Halloween in Cleveland: What to do Besides Haunted Houses
Disclaimer: We are not paid to promote any restaurant, hotel, activity, product, or attraction. All opinions are subjective and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
When the PSL rolls out at Starbucks, mornings are cool enough to put on a sweater, and the parks are filled with fall color, this usually means Halloween is right around the corner. While I love watching a good spooky movie, I am not a fan of haunted houses. The thought of someone jumping out and scaring me just creeps me out.
I do love attending fall events, leaf peeping, enjoying seasonal pumping treats, apple picking, watching scary movies, and picking out my perfect pumpkin at a local patch. In my guide, you will find a few festive thing to do this Halloween throughout the Cleveland metro. I will add to the list as I discover more.
Take a self guided tour of Squire’s Castle
I love Cleveland’s amazing Metroparks system. Since moving here about a year and a half ago, I have enjoyed leaf peeping at most of these reservations. My favorite is North Chagrin, located in Willoughby. This year, I found out about a spooky night lantern event (Curiosities at the Castle). You can also take a self-guided tour of the spooky ruins during the day. Not surprisingly, this old gatekeeper’s house which resembles an old castle has many legends associated with it (as most creepy old places do). Just walking around I was a bit creeped out, imaging that the Ghost Adventures crew would probably capture a lot of ghostly evidence here with their EVP recorders and Ovilus.
This castle was built in the 1890’s by Feargus Squire, vice president of Standard Oil Company. (you can read more history here). The scene is so perfect in the fall with the golden leaves in the backdrop. There is also a great fall foliage hike which begins just behind the castle.
Urban legend says that Squire’s wife Rebecca haunts the place (she supposedly fell and broke her neck in the property). Many of these historical buildings which had odd histories tend to have haunting legends associated with them. Whether or not a ghost really haunts the castle, it’s all part of the intrigue which draws so many here.
Book reservations for The Haunted House Restaurant
While I personally don’t like walking through haunted houses, I do love a good theme restaurant. There is a newish place in Cleveland Heights called The Haunted House Restaurant which just opened in 2021. This place is a dream for horror fans as the space is decked out wall-to-wall with scary movie posters, props, animatronics, and murals. Staff all dress up and costumed characters (like Pennywise and Michael Myers) walk around trying to scare you.
Even the menu is creepy with options like Chucky Rolls and The Pennywise on the lineup. Spooky cocktails include the addition of dry ice to create a fun and spooky foggy effect. If you love horror movies, I definitely recommend checking this place out. It’s too late this year for a weekend reservation (they are sold out), but you could possibly still get in on a slower weekday.
Location: 13463 Cedar Rd, Cleveland Heights
Boo at the Zoo
I’ve been a member of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo since moving here and pretty much take a stroll around at least 1-2 times a month. It’s a very nicely laid out zoo with many great amenities. They offer a lot of great annual events including a summer Asian Lantern Festival, Wild Winter Lights Christmas festival and a Boo at the Zoo spectacular. Kids can trick or treat, take pics with monsters, and enjoy special lights and decor for this annual event.
On a side note, the zoo is actually a wonderful leaf peeping destination. Even if you don’t like Halloween, this is a great place for a fall stroll. There are lots of deciduous trees here and they all change brilliant hues this time of year. The temps are usually perfect and the summer crowds long gone, so this is a great time to plan your visit. I especially love the tree-lined walking up to the Primate & Aquatics House (be aware – it’s steep).
- 2025 Dates: Oct 2nd-26th
- Times: Thurs-Sun from 5-9pm
- Price: $22 ($2 off with advance online booking)
- First 1000 guests each day receive a trick or treat bag
See your favorite classic horror movies on the big screen
Even though I own a huge collection or horror and Halloween movies, I always check to see if any theaters are playing classics on the big screen. It’s so much more fun to see these movies on the big screen especially if you missed out the first time around. Last year, I saw one of my all time nostalgic favorites (Hocus Pocus) at Shaker Square Cinemas.
This year, the best lineup is at AMC Brook park were they are screening: Friday the 13th, Candyman, Scream, and Terrifier. Also, if you are a fan of the original Halloween, you can see Michael Myers in his iconic white mask at Silverspot Cinema on select dates from Oct 26-Halloween). For anyone looking for something more modern, both the Black Phone 2 and The Conjuring: Last Rites are solid choices this year.
Leaf Peeping at Cleveland Metroparks
This city is home to one of the best urban park systems. At first glance, you would never know. However, there are more than 18 gorgeous reservations spread throughout the metro which are part of an award-winning park system.
A few of my favorite leaf peeping destinations include: North Chagrin Reservation, Big Creek Reservation, and Brecksville Reservation. I recommend hiking the Squire’s Castle loop at North Chagrin, the Lake Isaac loop at Big Creek, and the Hemlock Trail at Brecksville.
See one of the Midwest’s prettiest waterfalls
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is one of the country’s most beautiful free national parks and it is located just 30 minutes outside of the city. It’s home to one of the biggest waterfalls in the region. This 60 foot stunner is accessible via several hikes as well as a short paved (partially) accessible boardwalk trail. Gorgeous in any season, although I recommend the 1.5 mile Brandywine Gorge loop to take in the colorful autumn foliage.
Location: 8176 Brandywine Road in Sagamore Hills (Brandywine Falls trailhead). No parking or entrance fee.
Pick out a farm fresh pumpkin
As soon as you drive out of the city, you have access to a number of small family farms. Most of these put on a fall festival where you can pick out your own pumpkin, take a hayride, apple pick, and enjoy other fall festivities. I usually head out to Pickering Hill Farms in Avon or Heritage Farms in Peninsula. Both are a bit more laid-back than Szalay’s which draws big crowds this time of year.
Locations: 35669 Detroit Rd, Avon, OH (Pickering Hills), 6050 Riverview Rd. Peninsula (Heritage Farms). There is no entrance or parking fee for either.
Enjoy the corn maze at Szalay’s
The fall festival at Szalay’s’ draws families from all over, and thus, gets really packed each weekend in October. A few times, I turned around because the parking lot was just too full and it was too congested. I recommend taking a bike ride on the beautiful Towpath and stopping here for a fresh apple cider. I love the 6 mile route from the Boston Mill Visitor Center to the Indigo Lake station.
- Location: 4563 Riverview Rd. Peninsula
- Corn maze date/times: Sept 13th-Oct. 31st, 10am-7pm.
- Price: Tickets are $6.
Treat yourself to local apple cider
Nothing says fall and Halloween are around the corner like a fresh cup of hot apple cider. While I am normally a coffee fan, I enjoy a hot apple cider at least a few times each fall. At Heritage Farm, you can pick your own apples or just enjoy a cup of homemade cider. My favorite place to enjoy fall treats and festivities (which is a bit of a drive) is Brant’s Orchard in Ashtabula.
Indulge in pumpkin treats
As soon as the temps drop, I start thinking of Pumpkin Spice Lattes and basically any other pumpkin themed treats. I start visiting any chains that are known for their seasonal fare as well as scoping out local business menus to see if they offer any autumn treats.
While Starbuck’s iconic PSL is always a must, local coffeehouse Roasted offer some great specialty drinks this time of year. You can check out my full guide to the best pumpkin treats in the metro to get the full details.
Looking for more to do? This is a great city to visit anytime of year despite the naysayers. I’ve found plenty of fun things to do in and around Cleveland in my 2 years living here. Visit my Ohio Travel Guide page for the full scoop.
