When people think of Halloween, they often think of costumes, candy, scary movies, and jack-o’-lanterns before anything else. However, for some people, one of the first things that comes to mind with this holiday are haunted houses. Haunted houses have been a popularity for decades, and for some, they are the best part about Halloween. For others, though, haunted houses are frightening and not at all fun. In a survey put on the Minnetonka Breezes instagram, the responses were very evenly split, with about 50% of respondents saying they enjoy haunted houses and the other 50% saying they do not. For those that enjoy this spooky tradition, here are three of the best haunted houses in Minnesota:

1. The Haunting Experience, located in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, is considered one of the best in the state. During the daytime, The Haunting Experience is a fun fall festival complete with hayrides, pumpkin carving, art activities, and even goat petting. At night, however, The Haunting Experience becomes far more sinister. Guests can walk through both a haunted house and a haunted hospital, as well as take a haunted hayride through the dark forest and the remains of Wilhelm Steelworks. To cap off the experience, visitors can take a chainsaw massacre-themed walk through the cornfields, an attraction new in 2023. Open weekends through the end of October, tickets start at 24 dollars for anybody who wishes to brave the fright.
2. Scream Town, located in Chaska, Minnesota, is another highly famed haunted house. Scream Town is unique in that it boasts multiple different haunted houses, all themed differently. There is the Psycho-Delic Circus, the Zombie Apocalypse CDC, and the Oak Blood Forest, to name a few. Scream Town also has food and drinks and a full Halloween market for guests, as well as a haunted hayride for those with VIP passes. Tickets start at 25 dollars, and they do sell out, so get tickets now, any weekend until Halloween.
3. Located a bit further away for those that don’t mind driving, the Dead End Hayride in Wyoming, Minnesota calls itself Minnesota’s Most Terrifying Haunted Hayride. This attraction also includes a walkthrough, a cornfield, and concessions for visitors. Ticketed entry is timed, and group pricing is available for families or groups of friends that would like to be scared together. Tickets begin at 25 dollars for general admission and 36 dollars for the fast pass. The Dead End Hayride is open through Halloween, so purchase tickets now.

For those that don’t appreciate haunted houses, however, not to worry. There’s plenty of fun still to be had during Halloween season without giving yourself a fright. There are pumpkin patches and apple orchards to go to for some outdoor fun, like the Barten Pumpkin Farm in New Prague, Minnesota, or the Apple Jack Orchards in Delano, Minnesota. Fall festivals are everywhere, like Sever’s Corn Maze in Shakopee, Minnesota, or the Stillwater Harvest Festival in Stillwater, Minnesota. Plenty of towns host Oktoberfest celebrations, and the opportunities for scenic hikes and drives in the fall colors are endless. So, whether you’re a spooky kind of person or not, get out there and find a way to celebrate Halloween, no matter what that looks like, because the opportunities are plentiful.