Greetings Mortals and Morsels!
Halloween time is upon us and there is a TON of fun things to see and do. However, it can get kinda ‘spensive with all the spooky stuffs to choose from! ARRRRRRGH!!! But don’t worry, Da Countess (me) is here to give you advice on how to navigate Halloween with BIG fun and little money.
For haunted house fun on a budget, consider checking out some home haunts in your local area. They are free to visit and many have professional quality props and decorations. A fang-tastic source to find home haunts in the Chicagoland area is Chicago Haunt Builders. Sometimes you can even see the displays from your car which is great for rainy days, so basically 99.9999999% of October.
Wilkes Family Halloween in Bensenville, a home haunt that grew into a town square attraction is a totally free event that has fang-tastic photo-ops and live actors and a DJ on the weekends with tons of convenient free parking too!
Another no-cost event (donations welcome) is Canyon Trail Cemetery in Carol Stream. This yard haunt is HUGE and has many animatronics and special effects. Street parking is plentiful and is viewable at all times. Animations are from dusk til approximately 9-10PM. There are two more yard displays within walking distance which are equally impressive.
If you’re willing to hike on down to NW Indiana, check out Wickedly Whiting on 119th Street between Indianapolis Blvd and Front St. It’s a Halloween street festival that takes place the first weekend of October and is free to enter with tons of stage entertaiment and scary vendors galore. There is an optional haunted house that is an additional cost, but most of the fun is gratis.
Park district and church haunts such as Scream Scene in Skokie and The Catacombs at St Pascal in Chicago are a great way to get scared without breaking the bank. Tickets start at $14 with speed passes around $23.
The Park After Dark at Chase Park in Chicago is also an excellent haunt with tickets starting at $16
For the bigger pro haunts, keep an eye on their social media for discounts, sometimes you can get up to half-off. Also if you don’t mind a bit of a wait in line, general admission is the cheapest route to getting your fright on. Try to go early in the season if possible because the closer to Halloween, the more prices go up.
Another festive way to celebrate the fall season is to attend a pumpkin farm. Now be careful because some pumpkin farms charge a huge admission because of rides and stuff, but there are plenty that have no entry fee and their attractions are a la carte. Goebbert’s Pumpkin Farm in South Barrington is usually free to enter Monday-Friday with the option to buy a wristband to see the attractions or you can pay for them separately. They have a cool haunted house which is actually bigger than it looks from the outside and has very good props and lighting. Only $5 and was worth way more! On weekends however, there is a fee to enter the farm section but you can still look at the General Store up front for free.
Another good thing to remember is to try and attend events during weekdays if possible. Prices will be much lower than on weekends and less crowded too, bonus!
I know that my suggestions here are mostly Chicago-centric, but with a little research and a lot of patience you too can find some spooky fun on a budget in your own area! Hope this helps everyone who is looking to have loads of fun with limited funds this Halloween season, because you know we all got to save that money for Christmas! Enjoy!
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They all look like great ways to celebrate, and the savings will make everyone happy.