Haunted houses and Halloween nights in St. Louis, and where to eat after

Halloween 2026 is a Saturday. The Darkness and Creepyworld both run Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31 from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m., and the Alton Halloween Parade steps off at 7 p.m. on Halloween night, so expect the busiest weekend of the season. The haunts are spread across the metro: The Darkness is indoors in Soulard, a few blocks from Busch Stadium, Creepyworld is in Fenton, about 20 minutes from downtown by its operator’s count, and Fright Fest and a farm trail are farther southwest in Eureka. This is the scary half of a night out. The eating half is at the end, at three restaurants in downtown Clayton.

I write the haunt guides on Mr. Fear, a Halloween site, and I am a guest here. Top of St. Louis asked for the haunted houses. They supplied the tables.

The night, in order

Pick one area per evening, because the drive between Soulard, Fenton and Eureka eats the night. Buy tickets online before you go: The Darkness and Creepyworld share the Scarefest system, with a Fast Pass and no refunds, and the Fright Fest haunts need a separate pass tied to one evening. Leave the costume at home: The Darkness, Creepyworld and Hell Harvest do not allow costumes, and Fright Fest does not allow them on adults. Bring a jacket instead: October 31 in St. Louis averages a high of 61.8°F and a low of 43.3°F. The Darkness is open rain or shine, but Creepyworld says it may close if it rains, so check the forecast before driving to Fenton. Eat after, not before.

The haunted houses

• The Darkness, Soulard: an indoor screampark in its 33rd year, rebuilt for 2026 with new Frankenstein scenes and The Slaughterhouse, which the operator calls its newest section. Plan on 30 to 60 minutes inside. No minimum age, but teens under 17 need a parent present or proof of an immediate ride home.
• Creepyworld, Fenton: 13 attractions in 2026, with the new Night of the Scarecrow Haunted Maze, an updated Silo-X and the Trick R Treat Haunted Hayride. Plan on 60 to 90 minutes. Same age rule as The Darkness.
• Fright Fest at Mid America Adventure, Eureka: four haunted attractions and seven scare zones on select nights from September 12 to November 1. The ticket page says the haunts are not recommended under 13 and that guests 16 and under need a chaperone 21 or older.
• The Hollows Haunted Trail, Eureka: a walk through corn and forest at Brookdale Farms, about 50 minutes to an hour. Anyone under 18 must be with an adult. Confirm October nights on the farm calendar.
• Hell Harvest, Potosi: about 65 miles southwest of St. Louis, open every Friday and Saturday in October. The operator calls it intense. Check hours before the drive.
• St. Louis Ghosts: Sinister Sins & Shadows, Downtown: a one-hour walking ghost tour, every night at 8 p.m., year-round.

With kids

Most of the family nights end before Halloween, so plan them for earlier in October. Halloween Nights at Grant’s Farm is a haunted tram ride with what the farm calls gentle surprises for all ages, October 1 to 30. Boo at the Zoo in Forest Park runs select nights from October 9 to 30, 5 to 8:30 p.m.; scary costumes are not allowed, and tickets sell out. Fright at the Museum fills City Museum from September 30 to November 1. The Not-So-Haunted House at The Magic House in Kirkwood is daytime trick-or-treating for small children through October 31. Legends & Lanterns on Main Street in St. Charles is a free street festival on three October weekends. On Halloween night itself, the free Alton Halloween Parade starts at 7 p.m. with more than 40 floats.

Twenty-one and over

The St Louis Halloween Bar Crawl runs through Soulard on October 30 and 31, 4 to 10 p.m., 21 and over, with an after party at Big Daddy’s Soulard where costumes are mandatory. The Lemp Mansion Halloween Bash in Benton Park runs 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Halloween with an open bar and a costume contest with cash prizes, though its page does not state an age limit. City Museum runs three adults-only Halloween bars during Fright at the Museum. The Central West End Halloween Street Party returns on Saturday, October 31, but the organizer had not posted times or details when I checked.

What is not open this year

Lemp Haunted House and the new House of Occult at Lemp Brewery have not posted 2026 nights. I am not listing either until dates appear. R Acres of Terror in Dow, Illinois, has not posted 2026 dates either. Fright Fest is running; only the Six Flags name is gone.

The full list

Dates, ticket rules and directions for all of these, plus the Alton and St. Charles ghost tours, farm pumpkin patches and Día de los Muertos in Clayton, are on my beat, not a restaurant site’s. The full St. Louis haunted houses and Halloween events guide on Mr. Fear has all 25 listings checked against each organizer’s own page, with the links to buy.

Where to eat after

Downtown Clayton is where the free Día de los Muertos celebration fills N. Brentwood Boulevard on Saturday, October 24, from 4 to 8 p.m., and all three of these restaurants are still open when it ends. On Halloween weekend the latest kitchen here closes at 11 p.m., half an hour before The Darkness and Creepyworld do. These three are on the Top of St. Louis downtown Clayton guide. The scores are theirs, not mine.