Halloween In California: A MapQuest Guide

From zombie parades and costume contests to haunted houses and hayrides (to haunted anything!), the Halloween season casts its spell and awakens our inner ghouls and goblins. As part of FrightQuest -- a MapQuest series on spooky destinations and activities -- here are three options to celebrate Halloween in California that are sure to be a scream.
— Sara Faith Alterman

Winchester Mystery House

Crammed with secret passages, stairs that lead to nowhere and doors that open into walls, the Winchester Mystery House is the perfect combination of creepy and kooky. Legend has it that Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. fortune, was afraid of being haunted by the spirits of people who'd been killed by her family's famous rifles. So she decided to confuse any supernatural intruders. Over time, she built what is now a seven-story, 160-room Victorian mansion that is endearingly bizarre -- and, some say, truly haunted.

525 S. Winchester Blvd., San Jose, CA 95128 | Get Directions

Legoland California's Brick-or-Treat Party Nights

On Saturday nights in October, kids can let their imaginations run as wild as a ghoulish goblin at Legoland California's Brick-or-Treat Party Nights. The amusement park celebrates Halloween in its own Lego-rific way: kids can build their own jack-o'-lanterns (out of Lego bricks, of course), boogie the night away at the Boo Crew dance party or scramble for sugar on a candy-corn scavenger hunt. There's also a dazzling light show and a costume contest. Entrance to Brick-or-Treat is included with the purchase of a one-day admission, or with a Legoland Membership Plus Pass.

1 Legoland Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92008 | Get Directions

Monster Bash

Halloween lovers can party like an undead rock star at the Dos Equis XX Monster Bash in San Diego's historic Gaslamp Quarter. Partygoers can creep through the Gates of Hell to enter an all-out bacchanalia of bloody good fun, set to the thumping beats of Southern California's hottest deejays. All that monster makeup will sweat right off while dancing the night away at this vibrant celebration of all things Halloween. This event is for ages 21 and older, and ticket prices include free entrance to all Gaslamp and East Village nightlife spots.

Sixth Avenue and Island Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101 | Get Directions

An introduction to the sinister twists and turns of the Winchester Mystery House.

Did we miss a Halloween event in California? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

Want other great Halloween-season ideas? Check out FrightQuest and our coverage in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Oregon.

Interested in more stories about California? Go to Patch and scroll the list of states to get great local coverage of your neighborhood.

FrightQuest Special: The California-raised former astronaut Leroy Chiao has gone where few men -- or women -- have gone before. And he first realized his space-exploring dreams on Halloween.