnival on Halloween Day. At Ripley’s Aqarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, families are welcome to join the festivities and fun of the Kickoff Halloween Carnival on Oct. 31, 2015. At this event, local businesses will offer contests and pass out candy to visitors. Kids will also enjoy the costumed characters and inflatables at the Halloween Kickoff. All proceeds from this event will benefit the United Way of Sevier County.
• Explore Gatlinburg’s Original Haunted House—the Mysterious Mansion. At this spine-chilling Halloween attraction, you’ll walk through the secret passageways, dark corridors, winding staircases, and damp dungeon of a “turn of the century” mansion—all filled with scary creatures that can spook even the bravest of tourists! This Haunted Mansion tour is not for the faint of heart, boasting the title of Gatlinburg’s scariest haunted house for more than 30 years. For ticket prices and hours of operation, check online.
• Get up close and personal with zombies at Dread the Undead at the Hollywood Wax Museum. Located in Pigeon Forge, the Hollywood Wax Museum is open all year round with life-size figurines of all your favorite Hollywood stars. But in the spirit of Halloween, be sure to visit their Outbreak exhibit during your Smoky Mountain stay. Also known as “Dread the Undead,” this walk-through attraction exhibit follows the story of a chemical experiment gone wrong, leaving a lab infested with zombies. Enter if you dare!
• Join world-renowned performer Keith Fields for Shocktober at the Iris Theater. If you’re wanting a genuine supernatural experience this Halloween, then buy a ticket to Shocktober at the Iris Theater, located below the Gatlinburg Space Needle. This event will be held all through the month of October and features haunting illusions that will keep you guessing and entertained all at the same time.