FOOD + DRINK | DATE TRADEWINDS NIGHT GUIDE
frightful fun SPOOKY EVENTS TO ENJOY OCTOBER NIGHTS OUT
By Katelyn Schur for tampabaydatenightguide.com
Family friendly events are great, but Mom and Dad need some time to themselves this Halloween season to be spooked too! The Tampa Bay and Orlando areas offer many frights during the month of October that are definitely not rated G, and the lineup includes events for both fear seekers and hesitant guests alike.
If you’re itching to get out of Tampa for the night, take a quick ride on I-4 to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, perhaps the most frightening place to be on select nights on Sept. 14 to Oct. 28. The park comes alive as the sun sets, with familiar faces from the horror realm coming to life for those who dare to enter the gates. This season, cinematic greats and cult classics will mingle with today’s era of horror. Brave guests can journey through multiple haunted houses including Stranger Things, Halloween 4, Poltergeist, and many more! orlando.halloweenhorrornights.com
Pub crawl enthusiasts, be sure to bring your IDs for Guavtober! Starting Friday Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. and continuing until 1 a.m., Saturday Oct. 21, this will be Tampa’s biggest Halloween-themed pub crawl! Starting in Seminole Heights, pub crawlers in their best costumes will make their way through seven themed venues with specialty drinks and have the opportunity to participate in a costume contest and win prizes for best male costume, best female costume and best dressed couple! Tickets are currently selling online for $20. Ages 21+ eventbrite.com/e/guavtober
Just outside Tampa Bay in Dade City, you’ll find a terrifying haunted house experience called Scream-A-Geddon. Boasting six horrifying attractions in one location, Scream-A-Geddon is not for the faint of heart. The event runs from Sept.21 to Nov. 3, and tickets start at $19.99 for general admission with unlimited access to all haunted attractions. Scream-AGeddon also hosts Zombie Paintball (sold separately). screamageddon.com 60 TampaBayParenting.com | OCTOBER 2018
If theme parks aren’t your cup of tea, perhaps a creepy night downtown would do the trick. “A Nightmare on Franklin Street” is a ghost lover’s dream. Located at the historic Tampa Theater Oct. 19-31, attendees can expect ghost tours, back-to-back classic horror films, creepy cult favorites, paranormal experiences and spooky special guests. This year, the special presentation will be on cult classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” tampatheatre.org
Right here in Tampa Bay’s own backyard is Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream, beginning select nights on Sept. 21 until Oct. 28. Every year, the theme park transforms into a spooktacular event with frights around every corner. Hundreds of dreadful creatures roam the parks’ gates and sometimes even the parking lot looking for the next poor soul to frighten. Multiple haunted houses scattered throughout the park offer live entertainment and interactive shows, but if you can’t handle the scares, most rides are also open for the faint of heart. buschgardens.com