Halloween season is here!
As the cooler air brings out the goosebumps in Milwaukee, so do these special events for kids. They’re a great way to get young children into the Halloween spirit with not too many frights.
We also found some that are just a tad spooky, perfect for older kids.
Before you plan your Halloween adventure, don’t miss our list of Haunted Houses Around Milwaukee and spooky Halloween Displays around Milwaukee for a spine-tingling experience! And for some DIY inspiration, check out these Backyard Haunted House Ideas your kids will love to create your own spooky setup.
1. Halloween Legends & Lore (Old World Wisconsin)
October 11-12, 18-19, and 25-26, 2024
Website
Halloween Legends and Lore is returning to Old World Wisconsin this October with ghostly adventures, terrific treats and frighful fun for the whole family to enjoy.
Visitors of all ages are invited to wear a costume and comfortable walking shoes as the tram will not be running during Halloween Legends & Lore.
Guests can explore a lantern-lit sorghum maze, take a guided tour in search of Wisconsin’s infamous Hodag creature, watch folktales come to life through live performances and much more at this favorite annual event. Check out photo op stations throughout the village and watch out for wandering characters—you never know who (or what) is lurking in the shadows!
Adults are invited to stop by the Brewhouse to taste a limited-edition beer brewed in collaboration with Duesterbeck’s along with other fall favorites from local breweries. After building up an appetite, head to Caldwell Hall for a hot bite or swing by the creamery for ice cream available in a mouthwatering variety of fall flavors.
Find out more and purchase tickets on the Old World Wisconsin website.
2. Jack O Lantern Jubilee & Halloween Village (New Location!)
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Admission: FREE
Celebrate Halloween at the 3rd annual Jack-O-Lantern Jubilee on Saturday, October 26th, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.! This year, the event moves to a new location at Baird Community Commons (400 W. Wisconsin Avenue) and introduces a brand-new lighting experience—Halloween Village.
Families can enjoy free pumpkins (courtesy of Pick ‘n Save and Metro Market, fulfilled by Kroger Delivery), pumpkin decorating with Artists Working in Education, face painting, balloon art, photo ops with Friend Like Me characters, and more. There will also be live entertainment, story times, a Milwaukee Fire Department fire engine, a book sale with Friends of Milwaukee Public Library, free trick-or-treat goodie bags, and seasonal photo opportunities.
Halloween Village at Baird Community Commons
October 12-31, 2024
Take a stroll through Halloween Village, featuring a giant Great Pumpkin, interactive lighting displays with ghosts, Frankenstein, witches, and scarecrows, plus plenty of photo ops. This free, family-friendly experience is open daily from October 12th through 31st.
3. BAYSHORE BOOgie Bash & Costume Contest
Friday October 25, 2024, 5-8 p.m.
Admission: FREE
More Info
Come celebrate Fall at the BAYSHORE BOOgie Bash & Costume Contest presented by Spirit Halloween and St. Francis Children’s Center.
Bring your princesses, monsters, goblins, and little characters for a free and fun family-friendly event in The Yard at Bayshore.
Get ready to do the costume boogie with Kid Boogie Down who will also host costume contests and award prizes at 6:00 pm!
Dance with the Halloween-themed Fairytale Princesses presented by Fairytale Birthday Company, enjoy laser light shows and bring your phone/camera to capture yourself in the not-so-spooky Halloween displays throughout The Yard.
BOOgie Bash Partners include El Sazón Dominicano, Mr. P’s Grilled Cheese, and Scratch Ice Cream.
4. Boo at the Zoo (Milwaukee County Zoo)
October 17-20, 2024 5:30-9 p.m.
Website
Enjoy “merry not scary” Halloween happenings at the Zoo!
Boo at the Zoo features wicked family-friendly activities including a Trick-or-Treat Trail, live pumpkin-carving demonstrations, dazzling light shows, and animals.
All ghosts and goblins (and their parents) are encouraged to come in costume.
5. Scarecrow Lane (Friends of Retzer Nature Center)
Open daily September 22 – October 31, 2024, Sunrise to 10 p.m.
Admission: FREE
Say hello to the unique scarecrows along the Blue Trail at Retzer Nature Center! Scarecrow Lane is a self-guided hike on the west end of the Learning Center building. The scarecrows, decorated by local families and businesses, will be on display through October 31.
On your half-mile hike, you’ll also see Retzer Pond and the Children’s Garden, filled with pumpkins, flowers, and other fall plants. Expect woodchipped and mowed grass trails with some sloped terrain. Some heavy-duty strollers may be able to handle the terrain, but it might be better to plan on walking.
While you’re there, you can also check out the newly renovated, accessible Discovery Trail, get a good view of Waukesha on the “Vista Trail”, and hike along boardwalks and babbling brooks on the the “Nature Trail.”
