Go · HauntsNo. 9999 · The 2026 edition
The best haunted houses in America for 2026, by region.
Sixteen long-running US haunts are confirmed open for 2026, from Eastern State Penitentiary and Cutting Edge to Netherworld and Knott’s Scary Farm. We list each one’s season dates and starting price.
If you’re searching for the best haunted houses in America, here are sixteen long-running attractions confirmed open for 2026, grouped by region instead of ranked, so you can start with whatever is within driving distance. It’s a sampler, not the whole field: the Haunted Attraction Association’s 2026 Top Haunts list recognized a record 74 attractions across 27 states, and four of ours (Cutting Edge, Netherworld, Eastern State and Nightmare on 13th) placed in the top eight of USA TODAY 10Best’s 2026 Readers’ Choice voting.
We checked each attraction’s season dates and starting price on October 5, 2026, against its official site where we could and trusted local coverage where we couldn’t, but prices change by night and popular nights can sell out, so confirm on the official page (every card links to it) before you go. These are intense, scary experiences, meant for teens and adults unless an entry says otherwise, so read each card’s age guidance before you bring anyone younger.
America’s legendary haunted attractions
Northeast: hayrides, monster sculptures and a real prison
- The Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride — One ticket covers three haunted attractions at this working farm outside Philadelphia: a motel, a hayride through the woods and a cornfield trail. Its operators say it has been scaring people for more than 30 years. It’s open every night from Oct. 9 through Nov. 1, with combo tickets from $45 Mon-Thu, up to $55 on Saturdays, plus a $4 service fee. The motel isn’t recommended for children under 8, though the hayride is fine for kids. Tickets and dates
- Eastern State Penitentiary Halloween Nights — Five haunted houses, a themed bar, historic tours and live performances fill a real, abandoned 10-acre prison in Philadelphia. The festival began in 1991 as a small fundraiser to save the landmark, and the proceeds still go to preserving it. It runs select nights Oct. 2 through Nov. 7, with tickets from $49 that vary by night. Recommended for ages 12 and up; children under 7 aren’t admitted. Tickets and dates
- Haunted Overload — This New Hampshire farm’s woodland trail is known for oversized hand-built monster sculptures and hundreds of lit pumpkins rather than indoor rooms. The main haunt runs Fri-Sun, Oct. 9 through Oct. 31, for $40, and parental discretion is advised for younger or sensitive children. For no scares at all, try Thursday Fright Night Lite (Oct. 8, 15, 22 and 29; $28) or the family daytime haunt ($16). Tickets and dates
- Headless Horseman Hayrides & Haunted Attractions — Plan on two to two and a half hours at this 65-acre Hudson Valley farm, where one ticket covers 13 attractions, from a hayride and walking trail to a corn maze and haunted houses. The remaining 2026 nights are Oct. 9-11, 16-18, 23-25 and 30-31, with tickets at $73.90 plus tax online. Not recommended for children under 13; children 8 and under aren’t allowed on the evening attractions, guests 15 and under must be with an adult, and Children’s Day on Oct. 17 is the daytime option. Tickets and dates
- Hundred Acres Manor — Just outside Pittsburgh, a single ticket to this nonprofit haunt covers five themed haunted sections along roughly a mile of walk-through, with a midway and beer garden outside, and its operators are promoting new sets and scenes for 2026. Tickets start at $30 plus service fee for select nights Sept. 11 through Nov. 1 (Thursday-Sunday most weeks, Friday-Sunday in September, nightly Oct. 25 through Nov. 1). Not recommended for anyone under 13, though younger guests won’t be turned away. Tickets and dates
- Pennhurst Asylum — Four attractions (the Asylum, the Morgue, the Tunnels and the Catacombs) are set in the real buildings and grounds of the former Pennhurst State School and Hospital, northwest of Philadelphia. The institution operated from 1908 to 1987, and the haunt has run there every fall since 2010. Select nights run Sept. 25 through Nov. 7 (Fridays and Saturdays, plus Sundays in October), with the 3-attraction combo from $55 ($65 for all four), plus a $2.99 service fee. Geared to an older crowd; children as young as 10 are allowed but not recommended. Tickets and dates
South: a meatpacking plant, a pirate ship and a farm
- The 13th Gate — Thirteen themed realms, from swamp scenes and a pirate ship to underground tunnels, fill an old sporting-goods building in downtown Baton Rouge. The operators say the show changes every year, and the CarnEvil midway and a Séance show sit across the street. Doors open select nights Sept. 25 through Oct. 31, plus Flashlight Fright Nights Nov. 6-7; general admission is $35, valid on any open night. There’s no age restriction, but children under 12 should be with an adult and it isn’t recommended for very young children (the separate Séance show is 12+). Tickets and dates
