It’s officially spooky season, which means it’s time to revel in frightening fun. To celebrate, we have bravely compiled a list of all things that go bump in the night in and around San Antonio so you don’t have to.

From haunted houses to murder mysteries, bar pop-ups to movie screenings, this list has it all. We’ve also included a few family-friendly options for those with little ones craving something more tame than terrifying.

Events occur from now through the end of October, enabling you to enjoy a new “monster of the week” every week.

San Antonio loves all things espooky, so steel your nerves and enter … if you dare!

Sundrop Screams
Sundrop Springs, 953 Hueco Springs Loop Road, New Braunfels, (512) 540-4218, sundropsprings.com
By day, Sundrop Springs is a quaint, family-friendly pumpkin patch in New Braunfels. But by night, the 22-acre farm is filled with frights, including the Pumpkin King’s Trail, Hillbilly Hayride and Haunted Hay Maze. All manner of creatures stalk the grounds after dark, including pumpkin ghouls, witches, spiders, werewolves, swamp creatures and more! The after-dark activities are for ages 12 and up, so if you bring little ones for daytime activities, get out before the sun goes down! Credit: Instagram / Sundrop Springs
San Antonio Botanical Garden Haunting Nights October 3 – November 2, San Antonio Botanical Gardens, 555 Funston Pl, (210) 536-1400, sabot.org”Haunting Nights” has costumed actors providing jump scares and nightmare-fuel throughout the park for those 13 and up. Adventurous attendees will journey through a lagoon filled with swamp creatures, dodge pirates, outrun live scarecrows and brave a seemingly endless pumpkin tunnel. Daytime, family-friendly activities are available throughout the day, with Haunting Nights taking over at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $27.90 per person. Credit: Courtesy photo / San Antonio Botanical Gardens
Tower of the Americas Movies in the Park 739 E César E. Chávez Blvd, Hemisfair, (210) 223-3101, toweroftheamericas.com Bring a blanket for movie night in the park at Tower of the Americas October 12 featuring “Addams Family Values.” The Tower of the Americas will also host a Halloween Bash on October 25 including live music, food vendors and pumpkin carving. During the Halloween Bash, the Tower will also screen Dracula 4D (with purchase of a Tower ticket). Credit: IMDB / Addams Family Values
13th Floor Haunted House
Now through November 9, 1203 E. Commerce, (210) 910-6450, 13thfloorsanantonio.com
Named one of the top 5 most terrifying haunted houses in the nation by USA Today, San Antonio’s 13th Floor Haunted House is a must-visit for fans of the most frightening end of the espooky spectrum. Open select nights through November 9. Enter at your own risk! Credit: Courtesy Photo / Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group
Halloween concerts by Candlelight at the Josephine Theatre
October 18, 25 and 26, 339 W Josephine St, (210) 734-4646, feverup.com
Enjoy a Halloween-themed classical concert by candlelight featuring tunes from some of the most famous movie soundtracks, including “The Addams Family,” “Beetlejuice,” “Ghostbusters,” “The Exorcist,” “Thriller” and more. Part of Fever’s touring Candlelight series, the San Antonio performances will be held on October 18, 25 and 26. Tickets start at $34 and can be purchased through Fever. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Fever
Owl Creek Farm
October 4-31, 12355 Military Dr., San Antonio, (210) 968-1524, owlcreekfarmsa.com
San Antonio’s Owl Creek Farm has plenty of cute, family-friendly activities at their pumpkin patch by day. But when the sun sets, the peaceful farm transforms into a nightmare, complete with a haunted maze “designed to test the bravest souls.” Live actors prowl the maze as witches, zombies, phantoms and other things that go bump in the night. Tickets to the nightmare are $20 each. Credit: Facebook / Owl Creek Farm
Screening of the original Nosferatu with live accompaniment at La Zona
October 24, La Zona, 337 W Commerce St, San Antonio, (210) 225-3862, centrosanantonio.org/zona-cultural
“Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922)” endures as one of the scariest horror films of all time, and it was made in the silent film era. Watch the classic in an immersive screening October 24 with live accompaniment from Ray Palmer, the Whale (Kory Cook, Eddy Vazquez) and Dan Carillo. The event is free with a suggested donation of $10. Screening starts at 8 p.m. Credit: IMDB / Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror
