Haunted Houses in San Francisco: As Halloween gets closer, the Bay Area turns into a fun spot for people who love scary stuff. If you’re into spooky and creepy things, one of the best ways to enjoy this time of year is by checking out some of the scariest haunted houses in the San Francisco Bay Area.
You can explore haunted mansions that will give you goosebumps or go to places where you feel like you’re right in the middle of a scary story. These haunted attractions are sure to make your heart beat faster and make your hair stand on end. Come with us as we take you through the most hair-raising and frightening haunted places in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Haunted Houses in San Francisco
If you’re on the lookout for a thrilling experience filled with scares and spooky surprises, you’re in for a treat. Our guide takes you on a tour of the Top 11 Haunted Houses in San Francisco, where ghostly figures, creepy surprises, and heart-pounding adventures await.
From family-friendly options to intense frights for the bravest souls, these haunted houses promise a hair-raising journey through the dark corners of the Bay Area. Grab your costumes, put on your brave face, and get ready for a super scary time at the most haunted spots in San Francisco!
#1. Fear Overload Scream Park
Fear Overload Scream Park isn’t just one haunted house; it’s like entering a world of fear with two different themes: House of Phobia-Rise of Monsters and Happy Days Asylum. These haunted houses are designed to make you feel scared in your mind.
When you go through Fear Overload Scream Park, get ready for a trip filled with mystery, excitement, and horror. Each haunted house gives you a small flashlight to help you see the spooky secrets. You’ll encounter ghostly figures and surprises that will make you feel trapped in a scary place, leaving you breathless and wanting more.
These attractions have cool moving figures, well-made sets, and great stories that take you on a scary journey through your worst nightmares. Whether you’re in San Francisco or San Jose, Fear Overload’s haunted houses promise a super scary experience.
Please remember that Fear Overload Scream Park is not recommended for kids under 12.
- Location: 2086 Newpark Mall, Newark, CA 94560
- Days of Operations: Through November.
- Tickets: $23.99-32.99 per person.
- Contact: (510) 585-3092
- Website: Fear Overload Scream Park
#2. Piedmont Pumpkin Patch Haunted House
Piedmont Pumpkin Patch in Oakland is a fun Halloween place for families, and it has different activities, including a haunted house. What’s special about this haunted house is that it has two options:
The “Less Scary” Version: Made for younger kids (and people who don’t like very scary things), this version keeps the lights on and the scary things away. It’s great for families and groups from school.
The Scary Version: For brave people, this version puts you in the dark with creepy shadows, scary surprises, and things that make your spine tingle. Do you dare to go into the unknown?
The Piedmont Pumpkin Patch Haunted House is a great thing to do for Halloween that’s not too scary for families.
As Halloween gets closer, these haunted houses in the San Francisco Bay Area are calling out to people who love thrills and scary things. Whether you want a really scary experience or a family-friendly scare, these haunted places have something for everyone. So, put on your brave face, wear your costumes, and get ready for a super scary time in the Bay Area’s most hair-raising haunted houses.
- Location: 4414 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611
- Days of Operations: September – October
- Tickets: $8 per person.
- Contact: (510) 967-9363
- Website: Piedmont Pumpkin Patch
#3. Blind Scream Haunted House
The Blind Scream Haunted House at Doc Hunter’s House of Horror is a super scary trip into your biggest fears. This experience will test how brave you are as you step into a world where it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not, and where life and death mix in a strange way.
The scenes in Blind Scream Haunted House are made to feel like you’re in a nightmare. You’ll see ghostly figures and get surprised in ways that will make you feel like you can’t escape without a scare. From the first moments to the last, Blind Scream Haunted House will leave you wondering if you can make it out without getting scared.
Blind Scream Haunted House has different tickets you can choose from, like fast passes to skip lines, guided tours with ghosts, and special nights for unique experiences.
- Location: 98 Santa Rosa Plaza, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
- Days of Operations: Throughout October
- Tickets: $25-50 per person.
- Contact: (707) 953-3909
- Website: Blind Scream Haunted House
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#4. Unhinged: Housewarming at the Winchester Mystery House
If you want Halloween to be a mix of history and scary things, the Winchester Mystery House has something special for you. This old mansion, famous for its strange designs and stories, turns into the scariest place during Halloween.
Unhinged: Housewarming invites you to a night you won’t forget. You’ll walk through the mansion and meet creepy ghosts and scary surprises in every corner. It starts as a fancy party in the garden, but as it gets dark, you’ll see that something strange is happening.
Regular tickets let you go through the scary inside and outside areas, Halloween museum, games, food, drinks, and places for cool photos. If you want an even scarier time, get the RIP tickets for early access, special merchandise, and more. Just know that Unhinged is not for young kids or people who get scared easily.
Wear costumes to feel like you’re back in a time when people weren’t allowed to have alcohol. It makes the night even more real.
- Location: 525 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose, CA 95128
- Days of Operations: Throughout October.
- Tickets: $65-70 per person.
- Contact: (408) 247-2000
- Website: Winchester Mystery House – Unhinged
#5. Mayhem Mansion at the Haas-Lilienthal House
Get ready for a really scary time at the Haas-Lilienthal House when it becomes Mayhem Mansion in October. This special night tour is only for five nights, so make sure you don’t miss it on October, from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
On the tour, a guide will take you through the mansion, but be careful because scary things are hiding in the dark corners. After the tour, you can go to the Ballroom saloon, called the Spookeasy, where you can buy drinks and snacks. Don’t forget to get free candy and take a picture with Cap’n Skelly, a huge 12-foot skeleton.
