Riding the Haunted Hayride in Los Angeles: One of the cities best Halloween Attractions
As the sun sets over Los Angeles, casting long shadows across the palm trees, the air becomes thick with anticipation and the scent of autumn leaves. The city is a great spot to experience Halloween, with attractions for kids and adults strewn throughout the urban wonderland. If you are looking for family-friendly adventures, check out this post. If you are looking for some scares, then be sure to add the Haunted Hayride to your list. Here is all the information.
Details
- Cost: Starting at $39 per person
- Select days throughout October
- Too intense for younger children.
- Information from my visit in 2024
Getting There
Nestled in the heart of Griffith Park, the Haunted Hayride offers an ideal backdrop with its sprawling woods and haunting ambiance. Three lots are available for parking, and shuttles run between the three to take you to the entrance of the Haunted Hayride attraction. Check their website for more information on where to park.
The Event
While the Haunted Hayride and the mazes are the main attractions, there is actually a lot to do at the property. After checking in, you will walk through a tunnel and arrive in the town of “Midnight Falls,” where this spooky adventure takes place.
If you are hungry, there are plenty of food trucks with options ranging from kettle corn to hamburgers, and drinks and sweet treats like s’mores are also available.
In the middle of the park, there is a stage where you can see a few different shows, with the most fun being the Monte Revolta show, which is full of punk rock music and fun quips. It was a lot more fun than I anticipated.
There are also many different backdrops from which you can take photos to commemorate the event. I was very impressed with how immersive the whole event was, with so much attention to detail that it felt like I was exploring Midnight Falls.
Towards the back, there is a merry-go-round that you can ride which has skeleton horses, I thought that was a very fun touch.
Haunted Hayride
Of course, the main reason to go is to ride the namesake Haunted Hayride. I had never done this before and I have to say it was great and I really enjoyed it. Just the right amount of scares without being gory or sadistic. Even my wife, who really doesn’t like this type of thing, had a lot of fun here.
During the ride, you will go through multiple “locations” where a jump scare usually awaits you. They are well set up and are a lot of fun, but if you are near the back, you will miss a lot of the scares. It was a total blast, though, and I enjoyed it.
The Mazes
The last attraction to experience while there are the mazes. There were three of them and they took about 8-10 minutes each to walk through. I will say that these are on the scarier side, and much more intense then what you saw during the hayride. Amie decided to skip them, but I did all three.
The mazes are laid out so you never know what is around each corner, and it adds to the suspense and scares that you will experience while in each of them.
For me, the Trick or Treat one was the best as it had some elaborate set pieces, such as a hallway with lockers that were opening and closing on their own, which was eerie.
Your enjoyment of each of these will depend on how much you like to be scared and be in situations like this.
Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable way to spend a Halloween night in Los Angeles. It was the right amount of spooky and fun and I am glad I got a chance to go. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and check out more Halloween posts here.
