13 spooky things to do in SLO County this Halloween
Calling all ghosts, ghouls and goblins! It’s almost Halloween.
From haunted houses to scary movies to trick-or-treating, San Luis Obispo County has plenty of frightening yet family-friendly fun in store.
Here are 13 things to do this spooky season.
See scarecrows
Hundreds of scarecrows are on display in Cambria and San Simeon through the month of October as part of the 14th annual Cambria Scarecrow Festival. The free event was featured on USA Today’s list of the 10 best fall festivals in the United States. Creations on display this year include sculptures inspired by “Alice in Wonderland,” “Coco” and pirates. cambriascarecrows.com.
Visit a pumpkin patch
What better way to celebrate spooky season than with a trip to a local pumpkin patch?
Popular spots to grab gourds in SLO County include River K Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze in Paso Robles; Nipomo Pumpkin Patch and Willow Pumpkin Patch in Nipomo; Chesebrough Farm and Jack Creek Farms in Templeton; and The Pumpkin Patch, SLO Creek Farms and Sunny Acres in San Luis Obispo.
In rural San Luis Obispo, Avila Valley Barn has hay rides, pony rides and a hay maze, while Brookshire Farms offers a host of attractions including a playground, pedal carts, a jump pad and a corn maze that cranks up the creepiness factor at night.
Admission to Brookshire Farms is $14 to $18, or $9 for seniors, with separate $18 tickets to the Night Maze. Other places are free to visit but may charge for activities.
Get scary in downtown SLO
Kick off the Halloween holiday weekend early at Downtown SLO Farmers Market, 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Score goodies at dozens of downtown businesses on the Trick-or-Treat Trail, participate in the costume contest, snap festive photo opportunities and sing your heart out at the Scary-oke! karaoke contest. The Halloween Festivities event is free, family-friendly and open to the public. 805-541-0286 or downtownslo.com.
Explore a haunted house
Last year, BBC World News called The Haunt in Atascadero, located at 5805 El Camino Real, “America’s Most Frightening Haunted House.” This year’s show, “Vampyres: TransylMania!,“ has “19 terrifying rooms featuring vampires, their minions and other horrifying creatures of the night.” Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with special Halloween shows on Sunday and Monday. Tickets are $15. 805-457-5845 or thehauntinatascadero.com.
Thrill seekers can find more than 6,000 square feet of “spine-thrilling scares” at Nightmare From Main Street, 828 14th St. in Paso Robles. It’s open 7 to 10 p.m. Friday through Monday, with a lights-on tour on Sunday. Admission is $20 to $30, or $10 for a lights-on walk-through. 805-423-0674 or nightmarefrommainstreet.com.
Hosted by Elks Lodge 322 in San Luis Obispo, the Halloween Haunted House & Carnival combines scares with carnival games and candy. The haunt is free and open to the public, although donations are appreciated. Get your scare on 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 222 Elks Lane. 805-543-0322 or bpoeslo322.com.
For a family-friendly haunted house, head to the Boo Bash, 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at Meadow Park in San Luis Obispo. Youngsters and their families can enjoy a costume party, food, games and an outdoor screening of the movie “Curious George: A Boo Fest” under the stars. The event is free but attendees are encouraged to bring food donations for the SLO Food Bank. 805-781-7300 or www.slorecactivities.org.
Do the time warp again
No spooky season would be complete without “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” screening at Colony Cinemas, 6917 El Camino Real, Unit I, in Atascadero. The cult classic movie follows newlyweds Brad and Janet as they take shelter from a storm at the creepy castle of mad scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter and encounter his hunky new creation. Showtimes are 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday through Monday.
Colony Cinemas is also screening horror classic “The Lost Boys,” about a family that moves to a coastal California town plagued by vampires, at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and 7:30 p.m. Saturday through Monday. Admission is $10.50. 805-460-6517 or atascadero.themovieexperience.com.
Boo-gie down
SLO Brew Rock is pulling out all the stops for its first-ever Rockin’ SLO Boo Fest, featuring a full weekend of Halloween fun at 855 Aerovista Place in San Luis Obispo. In addition to live music by Eat the Wolf, Watertower and other acts, attractions include a spooky bounce house, face painting, ax throwing and costume contests for kids and dogs. There’s also a Makeshift Muse makers market. Catch the fun from noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Tickets for Saturday’s Orgone concert cost $25; everything else is free. 844-756-2739 or slobrew.com.