- Cutting Edge Haunted House — A roughly 100-year-old former meatpacking plant in Fort Worth’s Hell’s Half Acre district becomes a multi-story walk-through, with the plant’s original processing equipment worked into the set. Expect about 55 minutes inside, on average. It runs select nights through Nov. 13, with tickets from $29.99, up to $44.99 depending on the night. No children under 12 are admitted without a guardian. Tickets and dates
- The Haunted Hotel — Actors at this close-quarters touch haunt near Churchill Downs can grab and push guests, so it is an extreme, hands-on experience for ages 13 and up (anyone under 18 needs adult supervision) and best left to older teens and adults who want physical contact. Its operators bill it as Louisville’s longest-standing Halloween attraction. Select nights run Sept. 5 through Oct. 31, plus Nov. 7 (Industry Night) and Nov. 13 (Legends of Horror), with general admission from $24.99 plus fees (about $28.87 total) and prices rising in October. Tickets and dates
- Netherworld Haunted House — Two new houses, Curse of the Collector and Beyond Oblivion: Legacy of Evil, mark the 30th season of this long-running Atlanta-area walk-through haunt, which also has a midway, a monster museum and escape rooms. Select nights run Sept. 18 through Nov. 7 (nightly Oct. 18-31), with timed-entry tickets from $25. The minimum age is 7, and children can’t be carried through. Official site
- Kersey Valley Spookywoods — Tractor-pulled wagons carry guests between three haunted worlds spread across more than 85 acres of a North Carolina working farm, with a virtual queue and a live-music courtyard to fill the wait. It has run since 1985. The season is select nights Oct. 2 through Nov. 7, with general admission from $39.95, up to $59.95 depending on the night. Tickets and dates
Midwest: a schoolhouse, a screampark and a mad scientist
- The Darkness — In its 33rd year, this two-floor haunted house and screampark in St. Louis’s Soulard neighborhood has three haunted sections inside (the Underworld, the Haunted Mansion and the Slaughterhouse), and guests exit into a horror museum, retail store and secret bar. It runs select nights Oct. 2 through Nov. 13, with general admission at $34.95 (cash at the box office carries no tax or fees). Teens under 17 need adult supervision or proof of an immediate ride home after the haunt. Tickets and dates
- The Dent Schoolhouse — Housed in a real Cincinnati schoolhouse that opened in 1894, this haunt is built around the legend of a killer janitor, and every ticket includes a Monster Midway. The 30th season brings upgraded audio, a reworked basement and a new finale. Select nights run Sept. 11 through Oct. 31, plus Lights Out (Nov. 7) and Slasher Night (Nov. 13), with tickets from $19.99 depending on the night. There’s no age restriction, but guests 15 and under need a chaperone who is 21 or older. Tickets and dates
- Erebus Haunted Attraction — A time-travel storyline about a mad scientist ties together this four-story indoor haunt in downtown Pontiac, which has more than a half-mile of walk-through. It opened in 2000, and its operators say it held a Guinness record for the longest walk-through haunted attraction from 2005 to 2009. The season is select nights Sept. 18 through Nov. 7 (every night Oct. 20 through Nov. 1), with timed tickets from $25 and up to $42 on Saturdays. Not recommended for children under 13. Tickets and dates
West: a theme-park event and a castle-style haunt
- Knott's Scary Farm — Rather than a single haunted house, this is a theme-park Halloween night event at Knott’s Berry Farm, with ten haunted mazes, five scare zones and live shows. Knott’s bills it as Southern California’s longest-running Halloween theme-park event, going back more than 50 years. It runs 26 select nights, Thursdays through Sundays, Sept. 17 through Oct. 31; single-night tickets are from $65 online, though Haunted Attraction Network reports $75 to $89 for nights from Oct. 8. Not recommended for children under 13; guests 15 and younger need a chaperone who is 21 or older. Tickets and dates
- Nightmare on 13th — This castle-style indoor haunt pairs two attractions, Nightmare Haunted House and the Institute of Terror, with a sit-down live scare show called 13th Manor, new for 2026; its operators say no other indoor haunt in Utah has run longer. Select nights run Sept. 18 through Nov. 13 (Sept. 18-19 and 25-26, then Mon-Sat in October, closed Sundays, plus Nov. 13). The Nightmare ticket is from $27.95 plus a $1.99 service fee, and the combo with the Institute of Terror is $37.95. There’s no minimum age, though an adult is recommended for ages 10 and under. Tickets and dates
Only around Halloween does a good night out involve a prison, a meatpacking plant or a hayride.
Start with the map. Eastern State, the Bates Motel and Pennhurst Asylum are all in or near Philadelphia, so one trip can take in a prison, a working farm and a former state school and hospital, as long as the nights line up. Don’t write off November: Cutting Edge, The Darkness and Nightmare on 13th have select nights through Nov. 13, and Eastern State, Pennhurst, Netherworld, Erebus and Kersey Valley Spookywoods run through Nov. 7. Bring cash for parking at Cutting Edge ($20) and Kersey Valley ($10), and use each card’s official link for the final word on tickets. The Fieldguide’s full haunts listing has more once this list runs out.