Dark Circus & Market Festival on October 19 at Victoria’s Black Swan Inn
Saturday, October 19, 1006 Holbrook Road, San Antonio, (210) 323-8424, victoriasblackswaninn.com
Visit one of San Antonio’s most haunted locations, Victoria’s Black Swan Inn, during its annual Halloween celebration, the Dark Circus & Market Festival on Saturday, October 19. The event promises music, mischief, burlesque, shopping, art, tarot and more. Credit: Instagram / @victoriasblackswaninn
Rocky Horror Picture Show live show at San Pedro Playhouse
October 3-31, 800 W Ashby Pl, San Antonio, (210) 733-7258, sanpedroplayhouse.org
The San Pedro Playhouse is hosting live performances of Rocky Horror Picture Show throughout October, with audience participation encouraged. A special performance on Halloween includes a costume contest for the audience, local vendors and door prizes. I see you shiver with antici…pation. Credit: IMDB / The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Halloween-themed pop up bar Black Lagoon
October 11-31, Three Star Bar, 521 E Grayson St, San Antonio, (210) 323-8424, blacklagoonpopup.com
This Halloween season, Three Star Bar will be taken over by a Halloween-themed cocktail pop-up Black Lagoon that promises to be “immersive and creepy as hell.” The petrifying pop-up will possess San Antonio’s Three Star Bar from Oct. 11 through Oct. 31, bringing along Halloween-themed specialty cocktails, chills and creepy decor. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Black Lagoon
River City Ghost Tours
Year-round, (210) 699-7090, usghostadventures.com/san-antonio-ghost-tour/
Discover the spooky history of your own city with River City Ghost Tours. Stops on the 1-mile walk downtown will include some of the most haunted locations in San Antonio including The Alamo, the Emily Morgan Hotel, Majestic Theater and other creepy locales. If hearing haunting stories over drinks is more your style, you can also book a River City Ghosts Boos and Brews Pub Crawl. The ghost tour leaves from 126 West Commerce in front of the Blue Star Ice House and the pub crawl leaves from the Crockett Hotel. Credit: Courtesy Photo / River City Ghost Tours
Fright Night at Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Now through November 3, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, 17000 IH-10 West, San Antonio, (210) 697-5050, sixflags.com/fiestatexas/events/fright-fest-2024
Chills and thrills abound at Six Flags Fiesta Texas for Fright Fest. Throughout the park, various settings immerse visitors in different worlds, including an attraction based on The Conjuring and a new one based on Stranger Things. Other scary settings include a slaughterhouse, an escape room and a demented puppet theater. Haunted House passes are $30 each. To enjoy the rides with Day Access to the park as well, admission bundles are $60. Credit: Instagram / @sixflagsfiestatexas
Haunted Dinners at the Emily Morgan HotelFridays, Saturdays and Sundays year-round, 705 E. Houston St., (866) 496-0535, badwolfghosttours.com/haunted-dinner-tourEnjoy a three-course meal while being regaled with spooky stories of San Antonio at the historic (and haunted) Emily Morgan Hotel, located directly across from the Alamo. Adult beverages are also available for purchase. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Emily Morgan Hotel
Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorldNow through October 27, 10500 Sea World Dr #13, (210) 520-4732, seaworld.com SeaWorld, as it does every year, is getting in on the scary fun with its Halloween attraction. You’ll get to choose from the Swamp at Blackwater Bayou, Dis-Assembly Line, Zombie Horde, Milton Creek Manor and Atlantis: The Cursed Chasm. Beware! The park gets scarier after 7 p.m. Credit: Courtesy photo / SeaWorld Texas
Spider exhibit at the Witte
September 28 – January 5, 3801 Broadway, (210) 357-1900, wittemuseum.org
The Witte Museum’s Spiders – From Fear to Fascination includes a variety of interactive experiences celebrating the spider, aiming to debunk myths surrounding these misunderstood members of the animal kingdom. Spiders – From Fear to Fascination will be on view at the Witte through Jan. 5, 2025. The exhibition is $6 plus general museum admission. Tickets are available online or at the museum’s admissions desk. Credit: Courtesy Photo / The Witte Museum
Take in San Antonio’s spookiest sites with the Sisters Grimm Ghost Bus Tour
Daily, year-round, 204 Alamo Plaza, (210) 942-6932, sistersgrimmghosttour.com/tours/ghost-bus