Go on a zombie hunt
Can you make your way through 10 acres of zombie-infested wastelands armed with only a low-impact GellyBall blaster? Would-be warriors ages 8 and up can fend off the undead at the Zombie Hunt, 7 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Gladiator Paintball Park, 1 Sutter Ave. in San Luis Obispo. Too scary? Kids 5 and older — and scaredy-cat adults — can head to the No-Scare Zone, where options include glow-in-the-dark GellyBall play, target practice, a bounce house, a PG-rated Halloween movie and a snack bar. Tickets are $10 to $25. 805-602-8629 or gladiatorpb.com.
Tour a cemetery
Dig up the past during a tour of San Luis Cemetery and Old Mission Cemetery in San Luis Obispo led by Cal Poly emeritus professor Dan Krieger and sponsored by the San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society. Cemetery Tour participants meet at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at 2890 S. Higuera St. Admission is $5, or free for society members. Email Vicki Book at vickibook@sbcglobal.net.
Try your luck at the carnival
Arroyo Grande’s annual Halloween Carnival and Haunted Maze delivers family-friendly fun including carnival games, bounce houses, laser tag, a DJ and costume contests. There’s also a haunted maze recommended for ages 12 and up. The Halloween Carnival takes place 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Elm Street Park at the corner of Ash and Elm streets in Arroyo Grande, with the maze going from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $5. 805-473-5474 or arroyogrande.org.
Celebrate Howl-o-ween with pets
Bring your furry friends to the Wiggle Waggle Fall Festival on Saturday at Woods Humane Society, 875 Oklahoma Ave. in San Luis Obispo. The free, fall-themed event, which runs noon to 3 p.m., features plenty of fun for Fido — from a trick-or-treat challenge and dog training demonstrations to seasonal family photos in the Woods Pup’kin Patch. Dogs can participate in a stuffed animal pull, bob for tennis balls in the Doggy Splash Zone and participate in a canine costume contest. San Luis Obispo County Animal Services will offer free microchips. 805-543-9316 or woodshumanesociety.org/fallfestival.
Party at the park
Pismo Beach’s popular Pumpkins at the Park event returns to Dinosaur Caves Park on Saturday with a full slate of events from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Highlights of the free event include a costume contest, games, crafts and bounce houses, plus pumpkin decorating for the first 500 kids. There’s also trick-or-treating in downtown Pismo Beach from noon to 2 p.m. 805-773-7063 or pismobeach.org.
Walk on the wild side
Celebrate Halloween with meerkats, monkeys and more at the annual Zoo Boo, 5 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Charles Paddock Zoo, 9100 Morro Road in Atascadero. Participants can dress up in not-so-scary costumes, play carnival-style games with trinket prizes and collect free candy. Tickets are $14 to $15; ages 2 and under are free. 805-461-5080 or charlespaddockzoo.org.
Go trick or treating
Several SLO County communities offer opportunities for trick-or-treaters to collect candy and show off their costumes. All events are free.
Morro Bay is bringing back its annual Trick or Treat event for younger children and kids in kindergarten through eighth grade. Participants can get treats at participating downtown businesses from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Also in store are a bounce house, face painting, games and a photo booth. 805-225-7411 or morrobay.org.
In Arroyo Grande, Branch Street will shut down for Halloween in the Village from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday. Kids can trick-or-treat at participating businesses. 805-619-0456.
In Templeton, select merchants will hand out goodies during Trick or Treat on Main Street from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Monday. Look for the pumpkin in the window at businesses on Main Street between Gibson Road and Eighth Street, and stop by with your little ones. 805-434-1789 or templetonchamber.com.
Participants go from car to car to collect candy during Cambria’s third annual Trunk or Treat event, 4 to 6 p.m. at the Pinedorado Grounds. 805-927-3624 or cambriachamber.org.
Costumed kids can participate in Safe & Fun Trick or Treat Downtown from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday in downtown Paso Robles, featuring trick-or-treating, dance demonstrations, photos with witches and a free hot dog barbecue. 805-238-4103 or pasoroblesdowntown.org.
Trick or Treat Downtown is 5 to 8 p.m. Monday on Entrada Avenue in downtown Atascadero. In store are treats, a hay maze and family, children, and pet costume contests. 805-466-2044 or visitatascadero.com.
This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 11:29 AM.
