When the leaves change color and the weather turns crisp, the screams that normally emanate from Cedar Point's massive roller coasters are joined by shrieks of terror after dark.
The Sandusky amusement park's annual HalloWeekends event includes two separate themes: Haunt features bone-chilling haunted houses, roaming ghouls and the like as soon as dusk falls, while those looking for not-so-spooky family fun can roam confidently in the daylight hours during Great Pumpkin Fest.
Snoopy Goes Spooky
The Great Pumpkin Fest's family-friendly fun takes place Saturdays and Sundays from September 16 to October 29 and features rides, attractions, live entertainment and more. The park's Camp Snoopy area transforms into Camp Spooky, offering pint-sized adventures like Magical House on Boo Hill, Peppermint Patty's Hay Bale Maze, Linus' (foam-filled) Mummy Pit, Woodstock's Crazy Cornstalks, and more. Kids won't want to miss The Great Pumpkin Parade, beginning at 4 p.m. each day.
Thrill Ride of a Different Kind
When darkness falls, Cedar Point becomes a little more sinister during Haunt, which takes place Friday and Saturday nights from Sept. 15 through Oct. 28. Thrill-seeking visitors survive immersive mazes, spine-tingling scare zones, thrilling shows and more. New this year is the Deprivation haunted maze and Fearground Freakshow, which are included in Haunt's lineup of six terrifying mazes, six outdoor scare zones, spooktacular live shows, and lurking "Screamsters" hiding around every corner.
One admission ticket covers daytime treats and nighttime tricks during HalloWeekends--and of course, rides will be open if you need to get your adrenaline pumping even more. For starters, check out favorites like Raptor, Top Thrill Dragster, Millennium Force, Rougarou, and Valravn.