Ghost Train Rides: Halloween Fun for All Ages

Find a few chills and lots of family-friendly thrills on the October version of holiday trains

a train stopped at a station near a wooden water tower

Family-friendly Halloween trains are the holiday train’s October version. Options across the country include the Huckleberry Railroad Ghost Train Express in Michigan, seen here.

Shutterstock

Berit Thorkelson,

AARP

Published October 02, 2025

You’ve heard of holiday trains. Now meet their spooky sister, the Halloween train, gaining steam with fans around the country.

Riding vintage railcars is part of the growing heritage tourism trend, which is characterized by its connection to culture and history and driven by travelers 51 to 70, according to market research and consulting firm Grand View Research. Add in spooky decor, costumed ghouls, seasonal treats and add-on attractions, and these family-friendly train rides are a great Halloween activity, with or without the kids or grandkids in tow.

The options below range from frighteningly fun to seriously spooky. Grab your tickets or use them as inspiration to seek out a Halloween train excursion near you.

A nice variety of Halloween-related programming unfolds on the volunteer-run St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway’s train cars in Missouri each fall.

Courtesy St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway

St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway

Jackson, Missouri

This nonprofit, heritage railway is entirely volunteer-run. That includes the annual Halloween event lineup, aimed at various ages and interests. A sampling of the options, all two hours long: Witches and Wine combines pointy hats, hors d’oeuvres and wine tastings; the Haunted Train Ride is basically a rolling family-friendly Halloween costume contest and party, and Searching for Bigfoot dares you to do just that — with the promise of a photo op if you succeed. “People come from everywhere, and it amazes us to see this, but we’re really happy that they do,” says Elane Moonier, the railway’s volunteer coordinator. “I think it’s because we are one-on-one with the passengers. We go out of our way to treat them special.” When: Oct. 18, 25, 26 and 31. Cost: Beginning at $20 for adults and $12 for kids 2-12; free for 1 and younger.

Strasburg Rail Road

Ronks, Pennsylvania

The oldest continuously operating railroad in the country, according to the Association of American Railroads, hosts two different types of eerie experiences as it rumbles through Pennsylvania Dutch Country in October. In the parlor car, passengers are part of The Phantom Line, an interactive murder mystery including séances and a brush with the paranormal. And in coach, author and actor Matt Lake regales riders with strange and scary area legends during Haunted Rails & Tales. When: Weekends and select weekdays through Nov. 2. Cost: Murder Mystery Train Experience is $79 per person; Haunted Rails & Tales is $50 per person; advance online reservations recommended.

a train decorated in a skeleton mask with a man wearing skeleton makeup and wearing a train conductor costume

A vintage train decorated in a skeleton mask makes a dramatic and spooky entrance into downtown Tweetsie, a wild west theme park in North Carolina.

Courtesy Tweetsie Railroad

Tweetsie Railroad wild west theme park

Blowing Rock, North Carolina

When night falls on weekends throughout October, the Western town theme park of Tweetsie transitions into a family-friendly Halloween party. At its heart: a Ghost Train that emerges from the dark, steam billowing and sparks flying from the mouth of its skeletal facade, to scoop up passengers waiting on Tweetsie’s Main Street. The train rolls through forest and mountains as a live, interactive spooky show unfolds, with a couple of stops and more than a few jump scares along the way. A haunted house, a downtown dance party and all the theme park’s rides, decorated in lights, are included with your ticket. When: Friday and Saturday nights through Nov. 1. Cost: $65 for 13 and older; $45 for ages 3 to 12; free for 2 and younger, includes train and all site attractions.

Heber Valley Historic Railroad

Heber City, Utah

Hop on board a heritage steam train dubbed The Halloween Express for a 90-minute excursion that’s heavy on happy holiday thrills, with practically no chills. Mingle with the kid-friendly versions of Dracula, Frankenstein and other Halloween icons while the Sanderson Sisters of Hocus Pocus fame perform musical numbers. Bonus: Pumpkin cookies all around. When: Monday, Thursday and Friday evenings in October. Cost: Beginning at $35 for 2 and up, and $5 lap pass for 1 and under, for standard historic coach admission; more for first class and lounge car seats.

Kirby Family Farm

Williston, Florida

Your conductor tells bone-chilling tales as the agile narrow-gauge railroad winds through the woods, and creatures pop out from among the trees on the aptly named Scary Train. The train ride is actually the least terrifying 20 minutes served up at the 110-acre nonprofit Kirby Farm during its Halloween event, which helps fund its work helping kids in need. “Our focus on the train ride is a memory, not necessarily an intense scare,” says farm owner Daryl Kirby. Some take their ride and call it an evening, while most stick around for the more intense jump scares and phobia-focused thrills that come with the ticket price, including a hearse maze filled with vampires and a wooded trail teeming with clowns. When: Weekends through October. Cost: $25 donation includes all seven site attractions (discounted when purchased in advance online).

Huckleberry Railroad’s Baldwin steam locomotive is rebranded as the Ghost Train Express each Halloween as part of the Crossroads Village celebration in Flint, Michigan.

Larry Burk/Shutterstock

Huckleberry Railroad

Flint, Michigan

Ghosts and surprises, both of the friendly variety, fill the 40-minute ride on the Ghost Train Express’ Baldwin steam locomotive through Michigan in autumn — perfect for the littlest train-loving ghouls in your party. A train ticket includes the Halloween Ghosts & Goodies experience at Crossroads Village, a recreated 1800s Great Lakes town, with trick-or-treating, a straw maze and a magic show hosted in the Opera House. Reservations recommended for Saturday evening’s Halloween Buffet add-on. When: Select evenings in October. Cost: $27 per person; free for 1 and younger.

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Berit Thorkelson is a travel writer and editor for aarp.org. She has also written for publications such as National Geographic Traveler, Better Homes & Gardens and The Minnesota Star Tribune's travel section.

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