6. Pumpkin Fest (Basse’s Taste of Country)
Daily through October 31, 2024
Start your family traditions and come explore Happy Jack’s Pumpkin Land at Basse’s! This ever-improving Pumpkin Festival is just 25 minutes northwest of Milwaukee.
Pick your own perfect pumpkin from the patch, challenge yourself in the 8-acre corn maze, and enjoy 65+ fun activities for the whole family- including jumping pillows, train, ropes course, duck races, arcade games and so much more! New activities are added every year.
There’s also pig races, dog shows, lumberjack shows, cowboy stunts, a dance party, and a candy cannon. Purchase corn stalks, straw bales, pumpkins of all sizes, squash, gourds, and more from the market.
7. Halloween Haunts (Wehr Nature Center)
October 17-19, 2024
Website
Halloween Haunts combines the make-believe, spooky fun of Halloween with the beauty of nighttime nature to create a fun event for the whole family.
For three nights each year, Wehr’s woodland is transformed into an Enchanted Forest complete with a cackling witch, a talking owl, and even some rapping arthropods.
Visitors are amazed by the over three hundred Jack-o-lanterns that light the path through the forest.
The walk is just spooky enough to keep kids on their toes, but is designed to create chuckles and smiles, not nightmares.
- Snap some family photos at a selfie spot
- Enjoy a magic show after your walk
- Donate to the virtual food drive
8. Jack-O-Lantern Nights (Racine Zoo)
September 26 – November 3, 2024
Website
In the crisp fall air, stroll through the Zoo along a dedicated paved pathway and become immersed in dazzling lights and charming decorations.
The intricately designed jack-o-lanterns will look like pieces of art during the day and come to life at night for all to see.
There will be an abundance of custom designs to discover including cats, owls, scarecrows, and more Halloween-themed creations.
To compliment the jack-o-lanterns, there will be enchanting light displays throughout the route.
9. Happily Haunted Gardens (Bookworm Gardens)
October 11 – 13, 18 – 20, 25 – 27, 2024 from 5 – 8 p.m
The magical Bookworm Gardens in Sheboygan will be decked out in thousands of twinkling lights for their annual Happily Haunted Gardens event.
Listen to stories, hunt for friendly ghosts, and stroll through a pumpkin walk. Don’t forget to wear your costumes.
Leave your trick-or-treat bags home! Children will receive a pre-packaged Bookworm goodie bag as they leave.
Dinner fare, munchies, and festive beverages will be available for purchase.
10. Not So Scary Halloween Party
Sundays in October 2024
Website
The Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is ideal for kids and families who want to experience The Hill Has Eyes attraction when it is not so scary. Their actors will take you on a guided tour through the attractions and kids will get to trick-or-treat along the way.
Kids are encouraged to dress up and be a part of the fun! All ages welcome, recommended for ages 8 and up.
11. The Hollows at Phantom Lake
Phantom Lake YMCA Camp, S110W30240 YMCA Camp Road, Mukwonago, WI 53149
Weekends in October 4-5, 11-13, 17-20, 2024 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Journey through magical fairy lands, Viking ships, mermaids, witches, and wizards inhabiting the wooded trails and glistening shores of Phantom Lake YMCA camp.
The Hollows is an awe-inspiring, one-of-a-kind experience of 3,000 hand-carved jack-o-lanterns that will pique your imagination and create magic.
A portion of proceeds from the event provide financial support for an inclusion program enabling kids and families who might otherwise not be able to experience camp.
12. Halloween Glen
October 4 – 5, 2024
Actors will present interactive and educational skits at eight decorated stations at Hawthorn Glen, Milwaukee Recreation’s 23-acre nature center.
This humorous and educational outdoor adventure is a great alternative to the usual Halloween events.
Following the hike, families are welcome to participate in a variety of fall-themed activities.
13. Haunted Halloween on Downer
Saturday, October 19, 2024 1 to 4 p.m.
Website
This family-friendly Halloween event is geared towards participants of all ages!
Stroll Historic Downer Avenue, where businesses from Park to Webster will be hand out trick-or-treats for both children and adults.
14. Pumpkin Pavilion in Bay View
Friday, October 18, 2024
Website
This four-day, family-friendly event brings neighbors from all over the city to Humboldt Park Pavilion. Guests come to carve pumpkins, admire the display of 1,000 lit pumpkins, enjoy live music, eat local food, and embrace the fun that is Halloween.
This event is entirely volunteer-powered. Since its inception, the Pumpkin Pavilion has added attractions, displays and new events each year.
Check the website for a list of events leading up to the Grand Pumpkin Lighting on Friday, October 18.
15. Betty BOO’s Spooktacular at Betty Brinn Children’s Museum
Thursday, October 24, 2024 3 p.m.
The Betty Brinn Children’s Museum Halloween Spooktacular is returning!
Get ready for a not-so-scary Halloween celebration that’s packed with family fun! Meet the animals from Tatiana’s Tiny Zoo, enjoy a performance by Kohl’s Wild Theater, watch a guest artist take on a pumpkin carving challenge, and craft glow-in-the-dark slime in our Be A Maker space.
