Frightening Fun: 2010 Halloween Events - 4

Busch Gardens Williamsburg lets the dark side take over when Howl-O-Scream begins.  While there are six different haunted houses to explore, the park promises that the "scare is everywhere" once darkness falls.

The twisted attractions include mazes like Catacombs where guests enter a ruined underground city that's infested with rats and the bones of those who never made it out.  Plenty of live entertainment, like the Frakenrock musical production round out the festivities.  There is even a family friendly meal hosted by Count Von Count in Ireland.

Howl-O-Scream takes place on Fridays through Sundays for the rest of October.

Kennywood's legendary Phantom Fright Nights will certainly get your heart pumping.  This event means it when it says it is scary - it's not advised for kids under age 13 to attend.

Many of the park's favorite Haunts will be returning for the 2010 season, including Voodoo Bayou, Mortem's Manor, and the Kennyville Cemetery.  Gory Park is an especially haunted section of the park where the Phantom has unleashed his creatures on unsuspecting guests.

Along with the haunted attractions, the park's rides are open as well - including the Phantom's very own coaster: Phantom's Revenge.  The very popular event takes place on Friday and Saturday nights in October.

Idlewild was recently named the best children's park so it only makes sense that they would have a great Halloween event aimed at kids and families.  Idlewild's Hallowboo! is just that.

The park is decked out in its Halloween finest, and there's tons of activities for families like trick-or-treating in the park's amazing Storybook Forest area and a Hay Bale and Hedge Maze.  Many of the park's existing rides and attractions take on fun Halloween themes during Hallowboo! as well.

Since it is aimed at families Hallowboo! takes place during the day, and is scare free.  You can visit on Saturdays and Sundays during October.

The West Coast is quite the hot spot for Halloween events, and California's Great America continues to hold their own with Halloween Haunt.  In fact, this year features a new attraction, the retheming of the park's log flume into Black Widow's Cavern.

Spiders freak me out in real life, so I can only imagine being stuck on a log flume and traveling through an infestation of arachnids.  Also new for this year is Fangs!, a live show that mixes seductive Vampires with edgy comedy which plays in the Great America Theater.

Old favorites are also back:  Club Blood, Werewolf Canyon, Toy Factory, The Gauntlet, and Witch Doctor's Trail, among others.  The Haunt is a special ticket event and takes place Friday-Sunday evenings throughout the month.

Magic Springs and Crystal Falls is returning Magic Screams for the 2010 season, and making it bigger than ever.  The event will features several haunted houses like Phobia: House of Fears and Murder Mansion, both of which sound pretty intense.

If haunted houses aren't your thing, the park still has plenty for you.  Take for instance the Dead Elvis Review show, which is a mix of some of the King's most popular music with a Halloween twist.  Sounds like something you'll have to see to believe!

The park will also have a show for kids titled Creature Feature, where kids can get up close and personal with some of the "misunderstood" creepy crawlers.  I'm all for educational experiences but keep the bugs away from me!

Magic Screams takes place weekends in October.

If you're looking for a scary time in Sin City then Circus Circus's Fright Dome is the place for you.  The annual Halloween event takes over the Adventuredome Theme Park and features some of the latest and greatest Haunts around.

This year will feature a Saw themed maze, where guests not only have to survive Jigsaw's traps but find a way to escape them.  Another new maze is themed to the recent My Bloody Valentine feature film, where a serial killer has the entire theme park on edge.

There's several other mazes, and plenty of scare zones as well - and all the park's rides on top of that.  Fright Dome runs on select days throughout the month of October.