Halloween In Iowa: 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 Iowa that are sure to be a scream.
— Stephanie Radabaugh

Harris Haven Funeral Home

A frightening display of the dead haunts the Harris Haven Funeral Home through the month of October. The fictional decayed mansion and nearby cemetery (also fake) are, promises the attraction, home to ghostly apparitions and visits from the original caretaker. Adults and teens wearing a school jersey or apparel receive $2 off the $12 admission.

3767 Lafayette Road, Evansdale, IA 50707 | Get Directions

2-Jo's Town of Terrors

2-Jo's Farm is ordinarily home to an eclectic mix of seasonal attractions (Santa's North Pole) and murder-mystery dinners. But around Halloween, it transforms into 2-Jo's Town of Terrors, which skews to the older teen and adult set. Open every Saturday in the month of October, the Halloween event features edgy live bands (Violent Intent, Revengence), hayrides, bonfires, food stands, a fortune teller, haunted barn, outdoor movies and more. Individual tickets cost $8 for a day filled with Halloween fun, food and music. Parents should use discretion.

2253 73rd St. Highway 30, Van Horne, IA 52346 | Get Directions

Scream Acres Maze

Scream Acres Maze offers family-friendly Halloween activities during the day, and three decidedly scarier attractions at night. The Curtain of Chaos is a maze containing all red-and-white-striped walls in each room, with only one door in and one door out. The Slaughterhouse offers a haunted-house atmosphere. The Haunted Cornfield contains a maze filled with the, well, dead. Scream Acres Maze is open most weekends in October, and admission is $16. Concessions are available.

3260 69th St., Atkins, IA 52206 | Get Directions

Will you wake from the horror of the Harris Haven Funeral Home ... or are you condemned for life?

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

Want other great Halloween-season ideas? Check out FrightQuest and our coverage in Chicago, Illinois and Missouri.

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