Bring your costumes. Reservations are required – purchase tickets here.
More Halloween Events:
Oak Creek Fall Festival
Admission: FREE
oakcreekwi.gov
A harvest tradition in Drexel Town Square, this family-friendly outdoor event celebrates everything autumn. Festivities include a costume parade at 12:30 p.m., plus a petting zoo, magic show, live music, Oak Creek Farmers Market, craft vendors, face painting, hayrides through Emerald Preserve, a giant inflatable corn maze, and more.
Great Pumpkin Festival in Whitefish Bay
October 23-26, 2024 at Old Schoolhouse Park
Admission: FREE
October Fright Nights (Milky Way Drive-In)
The Milky Way Drive-in is showing Halloween movies every weekend in October at 6:30 p.m.
Beforehand, you can walk through a Not-So-Scary Halloween Party every Sunday from 2:30-4:45 (more info above). A family bundle for both attractions is $45, and that gets admission for everyone in your vehicle.
Fall Fest in West Bend, WI
Admission: FREE
Dress in your Halloween best to trick-or-treat in downtown West Bend! Look for the pumpkin in the window for participating businesses. There will be lots of spook-tacular activities for the whole family to enjoy!
Cedarburg Pumpkin Walk
Thursday, October 31, 2024 5 – 9 p.m.
Admission: FREE
The Cedarburg Chamber’s Pumpkin Walk is a fun, community-wide event that celebrates all things Halloween. Bring your carved pumpkins to light up the street. Come as yourself or wear your costumes and creep down Washington Avenue to view the glowing pumpkins.
Species Spooktacular (Schlitz Audubon Nature Center)
Sunday, October 20, 2024 1 – 4 p.m.
Come in costume and learn about some of nature’s spooky and misunderstood animals. The educators at Schlitz Audubon will dispel myths about them and share their ecological importance. Meet live animal ambassadors in the Great Hall, including snakes, tarantulas, turtles, and raptor ambassadors!.
Hike the trails, stopping at the pavilion, tower, and maple grove to play games and make crafts. After visiting all of the stations, children will receive a sweet treat.
Little Sprouts Play Café
Afternoon Adventures: Tie Dye Halloween Totes Friday, October 18, 2024 3:30 – 5 p.m.
Buy Tickets
Little Sprouts Play Café in Shorewood is hosting a variety of Halloween events that are perfect for even the littlest of ghouls -including pumpkin decorating, exploring labs, and cook + play activities.
Click here for a list of events >>
Trick-Or-Treat Trains (East Troy Railroad)
October 4, 11, 18, and 25 2024
Website
The East Troy Railroad is offering Trick-Or-Treat Trains, running four Fridays in October.
Kids are encouraged to come in costume and take the train from the Depot in East Troy to Town Hall Park. At the stop families can enjoy “Trick-or-Treating,” games, and exploring the playground before the trip back to East Troy
Upon returning to East Troy, each child can pick out the perfect pumpkin to take home!
The total experience is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.
25. Ghost Train in Shorewood
Corner Bakery Shorewood Cafe – 1305 E. Capitol Drive
Admission: FREE
Website
NOTE: The Ghost Train is currently not operating due to a lighting and audio issue.
If you’ve never seen the Ghost Train make its nightly run through Shorewood, you’re going to want to take a pajama ice cream ride and check it out.
The Ghost Train is an artistic sensory experience which enables visitors to travel back in history, imagining the round-trip journey of the ‘Twin Cities 400’ which was operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway from 1935-1963 and crossed Capitol Drive at the Oak Leaf Trail Bridge. The Ghost Train was brought to Shorewood by Public Art Shorewood and designed by Marty Peck, CLD-E.
Past Events TBD:
Sprecher Halloween Party
Trek n Treat at Grant Park
Urban Ecology Center
Fear District at Fiserv
Betty Boo’s Spooktacular
Halloween Party in Black Cat Alley
For more Halloween events and trick-or-treat times, check out our Events Calendar >>
Related Articles:
Where to Go Trick Or Treating in Milwaukee
Harvest Festivals
Best Pumpkin Patches
Best Corn Mazes for Kids
What to do With Leftover Halloween Candy
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Calie Herbst, Editor-in-Chief of Milwaukee With Kids, has spent over a decade combining her experiences as a parent of three to create a hub for Milwaukee’s family adventures.
Her decade-long teaching career in Milwaukee Public Schools and academic background, including a Master’s in Teaching from Marquette University and dual B.A.s in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, fuel her passion for inclusive and engaging family content.
Calie is also a recognized voice in local media, contributing to WISN Channel 12 News, WTMJ Wisconsin Morning News, Fox 6’s Real Milwaukee, and B93.3.
Discover more about Calie’s journey and editorial approach on her About Page and Editorial Policy Page.
