Halloween in Las Vegas: Freak Shows, Haunted Houses and Ghosts

Las Vegas is full of tricks and treats no matter the time of year. Once a year, the ghouls come out on Halloween—and although the Strip may be the epicenter of the walking dead, you should head beyond the ambling wall to find crazy scary parties, insane haunted productions, and yes, some really haunted places that just may make your Elvis wig stand on end.

This is the perfect night to put the keys away and let Uber do the driving. Getting around from hotel to hotel and bar to party can be tricky in Las Vegas traffic. On a night that is all about the party, you don’t want to take chances with unpredictable crowds and your own spooked judgments. With a driver behind the wheel, you can enjoy Las Vegas at its spookiest.

Circus Circus: Throughout October, you can experience Fright Dome , where the five-acre indoor Adventuredome takes a decidedly creepy turn. Find a wealth of haunted houses and scare zones: Corn Stalkers, Freak Show, Clownz, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Hellcatraz, Ouija, and Wasteland 2 among them. All of the theme park’s rides are included and ridden in the dark. The Fright Dome runs select nights through October from 7 p.m. to midnight with tickets starting at $36.95.

Springs Preserve: Haunted Harvest features a haunted maze and plenty of trick-or-treat spots for kids. Tickets are $8 and the production runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Freakling Bros. Haunted Houses: A trio of exquisite haunted house productions await in Spring Valley in West Las Vegas. Castle Vampyre, Coven of 13, and Gates of Hell all involve a lot of maze-wandering, dark and mysterious walk-throughs, fog machines, creative set designs and plenty of unexpected surprises. The Gates of Hell house is R-rated. Admission is $35 for all three.

The Asylum & Hotel Fear: This pair is one of the longest-running and most popular attractions in Las Vegas with locals, taking place all month at the Meadows Mall from 6:30 p.m. to midnight weekends and 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. weeknights; admission is $15 each or $25 combined. Engaging interactive plot lines add to the fear factor. Not recommended for young children.

Fantasy Halloween Ball: The Hard Rock Hotel hosts one of the most popular freak shows in the city during Halloween weekend. It’s an adults-only extravaganza with plenty of scintillating costume design as only Sin City can do. A strict dress code is enforced—latex, costumes, and formalware are all encouraged, but nudity is not allowed. The ball runs from 10:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. on October 29th and general admission is $88 plus fees. (But if you’re a night owl, you can save: Arrive after 1 a.m. and pay $49.50.)

Bonnie Screams: Bonnie Springs, some 25 miles west of the Strip near Red Rock Canyon, has been around for a very long time. Native Paiutes held the territory until it became a wagon train stop on the Old Spanish Trail. It is said to be haunted by both tribal warriors and outlaws who came to a sudden end there. During October, the spirits come out as visitors wander the unnatural corners of Bonnie Screams, descending through three haunted mazes in a darkened ghost town of no return.

Haunted Vegas Ghost Hunt: Want to know what happened to the ghosts of Bugsy Siegel, Liberace, Redd Foxx, and other myriad gangsters buried in the desert? The Haunted Vegas Ghost Hunt tour is at its best during Halloween season. The three-hour investigation leaves from 99 Convention Center Drive at 9:30 p.m. Led by a team of Las Vegas paranormal investigators toting the latest in spirit sensing gear, ghosts sightings are likely. Tickets are $89.95, and minors must be 13 or older and accompanied by an adult.