Haunted houses and Halloween nights in Chicago, and where to eat after

Halloween 2026 is a Saturday. The Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade runs on Halloween night itself, and the Arts in the Dark parade downtown is one week earlier, on Saturday, October 24. The Bears are not home that weekend; their nearest home game is Thursday, October 22. Most of the haunted houses worth a ticket are not in the city. 13th Floor Chicago is in Schiller Park near O’Hare, Midnight Terror is in Oak Lawn, HellsGate is in Lockport, and Fright Fest, Realm of Terror and Dungeon of Doom are up in Lake County toward the Wisconsin line. This is the scary half of a night out. The eating half is at the end, back in the city.

I write the haunt guides on Mr. Fear, a Halloween site, and I am a guest here. Top of Chicago asked for the haunted houses. They supplied the tables.

The night, in order

Pick the haunt first, then stay in that part of the metro; do not plan to cross it between two timed tickets. 13th Floor Chicago asks you to arrive 15 to 30 minutes before your ticket time. Late October weekends are the busiest: HellsGate recommends a Thursday or a Sunday for little to no wait, Midnight Terror suggests earlier in its season or a Sunday, and 5 Points Haunted House in West Chicago says walk-ups may be turned away on Saturdays near Halloween. HellsGate, the Sonny Acres hayride and Fright Fest are outdoors, so dress for a cold, possibly wet night. Read the costume rules too: Fright Fest bans costumes and full-face masks for anyone over 12, and 13th Floor, Midnight Terror and Basement of the Dead do not allow masks. Suburbs set their own trick-or-treat hours, so check your own town.

The haunted houses

• HellsGate Haunted House, Lockport: an outdoor walk through the woods and a cemetery that ends at a mansion, about 45 minutes to an hour. Select nights September 24 to November 1, 7 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Everyone parks at 301 W. 2nd Street and takes a shuttle. Not recommended under 12, and anyone under 16 needs a parent or guardian.
• 13th Floor Chicago, Schiller Park: two haunted houses in 2026, Black Hollow Institute and Woman in White, plus Mini Escape Games and two 21+ secret bars. Select nights September 12 to November 8. The organizer suggests 12 and up, and bans props, backpacks and bags larger than 4.5 by 6.5 inches.
• Fright Fest at Six Flags Great America, Gurnee: five haunted mazes, two of them new this year (Blair Witch: No Signal and Nightmares), and seven scare zones. Select nights September 19 to November 1.
• Midnight Terror Haunted House, Oak Lawn: select nights from Friday, September 25 to Sunday, November 1, usually opening at 7 p.m. Tickets come with a time slot and all sales are final. Costumes are fine, masks and props are not, and parking is free.
• Basement of the Dead, Aurora: two indoor attractions downtown, Basement of the Dead and Shattered 3D, open rain or shine from September 18 to November 7, 7 to 10 p.m. on operating nights. The venue recommends 13 and up.
• Realm of Terror, Round Lake Beach: its 24th season, October 3 to 31, with a Monster Museum included in online tickets. Friday and Saturday nights run 7 to 11 p.m. Thursday, October 29 is a No Actor Night, and on Halloween it opens early at 6 p.m. Not recommended under 13.

With kids

The daytime events are the plan for younger children. Spooky Zoo at Lincoln Park Zoo is free trick-or-treating on Saturday, October 17; the zoo had not posted a start time when I checked. On Saturday, October 24, Midnight Terror runs a non-scary Trick-or-Treat Event from noon to 2 p.m., and Realm of Terror runs Family Frights from noon to 3 p.m. Kids Boo Fest at Six Flags Great America has a trick-or-treat trail and a corn maze on select days before sunset; Fright Fest takes over the same park after dark, so leave early with small children. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns in Glencoe runs October 7 to 11, 14 to 18 and 21 to 25, 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., rain or shine. On Halloween night, spectators at the Haunted Halsted parade are free and all ages, and the costume contest has a youth category for under 13.

Twenty-one and over

The Haunted Halloween Ball fills the Congress Plaza Hotel ballrooms on October 31 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., 21 and over with ID, and a costume is required. Lincoln Park Zoo’s Zoo Brews: Howls and Growls sets up beer and cider tastings at trick-or-treat stations on October 23 and 24, 6:30 to 10 p.m., with no one under 21 admitted and no full-face coverings. Ghost City Tours runs a Chicago Haunted Pub Crawl for 21 and over, and the Haunted Halsted block party sells beer and spirits only to guests 21 and over with valid ID.

What is not open this year

The Old Joliet Haunted Prison is not running in 2026. The City of Joliet did not renew the operator’s arrangement, and the attraction’s website still shows 2025 dates. Statesville Haunted Prison in Crest Hill closed after its 2021 season. Universal Horror Unleashed Chicago is not open this year either; it is still under construction.

The full list

Dates, ticket rules, ages and directions for every one of these, plus Dungeon of Doom, Duchess Manor, the pumpkin farms and both parades, are on my beat, not a restaurant site’s. The full Chicago haunted houses and Halloween events guide on Mr. Fear has all 22 listings checked against each organizer’s own page, with the links to buy.

Where to eat after

The suburban haunts run until 10 or 11 p.m., and all three kitchens below stay open until at least 11 p.m. on Saturdays. They suit the city half of Halloween: the Haunted Halsted parade ends at 8 p.m. on October 31. Topolobampo is in River North and Maple & Ash is in the Gold Coast, both just north of the Loop, and Girl & The Goat is on Randolph Street in the West Loop. These three are on the Top of Chicago fine dining list. The scores are theirs, not mine.