Please click here to view all Sanford Halloween Events for 2016

As every year, here are my top picks for Halloween events in the Sanford and Orlando area. Obviously, there are quite a bit more out there so please feel free to add to the list by posting your comment below!

Many Halloween events are annual events so feel free to browse through the Halloween events post of earlier years to find even more events. 2008 & 2010 | 2009

Sanford FL Halloween Events

Trick or Treat in Sanford FLSpooky Hollow, October 31, 2011 – 6pm-8pm

A fun, free Halloween event for the little ones in historic downtown Sanford. Go trick or treating with the downtown merchants. Games, prizes and surprises! Costume contest and more!

Third Annual Spirits in Sanford, Saturday, October 8, 2011 – 10am-4pm

If you have a passion for Halloween collectibles, don’t miss Spirits in Sanford, the only Halloween Art Show on the East Coast! You will enjoy highest quality Halloween art in an unexpected atmosphere of wicked delight.

Jeanine Taylor Folk Art Gallery, 211 East 1st Street, Sanford, FL 32771-1376 – (407) 323-2774

Click here for more information.

Macabre Carnival Sanford FLMACABRE CARNIVAL, Oct. 1, 2011 – 8:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.

In cooperation with the Zoo, Horrorscapes is horrifying-ly pleased to present macabre carnival full of fun, food and the undead! You must be 18 or older to attend. Tickets are $15 advanced purchase, $20 at the door and $10 for designated driver. Wear your Halloween costume to enter our costume contest! FREE BEER (8 p.m. to 9 p.m.) limit 3 and $1.00 beer and $2.00 mixed drinks.

Order tickets online at relishthefear.com or call 407.437.2886 for more information.

3755 NW US Highway 17/92, Sanford FL 32771

Seminole State College PlanetariumHalloween Extravaganza, October 22, 2011 – 5:00pm-10:00pm

This one sounds very interesting and is even quite educational. No wonder, it’s at the The Planetarium at Seminole State College in Sanford. This annual family event features a haunted school (awesome!), a costume contest for children 12 years and younger, candy and prizes, telescopes for peering into the wonders of the night sky, and the show “Into the West: Astronomical Origins of Halloween.”

Adults $2, children 5 and up $1, younger than 5 free.

The Planetarium at Seminole State College in Sanford, 100 Weldon Blvd., Sanford, FL 32771 – Visit www.seminolestate.edu/planet

Zoo Boo BashZOO Boo Bash, October 22, 23, 29 & 30, 2011 – 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Trick or treat in the wildest neighborhood in town during the Central Florida Zoo’s ZOO Boo Bash. It’s a safe, fun, and not-too-scary event for young and old alike. Kids are invited to bring goodie bags and wear costumes for trick or treat stations.

If you forget your costume, face painting will be available. Take a haunted hayride, visit the Pumpkin Patch for a fun photo, and learn about the myths and realities of some misunderstood animals. For more information, call 407.323.4450 ext. 100.

3755 NW US Highway 17/92, Sanford FL 32771

Sanford Pumpkin Patch 2011 – Oct. 13th – 31st

Kids Story Time: 9am, 10am and 11am Oct. 19th-21st

Hours: Mon-Fri: 2pm to Dusk | Sat: 10am to Dusk | Sun: 12pm to Dusk

Lakeside Fellowship United Methodist Church – 305 S. Orange Blvd – Sanford, FL 32771 – MORE INFO

First Annual Ghost Walking Tour in Sanford, Florida – Saturday, October 22, 2011
Time: 7:00 PM
Venue: Art Affair Gallery, Sanford, FL
Website: http://ArtAffairGallery.com
This is the perfect event for those in Orlando seeking a unique and authentic Halloween experience. Begin your tour of the paranormal at Art Affair Gallery. Researchers from RIP Hunters will be your guides as you tour historic Sanford in search of the city’s ghosts. You will visit place where there has been documented paranormal activity. Fear not! Your guides are experienced in interacting with the other-worldly.

Zooloween Sanford

ZOOloween, Saturday, October 22, 2011 – 7:00 p.m. to midnight

CLICK HERE to get your Zooloween tickets HALF OFF!

This one sounds like a great party, and I love the fact that designated drivers pay less than half of admission, very fair!

A fright-filled event with adult potions and concoctions, bizarre foods, zombie dancing, laser hunting for Zombies, dead music by live bands, a wicked costume contest, haunted laboratory, creepy carnival games, ghost train and more. Must be 21 or older to attend.

