Ghost Train Rides and More: Halloween Fun for All Ages

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

7-minute read

By

Berit Thorkelson,

 
Updated October 02, 2026
AARP
Updated October 02, 2026
a train near a fence
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

Key takeaways

  • Seasonal rail rides offer a range of Halloween entertainment, from cheerful family fun to more intense scares.
  • Tickets may include murder mystery shows, treats, trick-or-treating and other attractions.
  • Experiences feature vintage trains in destinations across the country.

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

Riding vintage railcars is part of the growing trend of heritage tourism, which connects travelers to culture and history and is driven by adults 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 for a great Halloween activity, with or without kids or grandkids in tow.

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The options below range from fancifully fun to seriously spooky. Use this list as inspiration to seek out a Halloween train excursion near you.

Strasburg Rail Road

Ronks, Pennsylvania

The oldest continuously operating railroad in the country, according to the Association of American Railroads, offers a few eerie experiences as it rumbles through Pennsylvania Dutch country in October. In the newly renovated first-class parlor car, try to get to the bottom of some of the odd events plaguing the train’s passengers during The Brakeman’s Curse 45-minute mystery show. Or help figure out who sabotaged the annual pumpkin-carving contest during your 70-minute trip to a fun fall festival on The Haunting of Pumpkin Junction mystery excursion. When: Weekends and select weekdays through Oct. 31. Cost: The Brakeman’s Curse is $88 per person; The Haunting of Pumpkin Junction is $48 for those 12 and over; $37 for ages 2 to 11; free for 1 and younger. 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

On Friday and Saturday nights in October, the Old West town of Tweetsie hosts a family-friendly Halloween party. At its heart: the Ghost Train, which 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 forests 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 Oct. 31. Cost: $65 for those 13 and older; $45 for ages 3 to 12; free for 2 and younger. Includes train and all site attractions.

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Grapevine Vintage Railroad’s restored coach cars host Halloween revelers on two-hour holiday excursions, including music and local craft beer.
Courtesy of Grapevine Vintage Railroad

Grapevine Vintage Railroad

Grapevine, Texas

Adults are encouraged to wear costumes while enjoying spooky music, local craft beers and wandering performers on the Witches’ Brew Train. The two-hour trip in the restored, century-old train coaches is “definitely a favorite,” says Elizabeth Schrack, director of communications for the Grapevine, Texas, convention and visitors bureau. She recommends arriving early for the “haunted” 1888 depot, decked out in truly spooky decorations. “There may be a few jump scares in there for you,” she says. “That’s part of the experience.” There’s a family-friendly, 90-minute Trick ‘R Treat excursion, too. When: Witches’ Brew trips Oct. 30 and 31; Trick ‘R Treat trips Oct. 24 and 25. Cost: Witches’ Brew is $45 per person (21 and older only); Trick ‘R Treat is $22; free for children under age 1.

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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 thrills, with practically no chills. Mingle with the kid-friendly versions of a host of holiday icons. Bonus: cookies all around. When: Monday, Thursday and Friday evenings in October. Cost: Beginning at $35 for ages 2 and up, and $5 lap pass for ages 1 and under, for standard historic coach admission; more for first-class and lounge car seats.

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Kirby Family Farm

Williston, Florida

Your conductor tells bone-chilling tales as the agile, aptly named Scary Train winds through the woods on a narrow-gauge railway and creatures pop out from among the trees. The 20-minute ride is actually the least terrifying attraction 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 [to create] a memory, not necessarily an intense scare,” says farm owner Daryl Kirby. Some visitors take the 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, including a hearse maze filled with zombies and a wooded trail teeming with clowns. When: Weekends through October. Cost: $25 donation at the gate includes all eight site attractions (discounted when purchased in advance online).

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a train stopped at a station
Huckleberry Railroad’s Baldwin 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 autumn ride through the countryside on the Ghost Train Express. Powered by a Baldwin steam locomotive, it’s perfect for the littlest train-loving ghouls in your party. A train ticket includes the Halloween Ghosts & Goodies experience at Crossroads Village, a re-created 1800s Great Lakes town, with trick-or-treating, a straw maze and a magic show hosted in the Opera House. Reservations recommended for Friday and Saturday evening’s Halloween Buffet add-on. When: Select afternoons and evenings in October. Cost: $27 per person; free for ages 1 and younger.

a person in a halloween costume walking down the aisle of a train car
The Nevada Northern Railway’s Haunted Ghost Train features spooky decorations inside the cars and along the route.
Courtesy of Nevada Northern Railway

Nevada Northern Railway

Ely, Nevada

All aboard the Haunted Ghost Train, pulled by a diesel engine and departing from the remote mountain town of Ely. Ghosts, zombies, headless horsemen and other creepy sights await in the high desert along the route, as passengers move between coach and open-air seating, as they dare. A highlight: The canyon’s signature stone tunnel, decorated in giant spiders during this seasonal haunting. When: Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24. Cost: $45 for 13 and older; $38 for ages 65 and older; $20 for ages 4 to 12; free for ages 3 and younger.

 

The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

 

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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