5 Family-Friendly Halloween Activities to Do in the Poconos

With Halloween just around the corner, the Poconos region offers many fun activities to get the whole family into the spirit of the holiday. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing, good time or something a little more hair-raising, we’ve got you covered.

Here are our five favorite ways to enjoy Halloween in the Poconos:

1. Celebrate the Great Pocono Pumpkin Festival

Located at Country Junction, the world’s largest general store, the annual Great Pocono Pumpkin Festival is open daily from September 30 - October 29. This family-friendly event features hayrides, a 3D haunted house, a corn maze, and bounce houses. There will be amusement rides, games and contests, including pumpkin chucking. Kids will get to meet some of their favorite characters, like the minions from Despicable Me, Spiderman, and more.

It wouldn’t be a pumpkin festival without pumpkins. There will be thousands for sale, starting at just $3.

The Great Pocono Pumpkin Festival is open 12pm-5pm on weekdays and 11-5 on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $10, with children 2 and under getting in for free.

2. Visit the Old Jail Museum

On June 21, 1877, four men from the secret society of coal miners, known as the Molly Maguires, were sentenced to death and hanged at the Carbon County Jail. According to legend, the group’s leader, Alexander Campbell, slapped his muddy hand on his cell wall, stating "That mark of mine will never be wiped out. It will remain forever to shame the county for hanging an innocent man.”

The Carbon Country Jail is now a museum where visitors can still see Campbell’s handprint on the wall of his cell.

For information on admission, hours, and seasonal ghost tours held the first three Saturdays in October, be sure to visit http://www.theoldjailmuseum.com/.

3. Take a GhostWalk in Jim Thorpe, PA

Meet your tour guide in the evening at the Inn at Jim Thorpe for a 60-minute nighttime walking tour. Your tour guide will share tragic stories from Jim Thorpe’s history, as he/she leads you by lantern to some of the reportedly haunted buildings and landmarks in town.

Proceeds from the GhostWalk support the community service projects lead by the Rotary Club of Jim Thorpe.

This spooky ghost tour is family friendly and appropriate for most age groups. To view the schedule or to reserve your spot, visit http://www.jimthorperotary.org/GhostWalks.cfm.

4. Journey Through the Waldorf Estate of Fear

Thrill seekers should visit the Waldorf Estate of Fear; the most terrifying haunted attraction in the Poconos. There are four separate hair-raising encounters for you to experience:

The Zombie Escape Room - You are locked in a room with 9 other guests, and you have 30 minutes to solve the clues to escape before the undead get in.

Infection - This is an interactive zombie survival game, where you have a belt containing three flags, representing your vital organs. You’ll work your way through the playing field, avoiding zombies at every turn. Escape with your organs or risk becoming a zombie yourself.

The Haunting at the Waldorf Hotel - This award winning haunted house will have you thinking you stepped into a horror movie. Work your way from scene to scene, with surprises and terrors at every turn.

Terror in the Corn - This action-packed, 20-minute haunted hayride features realistic sets and convincing actors who will have you shaking in your boots.

For more information, visit https://www.waldorfestateoffear.com/index.html.

5. Hay Wagon Rides at Split Rock Resort

Every Saturday and Sunday between October 7th and October 29th, we’ll be offering 30-minute long hay wagon rides the whole family will enjoy. Tickets can be purchased at the front desk and are $15 for adults, $10 for children between the ages of 5-12, and free for anyone under 5.