Call 407.323.4450 ext.100 for tickets or to learn more about the event or click here to view the event poster.

$35 per person; $40 at the door; $15 for designated drivers.

3755 NW US Highway 17/92, Sanford FL 32771

Ladybird Academy’s SPOOKTASTIC Trick or Treat Party, Friday October 28th 2011 – 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Come join us on October 28th for our SPOOKTASTIC Trick or Treat Party! The event will feature a themed buffet, trick or treating around the Ladybird classrooms, bouncy house and games, and a costume contest.

Kids, Don’t Forget Your Costume!

Ladybird Academy at Lake Mary – 185 Timacuan Blvd, – Lake Mary, FL, 32746

Sanford Walking Dead Pub CrawlWalking Dead Pub Crawl, Friday October 28th, 2011 – 7pm-2am

Sanford’s pub crawls are always fun, and this one promises to be quite scary! Join the fun during the Walking Dead Pub Invasion touring (in this order):

  • Fat Rat’s Lounge
  • Jason’s Martini Club
  • West End Trading Co.
  • Little Fish Huge Pond
  • Sanford Wine Company
  • JJ Hancock

Monster Ball, Saturday, October 29th, 2011 – 7pm – 1am

Dress up in your finest Monster Ball attire and slink, crawl, bound in for our First Annual Monster Ball at Art Affair Gallery. Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place for Costumes, Raffle Tickets for Wine and more, Specials all night for our ghoulish ghosts, and Skary-O-Kee! Come and join the fun. Reservations are suggested.

This is a FREE event!

Art Affair Gallery, 301 East First Street, Sanford, Florida 32771 | More info: Ronda Richley, 407-898-2855

Other Seminole County Halloween Events

Halloween Costume Exhibit, October 6 – 22, 2011

An exhibit of unique vintage Halloween costumes from the 1920s and 30s at the Lake Mary Historical Museum.

Lake Mary Historical Museum – 158 N. Country Club Road – Lake Mary, FL 32746

Museum Hours: Thursdays: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm | Saturdays: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

Lake Mary Candlelight Tales, Friday, October 14th and 21st, 7pm

Step back in time to the 19th century as storyteller Joe Rosier regales you with haunting stories about Florida’s past and things that still go bump in the night. Not recommended for children under 6.

$5 for adults and $2 for kids under 18. Reservations Required.

Call 407-585-1481 or send an Email to: info@lakemaryhistory.org. Please be sure to include your daytime contact number and the preferred night.

Lake Mary Historical Museum – 158 N. Country Club Road – Lake Mary, FL 32746

Lake Mary Ghost Walks, Saturday, October 15th & 22nd, 7pm

Meet some of Lake Mary’s ghosts and hear their stories on the 45 minute Ghost Walk. Escorted tours depart every 10 minutes.

$5 for adults and $2 for children under 18. Reservations are required.

Call 407-585-1481 or Email: info@lakemaryhistory.org. Please be sure to include your daytime contact number and preferred date.

Lake Mary Historical Museum – 158 N. Country Club Road – Lake Mary, FL 32746

Doorways to Nightmares – Face the Fear 2011, October 29-31, Longwood

A haunted house with a dreamy theme…

Theme: When the Schohoffer Sleep Institute was created to study the nature of human dreaming, no one could have imagined the vulnerability of the human mind in its unconscious state. Once it was discovered that it is possible for people to communicate with each other through their dreams, it was only a matter of time before someone would use this information to manipulate minds. When this happened, the quiet halls of the sleep institute became Doorways to Nightmares.

This Halloween be prepared to confront many of the darkest fears and most terrifying situations that you have ever, quite literally, dreamt up.

Address: 205 S Milwee St, Longwood, FL 32750

Phone: 407-324-0203 – More information at http://www.facethefearhouse.com

Petrified Forest Altamonte SpringsA Petrified Forest, September 30 – October 31, 2011

This is a popular Haunted House, or should I say, Haunted Forest in Altamonte Springs. There will be live music on the opening night on September 30, a great way to start Halloween Season 2011 😉

This year there will even be a laser tag course ($5). Tickets range from $10 for a backstage only tour (see how Petrified Forest scares you all), $15 for the path ticket or $20 for the backstage and path ticket combo. I for my part will have to take the latter because I am such a baby when it comes to haunted houses, I will actually have to take a peek behind the scenes first so I don’t get scared too badly…