Tour the most haunted sites of San Antonio on the Sisters Grimm Ghost Bus, which boasts that it is the first of its kind. Tours depart from the Sisters Grimm Oddities Parlor next to the Menger Hotel. Tickets for the bus tour are “$50 per soul.” Those wishing to turn it into an overnight experience can also stay at their goth, Victorian AirBnB, Grimm Manor. Credit: Instagram / @sistersgrimmghosttours
Zoo Boo! at San Antonio Zoo Now through October 31, 3903 N St Mary’s St, (210) 734-7184, sazoo.org For family-friendly Halloween fun, the San Antonio Zoo is a great choice. Their non-scary Halloween celebration Zoo Boo! runs daily through October 31 with costume contests, trick-or-treating, activities and attractions. This year, the zoo will be full of giant animatronic bugs including a moving butterfly, spider and praying mantis. Weekends will also have different themes, like Western Weekend, Superhero Days, Mystery Monster Weekend and Decade Dress Up Weekend, so be sure to costume accordingly! Credit: Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Zoo
Scream Hollow
Now through November 9, 149 Split Rail Ln, Smithville, (512) 710-8267, screamhollow.com
You’ll get four haunted houses in one – well really, set up in 18 buildings across 20 acres. Located to the northeast of San Antonio, Scream Hollow has attractions such as Mansion of Terror, Wicked Darkness (which is a maze!), Zombie City: The Factory, and The Slaughterhouse. There’s also a “pitch black experience” on November 8 & 9. Yup, this is definitely one set to spook you.
Credit: Courtesy Photo / Scream Hollow
Boos and Brews 5K
Saturday, October 26, Freetail Brewing South Presa Taproom, 2000 South Presa, eventbrite.com
The third annual Boos & Brews 5K begins and ends at Freetail Brewery’s South Presa Taproom, with the route taking runners along the Mission Reach portion of the River Walk. Costumes are encouraged! All ages are welcome, though you must be over 21 to enjoy the complementary brew at the end. Runners also get a commemorative pint glass or seasonal swag and the opportunity to win other prizes. There will also be a costume contest. All this fun is also for a good cause. Ten percent of proceeds go to the San Antonio Food Bank. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Brewery Running Series
Alamo Horror-House
Select dates, now until October 31, various locations, San Antonio, drafthouse.com/san-antonio/movies/alamo-horror-house
Alamo Drafthouse has a full calendar of horror film screenings at its San Antonio locations from now until Halloween. Titles screened will include Halloween, The Shining, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Phantasm, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Brood and more. The Drafthouse will also have a Beetlejuice Movie Party October 18 where it will show the original movie in an immersive experience that includes fun props and themed drinks. Party with the ghost with the most, babe. Credit: IMDB / The Shining
Deadly Séance Murder Mystery at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa Saturday, October 19, 7-9 p.m., Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa, 9800 Hyatt Resort Dr, San Antonio, (210) 647-1234, hyatt.com/hyatt-regency/en-US/sanhc-hyatt-regency-hill-country-resort-and-spa The Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa is hosting a Deadly Séance Murder Mystery event on October 19. Participants are assigned a character upon arrival and work together to solve the mystery of whodunnit. Attendees are encouraged to wear their best Halloween costume. Prizes will be awarded to the person with the most fake money earned from the game, the best actor, best themed costume, and the person who correctly solves the mystery. Tickets are $70 per adult and $40 per minor. Credit: Courtesy photo / Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa
Morgan’s Wonderland More Delightful Than Frightful Halloween Bash September 27 – October 31, 5223 David Edwards Dr, (210) 495-5888, morganswonderland.org Morgan’s Wonderland is once again offering a family-friendly alternative to spookier Halloween activities. Attendees can enjoy free face painting and trick-or-treating, themed photo stations, costume contests, prizes, pumpkin painting, cookie decorating and so much more. The park also prides itself on being “the world’s one-and-only Ultra-Accessible theme park,” so everyone can partake in the fun! Credit: Courtesy Photo / Morgan's Wonderland

Stephanie Koithan is the Digital Content Editor of the San Antonio Current. In her role, she writes about politics, music, art, culture and food. Send her a tip at skoithan@sacurrent.com.