Haunted Houses Other Spooky Halloween Events Near Chicago for Younger Kids

1. Ackerman Spook Trail - Glen Ellyn

Kids can walk along a haunted trail through Ackerman Park on Thursday, October 23, and Friday, October 24 to see spooks and play Halloween-themed games. Younger kids can visit from 4pm-6pm for a less scary experience, while big kids can get a few thrills out of the fully dark showing from 6pm-9pm.

2. Haunted Forest - Westmont

On October 16, kids can start at Diane Main Park and be driven on a haunted hayride to Sandra Smith Woods. Little kids ages 5-10 can have fun at the Merry Monsters session from 5pm-6:30pm, and teens and tweens ages 11 and up can fear characters, ghouls, and goblins that jump out at them after dark during the Sheer Terror session that starts at 7pm.

 
The Goebbert's Haunted Mansion is a haunted house designed for school-aged children. Photo courtesy of Goebbert's Farm.

3. Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch Haunted House - South Barrington

Ages 5 and up

Designed for school-aged children, this 10-room haunted house makes a scary enough addition to your pumpkin-picking excursion. A preview video on YouTube from last year should give you an idea if it's the right level of scare for your little goblins.

4. Bengston's Pumpkin Farm Haunted Barn - Homer Glen

Under 12 must be accompanied by an adult

This fully animated haunted barn offers thrills and chills for kids and their grown-ups. Enjoy the ghostly show after picking pumpkins, enjoying kettle corn, and visiting farm animals.

5. Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience - Ingleside

In this experience, the forest is haunted more by magical creatures than by ghosts. Kids who love the Harry Potter series can enjoy seeing hippogriffs and nifflers as well as trying out some of their own magic spells along the trail. The website warns those with arachnophobia — you may come across some giant spiders in the woods!

6. The Haunted Museum - Hyde Park

Visit the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum to hunt the gallery for demons and see a mummification demonstration on October 25. All ages are welcome, and children can enjoy spooky storytelling from the Hyde Park Community Players.

Scary Haunted Houses Near Chicago for Teens and Tweens (West and Southwest Suburbs)

7. Haunted Barn or Haunted Hayride,at Sonny Acres - West Chicago

Ages 10 and up during evening hours

This West Chicago barn is haunted by a sinister scarecrow and his cohorts with lots of twists and turns and live character actors waiting to scare you around every corner. Choose just the haunted barn, or combine your ticket with the haunted hayride for some scares on the way out to the barn.

8. Midnight Terror Haunted House - Oak Lawn

Ages 13 and up

Tour the haunted factory and forest of Black Oak Grove at this frightening haunted house in Chicago that combines actors and technology to create a chilling tale of demonic possession. The 26,000 square foot haunted house has many rooms, twisted corners, and tight spaces, with a twist ending you won't see coming. In 2025, there are new scare zones and an expanded haunted midway with games and attractions.

9. Basement of the Dead - Aurora

Ages 13 and up

Two separate haunted house experiences are available at this far west suburban attraction. First, visit the Basement of the Dead and navigate through the corridors of a haunted underground laboratory. Then, put on your 3D glasses for Shattered 3D, a surreal world where walls come alive and anything can happen.

10. Hell'sgate Haunted House - Lockport

Ages 12 and up

The scariest adventure of them all starts in the Lockport Metra Station parking lot, where visitors board a shuttle bus to their haunted destination. Travel through zombie-infested woods and The Lost Souls Cemetery to this multi-level haunted mansion with secret passages, undead abominations, and a giant slide. 

Good news for all the super-terror fans out there—the legendary inmates from Statesville Haunted Prison can still be found terrorizing innocents in the forest along with the zombies, making this one of the most haunted houses in Chicago. For an extra challenge, find a hidden key to win back your admission fee! 

Haunted Houses Near Chicago for Big Kids (North and Northwest Suburbs)

11. 13th Floor Haunted House - Schiller Park

Ages 12 and up

There are two separate haunted experiences on the 13th floor this year: Shattered Skyline is about a post apocalyptic Chicago that was torn apart in the 1990s by an unknown force, maybe a failed experiment or a viral outbreak. Nocturne 1893 tells the story of people disappearing after the 1893 World's Fair, as guests must find out what's driving the hysteria before they become part of it. This haunted building includes mini-escape room games and a Zombie GellyBall shoot for extra scary fun.

 
Fright Fest photo by Anne McDade for Six Flags America/Hurricane Harbor

12. Six Flags Great America Fright Fest - Gurnee

Not Recommended for kids under 13 after 6pm.

The Chicago area's biggest theme park turns into a terror-ridden hellscape on October nights after 6pm. Big kids can visit five haunted mazes with themes from popular horror movies like Saw and The Conjuring. Seven designated Scare Zones, including Head Bangerz, Lost Souls, and Forbidden Forest also provide outdoor screams between the rides.

13. Dungeon of Doom - Zion

Ages 12 and up

This giant 45,000-square-foot haunted house has a 29-year history and over 60 ultra-detailed animatronic characters to create the ultimate scare. Visitors travel through Mercy General Hospital, Quimby's Slaughterhouse, and the Underworld to see the stuff of nightmares around every turn. For an extra fee, horror fans can be "buried alive" on the ground of the Dungeon of Doom.

14. Disturbia- Downers Grove 

Ages 13 and up

Featuring many different haunted rooms and scenarios, this suburban haunted house has state-of-the-art special effects and trained actors. 

15. The Park in the Dark - Uptown

Ages 13 and up

Get scared for a good cause at this North Side haunted house in Chase Park. Proceeds benefit after school programs in the park. The plot centers around an ancient and long-forgotten force drawn to the Chase Park Fieldhouse by chidren's laughter under the harvest moon. Can you survive a walk in the park?