More information can be found at apetrifiedforest.com

Halloween Events in the Orlando Area

Ghost Stories – Harry P. Leu Gardens -Friday, October 28 – 7:30 – 9:30 pm

Harry P. Leu Gardens and Project Imagination present a haunting story telling event for Central Floridians. Hear eerie stories of strange and mysterious encounters that will send shivers down your spine. The theme this year is “Something Wicked This Way Comes”. Bring a blanket or chairs – this is an outdoor event, weather permitting. Hotdogs, sausages, drinks and “treats” available for purchase. Warning: due to the nature of the stories, this event is not recommended for young children. Children 15 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are purchased at the door: $10 adult, $5 member/child, 4 years and under are free.

1920 North Forest Ave. Orlando, FL 32803 – 407-246-2620

Apopka Halloween House – October 30 , 2011 to October 31, 2011

  • Times: October 31, 2011 at dusk.
  • Location: Apopka Halloween House VII, 541 Mt. Argyll Court, Apopka, Florida 32712
  • Admission: FREE Halloween event.
  • Contact: Apopka Halloween House, phone: 407-618-3190 (phone is in service in October only)

A free and fun private haunted house put on by the owners every Halloween Night since 2003. This Halloween event is filled with many scary props, music and a graveyard. Attend only if you dare! Sneak peak before spirits arrive on Saturday, October 30.

“The 13 Sisters Inn” Haunted House, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10/14-10/29 starting at 7pm

From the Sorosis Club Orange City:

Theme: Local folklore can be the most frightening of legends told and the The 13 Sisters Inn rekindles the stories of old. While researching the history of the Orange City Sorosis Club we stumbled upon several shocking references of witchcraft and sorcery among the first Sorosis Club Sisters. A mystery surrounds the origins of this club. Dark and Sinister.

We decided to recreate the boarding home that once stood on the very grounds our club now sits. The 13 Sisters Inn ran from 1898 until 1911. No references of these women could be found after that date. It is as if they just disappeared. Where did these women come from? Where did they go? Folklore and legend tell of hangings for witchcraft. Oldtimers recall strange campfire tales of 13 sisters being tied to stones and drown and now they haunt these very grounds promising…… revenge……..

THE 100 Year anniversary is upon us and we fear the old women will make their ghostly appearance. Be careful where YOU tread. Be careful what you say. They are listening and they can smell your fear. If you hear the sound of Metal scraping…. Just know, they keep the meat-hooks sharpened at all times…

Admission: $7.00 (adults), $5.00 (10 and under) – MORE INFO

Orange City Sorosis Club – 222 E University Ave Orange City FL

Check out my post about Halloween Events in Orlando in 2009 for some more ideas. Events like the ones in theme parks typically don’t change, so you can be sure Mickey’s not so scary Halloween Party, Seaworld’s Spooctacular and of course Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights will take place just as every year.

Halloween Party 2009 in Lake MaryI am also fairly sure that downtown Orlando’s Wall Street Plaza will have a Halloween Block Party, this year the weekend before Halloween. Keep checking back on their web site to stay informed.

Orlando – Downtown Orlando Ghost Tour – 9/2/2011 to 9/30/2011 Heritage Square

Hear tales of Orlando’s shady past, going as far back as 1886, including: An infamous bordello, the first public cemetery (now the site of an office building), and a hotbed of paranormal activity at Church Street Station.

  • Tours meet at 8 p.m.
  • $30 Adults, $15 Children ages 6–12, Free for children under 5
  • $25 Seniors, military, firefighters, police, teachers, students
  • MORE INFO

Heritage Square – 65 E. Central Blvd., Orlando – Parking: Public Library garage – 112 E. Central Blvd.

Orlando – The Last Call: Haunted Pub Tour – 10/15/2011 to 10/28/2011 Downtown Orlando

Join American Ghost Adventures on a guided tour of some of downtown Orlando’s most haunted bars, pubs and restaurants while enjoying your favorite “spirits” at Happy Hour prices.

  • Saturday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m.
  • Friday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m.
  • Friday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m.
  • $20 per person, ages 21 and up only!
  • MORE INFO

Tours meet at VS Sports Bar – 100 E. Pine St., Orlando

Here a video that I shot 3 years ago at Universal Horror Nights…

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I know there are probably a lot more events in the Orlando area, so please feel free to add to the list by posting in the comment section below and share these events with everyone else!