Six spooky attractions around San Diego this Halloween
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Beware, this one is for those who prefer haunted houses and jump scares to pumpkin patches.
State of fright: Every October, the abandoned grounds of the beloved Marshal Scotty's Playland turns into a haunted trail in El Cajon.
- "The once joyful sounds of fun and laughter are now replaced with screams of terror as visitors make their way through the remnants of the carnival rides from the 1960's," the Haunted Amusement Park advertises.
Zoom in: On the mile-long walk through the dark, wooded grounds, visitors can expect to encounter ravenous zombies, creepy clowns, a crazed man with a chainsaw and other haunts lurking in the shadows of rusty rides.
Flashback: The amusement park first opened in 1967, and its rickety, wooden roller coaster, Ferris wheel, bumper cards and Tilt-a-Whirl attracted kids through the 1970s, '80s and early '90s.
- It changed ownership, names and themes several times over the years, but never really recovered after going bankrupt in 1990.
- Despite attempts to revive the park, it sat empty for years while gathering ghosts for the scare trail that opened in 2015.
If you go: Pack your courage (and maybe an extra pair of underwear). It's open Friday-Sunday through Nov. 2 from 7pm until 9-10:30pm.
- Tickets are $25-$35.
Zoom out: There are a handful of other seasonal haunted attractions across San Diego County for thrill-seekers and families.
- Escape the witches and "Fairy Tale Freaks" in the eXperiment Maze before trekking through the mile-long trail of terror in Balboa Park.
- Take a spooky guided tour through a haunted town in Encinitas that also has a family-friendly fun zone.
- SeaWorld becomes a "sinister, spine-chilling playground of terror" with nighttime coaster rides, speakeasies and live shows.
- HallGLOWeen at the San Diego Zoo is a family friendly reinvention of the zoo with a skeleton rock band and transformed reptile house, after 5pm on weekends in October.
The intrigue: The Whaley House Museum in Old Town doesn't need paid actors or extravagant decor for its year-round ghost tours and paranormal investigations.
- Dubbed "America's Most Haunted House," visitors may encounter the ghost of "Yankee" Jim Robinson, who was hanged on the site in 1852, or the spirits of the Whaley family.