Halloween In Tennessee: 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 Tennessee that are sure to be a scream.
— Dan Gibson

Franklin Pumpkinfest

The Nashville suburb of Franklin puts on a big show for Halloween (a few days early) that has something for the entire family, with a costume contest for pets, kids and adults, barbecue and chili cook-offs, an entire day of live music on multiple stages and -- for an additional cost -- guided tours of the town's oldest cemeteries. Plus, there's an area specifically for kids, with face painting and hayrides.

3rd Avenue North and Main Street, Franklin, TN 37064 | Get Directions

Hauntedweb Of Horrors

Hauntedweb of Horrors aims to be the most frightening haunted house in Memphis, and they certainly deliver the scares in their two attractions, Dark Matter and Tormented. Dark Matter is a spooky maze, bringing new meaning to the term "dead end," as surprises are around every unlit corner. Tormented immerses its victims in Deliverance-style nightmares in the midst of a "hillbilly hell" (their words). Not family fun for sure, but teens and young adults may appreciate the, well, dark humor.

676 N. Germantown Parkway, Cordova, TN 38018 | Get Directions

Boo! At The Zoo

The Knoxville Zoo's Boo! at the Zoo, running three October weekends, is dedicated to the littlest kids in your social network. The Knoxville Zoo has been turning a place that kids already love into a Halloween spectacular for more than 25 years. With characters in non-threatening costumes around the park, music and dancing in the Clayton Family Kids Cove, and an opportunity for the kids to get some candy while walking through the park, this could be a nice Halloween bonus or a substitute for neighborhood trick-or-treating.

3500 Knoxville Zoo Dr., Knoxville, TN 37914 | Get Directions

An amateur video captures the costumes and the crowds at Franklin Pumpkinfest.

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

Want other great Halloween-season ideas? Check out FrightQuest and our coverage in Kentucky, Alabama and North Carolina.