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

Halloween At SeaWorld San Antonio

There's plenty for the entire family to do any time you decide to visit SeaWorld, but the park really rolls out the entertainment for Halloween. Its Halloween Spooktacular features a series of Halloween-themed attractions and shows, which are conveniently graded on the SeaWorld website by how frightening each is -- from the "easygoing" Countdown to Halloween, featuring Elmo and other Sesame Street characters, to the "if-you-dare" Frightmare Forest, which gets even scarier after dark. At 6 p.m., the Halloween events transition to Howl-O-Scream, which has more of a haunted-house theme-park feel, but there are still some opportunities for scaredy cats to have fun.

10500 Sea World Dr., San Antonio, TX 78251 | Get Directions

Ghoulwill Ball

Adults not need cede the celebration of Halloween to the Nickelodeon set. Austin's Ghoulwill Ball provides an evening of fun debauchery -- for singles and couples -- complete with music, food and costumes for the 21-and-over crowd. The best part, however: it's for a great cause. The Ghoulwill Ball benefits Goodwill Industries, an international charitable organization. This "divinely wicked" night helps make the city a better place.

200 Lavaca St., Austin, TX 78701 | Get Directions

Boo! At The Zoo

While it wasn't that long ago that young kids could wander the streets on Halloween knocking on doors and collecting candy, that often doesn't fly with parents anymore. But Boo! at the Zoo nights at the Amarillo Zoo create safe environments for kids to run around and have fun. Children can mix their time between observing the animals and playing Halloween games, like a slightly spooky take on miniature golf. Costumes are encouraged.

2400 N. Polk St., Amarillo, TX 79107 | Get Directions

Jack is the star of SeaWorld's Halloween festivities. See him here in action from a previous season's stage show.

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

Want other great Halloween-season ideas? Check out FrightQuest and our coverage in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and New Mexico.