- Location: 2007 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
- Days of Operations: Throughout October.
- Tickets: $20-30 per person.
- Contact: (415) 441-3000
- Website: Mayhem Mansion
#6. Pirates of Emerson
The Pirates of Emerson Attraction at the Alameda County Fairgrounds is a really exciting scary experience with not one, but four haunted houses: Demented Dolls, Pirates of Emerson, Halloween Hell, and Seesawz Circus. Each house gives you a different and scary adventure.
With general admission, you can go to all four haunted houses. If you want a faster time, get the Speed Pass Admission, which also lets you go to the Oddities Attraction. For the best time, get the V.I.P. Admission that lets you go through the haunted houses many times (if there’s time), get in faster, and go to the Oddities Attraction.
Be ready for a night with lots of scary surprises, creepy creatures, and spooky places that will stay in your dreams.
- Location: Valley Ave, Pleasanton, CA 94566
- Days of Operations: Throughout October.
- Tickets: $40-80 per person.
- Contact: (925) 426-7600.
- Website: Pirates of Emerson
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#7. Lemos Farm
Lemos Farm dares you to go into their haunted house! They have two versions: Scary and Non-Scary, so everyone can have Halloween fun. Younger people can go through the non-scary version, while braver people can face their biggest fears in the scary version. Get ready for a scary experience that will make you shake.
About Lemos Farm: Lemos Farm started in 1942 and has changed a lot since then. It began with someone giving a cow as payment, and now it’s a place you can visit all year round with a pumpkin patch, Christmas trees, and, of course, a haunted house. The Lemos family still welcomes guests, offering fun for people of all ages.
- Location: 12320 San Mateo Rd, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
- Days of Operations: Year-round, Wednesday-Saturday
- Tickets: $12-30 per person (includes access to other attractions).
- Contact: (650) 726-2342
- Website: Lemos Farm
#8. SF Ghost Hunt Walking Tour
The SF Ghost Hunt is a must-do ghost tour in San Francisco. You’ll learn about the haunted Victorian homes of Pacific Heights and the neighborhood ghosts.
You’ll see the haunted trees of Mary Ellen Pleasant, learn about the poltergeists at Chambers Mansion and more. This special Halloween version led by Christian Cagigal lets you look for ghosts yourself!
- Location: 1801 Bush St, San Francisco, CA 94109
- Days of Operations: Throughout October.
- Tickets: $30 per person for the standard tour, $100 per person for a special Halloween tour with VIP experience.
- Contact: (415) 754-8209
- Website: SF Ghost Hunt
#9. Dead Time Dreams
Dead Time Dreams, San Jose’s best haunt, is back for 2023 with scary things that will test your courage. This year, they have NIGHTMARES, an open-air scary attraction. Walk through a zone that will give you chills, with monsters hiding in every shadow.
Before and after the main attractions, explore the Midway of Terror, which has new and better things to entertain you. There are pre-shows, freaks, creatures, nightly shows, and more. Find it at the corner of Tully Road and Capital Expressway next to the ABC Pumpkin Patch and Wells Fargo at Eastridge Mall. There’s free parking, so you can have a great time.
- Location: 2501 Tully Rd, San Jose, CA 95122
- Days of Operations: Throughout October.
- Tickets: $20-30 per person.
- Contact: (408) 422-7749
- Website: Dead Time Dreams
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#10. Terror Vault
Every Halloween, Into The Dark brings SF a totally scary experience with its Terror Vault show. The San Francisco Mint haunted house is one of the Bay Area’s most exciting Halloween events and one of its best-haunted houses!
With classical and new horror, plus theater, stories, audiovisual effects, and even a maze, Into The Dark turns The Mint into your worst nightmares.
The Fang Bang Vampire Bar is also open to the public after the show goes into the night. This scary bar doesn’t have a cover charge, so come out and drink with the dark figures in the corners. Just check their glasses before you join… they’re vampires, after all!
- Location: 88 5th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
- Days of Operations: Throughout October.
- Tickets: $55-75 per person.
- Contact: [email protected]
- Website: Terror Vault
#11. Tricks and Treats at Great America
A family-friendly Halloween event with two themes: Tricks and Treats. The Land of Tricks has slimy, creepy, and spooky things, like a haunted 1920s village and strange carnival games.
The Land of Treats is cozy and has things for fall and Halloween, like pumpkin decorating, a candy witch, craft beers and cocktails, and lots of fall-themed food. Tricks and Treats is great if you don’t want a haunted house but still want to feel spooky.
- Location: 4701 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA 95054
- Days of Operations: Throughout October.
- Tickets: Starting at $39.99 per person.
- Contact: (408) 988-1776
- Website: Tricks and Treats at Great America
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Summary
We hope you’re all geared up for a Halloween filled with thrills and chills. Whether you prefer the family-friendly atmosphere of pumpkin patches or the heart-pounding terror of scream parks, the Bay Area has something for everyone. From the ghostly halls of historic mansions to the open-air nightmares, these haunted houses offer a diverse range of experiences.
So, put on your bravest face, venture into the unknown, and make this Halloween an unforgettable journey through the most hair-raising and frightening spots in San Francisco. Happy haunting!