As the days grow shorter and the summer begins to feel like a hazy memory, it can only mean one thing… Halloween season is on the horizon. Of course, All Hallows’ Eve enthusiastically embraces various festive activities, from pumpkin carving to hanging Halloween decorations. Why not amp up the excitement this year by frightening yourself senseless on a spooky Halloween Ozarks vacation?
Sure, not everybody knows where the Ozarks are, but if you’re looking for a ghoulish getaway and want to see a ghost or two, this could be the place for you. Stacked with haunted houses and ghostly tails, the Ozarks are becoming a popular Halloween getaway.
To help you, we picked out our top five must-visit Halloween destinations for a perfect vacation in the Ozarks. So, pack your Halloween costumes and join us for a supernatural Ozarks vacation this year.
What better way to start on our sinister shortlist of Ozarks vacation Halloween getaways than Branson, Missouri? This state reigns as the region’s entertainment capital, and most definitely doesn’t disappoint. Kickstart your eerie festivities in Branson with a trip to the Historic Owens Theatre, famous for its impressive live shows, retro movie nights, and a chance to encounter its three residing ghosts.
For a more family-friendly haunting Ozark vacation spot, Branson is also home to McKenna Family Farm, well-known for its Halloween decorations and legendary pumpkin patch. Here, kids can have their faces painted to become ghouls and witches before you can all attempt the fun three-acre corn maze available on-site.
After a day of pumpkin carving and corn mazes, enhance your Halloween holiday in Branson, Missouri, with a great night’s sleep at the Best Western Music Capital Inn.
Our next stop on our Ozarks vacation destinations is Springfield, Missouri, famed at this time of year for hosting the annual Halloween Hustle fun run. If you’ve never raced a witch, a werewolf, or a goblin before, then the Halloween Hustle might top your Ozarks vacation’s to-do list. This hauntingly themed 5km and 10km race is open to kids and adults of all ages wearing a variety of Halloween costume ideas to raise money for charity.
Continuing with the Halloween costume theme, our second All Hallows’ Eve-themed event is the Springfield Official Halloween Bar Crawl. Party the night away with specially crafted Halloween drink specials at various bars throughout Springfield, Missouri. A beverage-based trick-or-treat extravaganza that will leave you spooked and delighted!
Take your Halloween vacation in the Ozarks to the next level with a comfy night’s stay at the Vīb Best Western Springfield, Missouri.
As the state capital of Missouri, Jefferson City is one of the best places in the Ozarks to visit at any time of year. However, Jefferson City has an unusually high number of creepy paranormal legends and a haunted house or two, making it a prime Ozarks vacation Halloween hotspot.
Perhaps the most famous of these haunted houses is the Missouri Governor’s Mansion, believed to be possessed by the spirit of Carrie, daughter of Governor Thomas Theodore Crittenden during the 1880s. Her untimely death took her at just nine years old and is believed to be the cause of unsuspecting visitors to this public building, often catching sight of a child-like apparition wandering the halls.
Surprisingly, the Missouri Governor’s Mansion isn’t the most ghoulish Halloween phenomenon on our Ozark vacations shortlist, that title belongs to the Missouri State Penitentiary. With specialist ghost tours, including overnight paranormal investigations, you can enjoy a few hours in the eerie cells in this haunted prison, once home to inmates including gangster Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd and fugitive James Earl Ray Jr.
Make the most of your Halloween holidays at the Best Western Plus Capital Inn when you visit Jefferson City, Missouri.
As ghostly Halloween weekend getaways go, Camdenton, Missouri, has a collection of chilling, horrifying tales and supernatural attractions. For instance, if you’re looking for a terrifyingly interactive Halloween tour, head to the team at Fearstone Forest. Cunningly entitled Zombie Wasteland haunted house event, Fearstone Forest is an immersive, spooky spectacular event held every Friday and Saturday in October each year.
Additionally, remaining in the Lake of the Ozarks region is nearby Ha Ha Tonka State Park (believed to mean ‘Laughing Waters’) and the haunted remains of Ha Ha Tonka Castle. Originally built by Kansas City businessman Robert Snyder in the early 1900s, he sadly was killed before its completion. Later, completed and used as a hotel, Ha Ha Tonka Castle was eventually destroyed by fire. Nowadays, visitors wandering around these impressive ruins have claimed to have witnessed Snyder’s ghost patrolling the grounds, adding to the castle’s tragic reputation.
Heighten your Halloween-themed Ozarks vacation when you stay nearby at the Best Western Montis Inn in Saint Robert, Missouri.
Fayetteville, Arkansas, is our final recommendation on our list of top Ozarks vacation spots to spend Halloween. Located in the southwest corner of the Ozark Mountains, a trip to the Arkansas Air & Military Museum in Fayetteville is a worthwhile excursion on its own, however, with frequent reports of ghostly figures dressed in pilot uniforms in the museum library, it makes it a must-see Halloween attraction when visiting Fayetteville.
Fayetteville, Arkansas, is no stranger to spooky spirit tales, as it also claims to be home to the most haunted bridge in America. Legend has it that the Tilly Willy Bridge had claimed countless victims over the years before it was eventually rebuilt; the most tragic is that of a mother and her children who died trying to cross it. Even today, many visitors and locals believe to have seen a phantom car using the bridge to get across before suddenly vanishing.
Maximize your Halloween trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas, by staying at the Best Western Windsor Suites.