October's arrival signifies that the Halloween season is upon us in earnest, and San Antonio's haunted houses are now, ahem, luring in visitors.
If you're looking to get scared shitless in preparation for All Hallows' Eve, these four local haunted attractions are now open for horror business.
Haunted Oaks: Looking for unchartered scares? Haunted Oaks is making its debut at Rolling Oaks Mall on Friday, October 1. The brand-new, 6,000-square-foot haunted house maze is the brainchild of Joseph Devine, director of the San Antonio Zombie Walk. The inaugural season runs October 1-November 6. $20-$25, 6909 North Loop 1604 East, Suite 1128, hauntedoaks.org.
13th Floor San Antonio: The 2021 season of this popular downtown attraction features vampires, werewolves, possessed Victorian dolls and more. The long-running haunted house is open through November 6. $19.99-$49.99, 1203 E. Commerce St., 13thfloorsanantonio.com.
Six Flags Fright Fest: Northside amusement park Six Flags Fiesta Texas is now populated with ghouls. Its annual Fright Fest features five haunted houses and six scare zones. The park's Halloween offerings also include themed shows and the Poltergeist "high-speed haunted roller coaster experience." Fright Fest runs through October 31. $34.99-$74.99, 17000 W. I-10, sixflags.com.
Sea World Howl-O-Scream: Sea World's been scaring its patrons with Howl-O-Scream for 20 years now. Parents take note: the park warns that starting each evening at 7 p.m., it turns up the terror dial, so nighttime visits may be too intense for youngsters. Those who want to learn how the spooky sausage is made can also take a "Behind the Screams" tour during daylight hours. Howl-O-Scream runs through October 31. $45.99-$84.99, 10500 Sea World Dr., seaworld.com.
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