Family-Friendly Spooky Events
Lockwood Park | Saturdays & Sundays, August 29-November 7 | 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Celebrate fall at Lockwood Park with weekends full of family-friendly activities, including a corn maze, pumpkin patch, wagon and pony rides, pumpkin launching, farm animals, s’mores, and more. Admission is free, with tickets available for select activities, plus fall-themed treats and drinks for purchase at the Cookhouse.
This family-friendly event invites you to experience the enchantment of fall as the gardens and pathways are illuminated with spectacular light displays. Stroll through the beautifully lit arboretum, where nature and art converge, and bask in the mesmerizing glow of autumnal colors.
Eerie Autumn Lights
Spook the Dells
Severson Dells | October 17 | 6-7:30 p.m.
This family-friendly event includes a walk on a paved path and an interactive theater experience showcasing nocturnal animals that call the woods home. Enjoy a s’more while learning about these animals. Admission is $8 per person.
Sinnissippi Park | October 23-31 | Open at 5 p.m.
This delightful drive-through Halloween light display at beautiful Sinnissippi Park collects donations to provide costumes for kids in need. Enjoy a 12-foot skeleton, werewolf, and more with this magical fright fest. Admission is free.
Midway Village Museum | October 24 | 12-6 p.m.
Midway Village Museum's All Hallows Eve is a unique trick-or-treating experience, fun for the whole family. Wagon rides, face painting, and crafts add to the event. Dress in costume and explore over 20 decorated historic buildings in the picturesque Victorian village. Some buildings may contain spooky surprises.
Spook the Blocks
Downtown Rockford | October 24 | 12-4 p.m.
Over 20 businesses and restaurants are part of Spook The Blocks, a trick-or-treat adventure that takes visitors throughout downtown Rockford. Families can grab a coffee, lunch, and shop local while filling those candy bags.
Spooktacular Halloween
Anderson Japanese Gardens | October 24 | 1-4 p.m.
Trick-or-treating, Halloween crafts, photo ops, and more await you at Anderson Japanese Gardens. The fall color in the gardens is not to be missed.
Downtown Rockford | October 24 | 4-9 p.m.
Experience an evening of seasonal magic at the Witch Faire, featuring a curated marketplace of artists and makers, live performances by the Forest City Dance Circle, and plenty of mystical fall atmosphere. Admission is free and all ages are welcome.
Downtown Rockton & Settler's Park | October 25 | 1-3 p.m.
Celebrate Halloween in Rockton with an afternoon of trick-or-treating and family-friendly fun. Explore a corn maze and haunted house, join the costume contest and parade through Settlers Park, enjoy live banjo music, and complete a scavenger hunt for a chance to win a prize.
Ghost Tours and Paranormal Events
Haunted Rockford is offering a variety of events, including Rockford's Most Haunted, which explores three haunted locations in Rockford: Tinker Swiss Cottage, Veterans Memorial Hall, and Graham-Ginestra House. All of these sites have reported paranormal activity and apparitions. Tickets sell out quickly, so it's recommended to buy them in advance. Tinker Swiss Cottage is hosting several paranormal tours in October. The house has been featured in several paranormal T.V. shows. Stop into the Burpee Museum to schedule a tour of the historic Barnes Mansion, which has its own chilling history.
Spirits & Spirits
Coronado Theatre | October 17 | 4 p.m.
Sip your way through the historic Coronado Theatre during the 2nd Annual Spirits & Spirits, featuring whiskey, wine and other tastings paired with self-guided ghost tours. Tarot readings and other spooky experiences add to this spirited Halloween event.
Horrors & Haunts: History’s Dark Side
Midway Village Museum | October 30 | 6-9 p.m.
Explore the darker side of Victorian life as you wander Midway Village by lantern light. Discover eerie traditions and macabre history through séances, tarot readings, ghost stories, mourning rituals, Victorian serial killers, coffin making, and more.
Northern Illinois Fear Fest
South Beloit | Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays, October 2-November 1
Get ready for a night of scares at Northern Illinois Fear Fest, featuring three haunted attractions in one spine-chilling location. Brave the Haunted Barn, take a terrifying Haunted Hayride, or step into the Creepy Carnival for immersive sets, special effects, and plenty of unexpected scares.
Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum & Gardens
Terrifying Attractions
Looking for thrills this Halloween? Rockford’s Twisted Crypt delivers 10,000 square feet of jump scares, recommended for ages 13 and up. Scary Perry’s adds to the fright with a haunted hayride and a costume shop full of masks and Halloween gear. Hopper’s Haunted House is a longtime local favorite packed with dark passageways, live actors, and unexpected scares around every corner. Sound of Terror Haunted House in South Beloit combines an outdoor labyrinth with live actors, monsters, animatronics, and plenty of spine-chilling surprises.
