This season, Universal Orlando is celebrating the 30th year of Halloween Horror Nights, a truly terrifying nighttime event that might just be the most intense, immersive Halloween event at any theme park in the country. It’s way too scary for young kids (and, let’s be honest, for plenty of adults, too). That doesn’t mean that Halloween time is off-limits for people who don’t love to be haunted by things that go bump in the night. Here are some fun, family-friendly, not-so-scary ways to celebrate the season at Universal Orlando.
See the Halloween Horror Nights Displays During the Day
Halloween Horror Nights takes months to create and implement, and it’s so immersive that it would be impossible to break down all the sets after the nighttime event. During HHN, there are five “scare zones” that aren’t inside haunted houses. In these, you walk through areas of the park while you survive a gauntlet of scareactors charging at you with chainsaws and severed heads. During the day, the stages are still there for you to see, and the details are downright spine-tingling, even without monsters on them.
Turn the Lights on in the Haunted Houses
Even if you don’t love being jump-scared into next year, you might still appreciate the immense artistry that goes into creating the haunted houses of Halloween Horror Nights. Universal Orlando offers a daytime “Behind the Screams: Unmasking the Horror” tour that takes you through three or six of the mazes with the lights on, depending on the extent of the tour you book, to get a closer look at the designs of the houses and an in-depth look at the immersive environments.
Visit the Darker Side of the Wizarding World
Head down a dark, narrow alley in Diagon Alley, the part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter that’s inside Universal Studios park, and you’ll find Knockturn Alley. In the books and movies, this is where wizards dabbling in the forbidden “dark arts” go for their supplies. For you, it’s less nefarious, but not totally scare-free: think shrunken heads singing songs, dancing skeletons, and “cursed” objects inside Borgin and Burkes that move without anyone touching them.
Go on a Scarecrow Stalk
A fun, kid-friendly way to celebrate the spooky season is Universal’s annual Scarecrow Stalk. This scavenger hunt is simple: you buy a chocolate bar that contains a map inside, and then you follow the map around the Universal Studios, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and outside the parks at Universal City Walk to find scarecrows decorated to match different areas and beloved characters. The one below is Late Night with Jimmy Fallon-themed, and is in the gift shop for Race through New York starring Jimmy Fallon.
Play Halloween Games
When you first walk into Universal Studios park, you’ll pass by some creepy-looking stages they use at Halloween Horror Nights to properly (and frighteningly) welcome people into the park. Your reward for surviving that gauntlet is a setup of fun, kid-friendly carnival-style games where you can win cute, Halloween-themed prizes like ghostly stuffed animals.
See the Horror Make-Up Show & Museum
Despite its name, the Horror Make-Up Show isn’t actually scary - it’s actually hilarious. This insider look at how Universal creates the looks for some of its most iconic monsters — think Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Bride of Frankenstein — from the people who specialize in special effects makeup. Plus, Beetlejuice makes an appearance before the show to warm up the crowd until, as he says, “it’s showtime.” In the lobby before you enter the theatre, there’s a small museum commemorating some of Universal’s monsters and the people who played them.
Watch the Dark Arts at Hogwarts Show
Most of the Halloween celebration is happening in the Universal Studios park, but there’s one ghoulish thing happening at Islands of Adventure: the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. This show, featuring Lord Voldemort and his notorious Death Eaters, is projected onto the Hogwarts Castle in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter every evening periodically from dusk to park close at this time of year.
Have a Drink at the Halloween Icons Bar
The rest of the year, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort is a kitschy, ‘60s-themed resort that’s one of the most fun stays on park property — but at Halloween, all bets are off. The lobby of the bar is hosting the Horror Icons Bar, with special spooky cocktails (including one with edible glitter), that’s open to everyone, not just hotel guests. Upstairs, hotel guests can get a little taste of Halloween Horror Nights at the “Jack’d Up Experience,” featuring Jack the Clown, the creepiest of all the HHN icons.
Visit the Halloween Tribute Store
The Halloween Tribute Store is hands-down one of the best parts of the Halloween season at Universal. This multi-room experience is more than just a gift store. It’s a mini-haunted house that puts you in deeply immersive, spooky environments that echo the theme of the event. For the 30th anniversary, the Tribute Store calls back to HHN events of the past, and has artifacts and characters from past years. The store also includes a bakery with Halloween-themed treats that include monster cakes and beating heart candy that actually beats. You might call them frightfully delicious.
