Top 5 Halloween Things To Do in Lake County 2021
By: Jonathan Jones 10/13/2021
If you’re into sweets and cosplay, then clearly you must be a big fan of Halloween! It’s challenging to narrow it down to a top 5 Halloween things to do in Lake County, but somebody’s got to do it!
From emulating a door-to-door salesman asking Lake County residents for tricks and/or treats, to getting the bejesus scared out of you at a haunted attraction to sipping down a pumpkin spice brew to trying to find your way home through a maze of cornstalks to Halloween fests, this area provides a sufficient amount of the spooky lifestyle through October 31.
Make sure you find out about all the Halloween happenings throughout the Spooks & Spirits Lake County Autumn Celebration. Continue here to learn more.
Get “Thriller” queued up on your playlist: Here are your top 5 Halloween things to do in Lake County!
You’ll be amazed by their maize mazes.
Richardson’s Adventure Farm & Corn Maze is known for having the world’s most massive corn maze. This year’s theme to the renowned maze is celebrating the Spring Grove farm’s 20th anniversary. The design features the elements of their farm, from their overlooking structure of the labyrinth to the barn, to the Christmas Tree Farms, to the pumpkins and the tulip fest launched earlier this year. The Spring Grove area spans 33 acres of land and is equipped with 11 miles of trails. Besides the famous maze, the Adventure Farm features another five mazes, a zip line, a pumpkin patch, Zorbing rides (a ride inside a giant 11-ball available on weekends), live pig races, a wooded picnic area, free campfires, pedal carts, pedal trikes, a goat farm, a farm carousel and more. You haven’t lived unless you’ve been to
Didier Farms Pumpkinfest. Everyone loves all the extravagant memories from the Lincolnshire/Prairie View Farm. Besides The farm favorite features hayrides, pony rides, camel rides, kiddie rides, an exotic petting zoo, a parakeet exhibit, a corn maze and pig races (the sprinting porkies only gallop on the weekends). Don’t forget to visit Grandma D’s Bake Shop for scrumptious pies, cookies, fudge, homemade apple cider, kettle corn and pumpkin donuts. The farm, originally purchased by John Link, the father of Mary Sue Didier, has been owned by a Didier descendant since 1912. Didier Farms is open through October 31, while Richardson keeps its doors open through November 7.
“Darkness falls across the land. The midnight hour is close at hand. Creatures crawl in search of blood, to terrorize y’alls neighborhood.” Six Flags Great America’s Fright Fest presented by SNICKERS® provides the thrills by day and the frights by night. Crypts, ghouls, zombies and everything else Halloween takes over the Gurnee amusement park on select days through November 3. This eight-week event features 17 thrilling coasters, 10 scare zones, eight spooktacular shows, six haunted houses and so much more.
Ditch the pumpkin spice, and sip 26 Lake County libations to ignite your 2021 fall feels. Lake County is home to delicious suds, vino and spirits with the autumn theme we all know and love. With the spooks side of our Autumn celebration going full-throttle, sometimes you’re not in the boo-mood, and you are more in the brew mood. That’s where the spirits come in. Every year these masons of adult beverages continuously blow our minds with the options they offer at their speakeasies. Celebrate spooky szn the right way by tasting a wide variety of fall libation flights in Lake County. It’s a “barley” adventure. Don't forget to mark your calendars for the Lake County Libation Trail 10 Day Challenge running November 12-21.
Every October, there is a ‘Monster Mash,’ and the haunted attractions in Lake County never fail to scare. There is an abundance of courageous souls out there that want to brave the storm of a professional scarer. That said, Lake County holds a Master’s Degree in terrifying individuals. Visit a haunted house, museum, pyramid or event in Lake County for the full Halloween experience. Get the ever-living daylights spooked out of you at scare staple centers like
Dungeon of Doom Haunted House in Zion or
Realm of Terror Haunted House in Round Lake Beach. Explore the wives-tale, real-life haunted spots around the land of lakes like the
Long Grove Historical Ghost Walk (Oct. 29) or the
Haunted Waukegan Guided Walking Tour (Oct. 30). You may come in dancing, but any second can get you caught in a flash and misstepping your footwork in the Transylvania Twist.
5. Halloween Festivals in Lake County
The autumn box socials have arrived, and Lake County is the hostess with the hocus-pocus. Get your spooks on at a Halloween fest in Lake County and have a scary good time!
- Didier Farms Pumpkinfest (Now through Oct. 31) INFO»
- ZombieWauk in Waukegan (Oct. 16) INFO»
- Trucks, Trunks and Treats in Vernon Hills (Oct. 16) INFO»
- Waukegan Park District Halloween Event: Spooky Party Treat (Oct. 22) INFO»
- Ninth Annual Celebration Dia de Muertos at the Jack Benny Center (Oct. 23) INFO»
- Halloween Hoopla Family Fun Fest in Deerfield (Oct. 23) INFO»
- Fall Bash at Deer Park Town Center (Oct. 23) INFO»
- Harvest Moon at Wild Onion Brewery in Lake Barrington (Oct. 23) INFO»
- Harvest Fest in Antioch (Oct. 23) INFO»
- Mundelein Boo Bash Trunk or Treat (Oct. 23) INFO»
- Fox Lake Halloween Howl (Oct. 25) INFO»
- Sonesta Waukegan Trunk or Treat (Oct. 27) INFO»
- Lincolnshire Boo Bash (Oct. 29) INFO»
- Vernon Hills Fall Fest (Oct. 29) INFO»
"Boo"nus Halloween Things To Do in Lake County
With the amount of Halloween Hootenannies Lake County throws, it’s borderline impossible to make a top-five list. Here are a few ghastly events going on for everyone’s favorite cosplay holiday.
- Jack-O-Lantern World in Lake Zurich (Now through Oct. 31) INFO»
- Howl-O-Ween at Great Wolf Lodge Illinois (Now through Oct. 31) INFO»
- #LetsSnapLakeCounty Photo Contest (Now through Oct. 31) INFO»
- Halloween Town in Long Grove (Now through Oct. 29) INFO»
- ***SOLD OUT***Night of 1,000 Jack-o-Lanterns at Chicago Botanic Garden (Through Oct. 24) INFO»
- Vigneto del Bino Pairing Dinner: Pumpkin Theme in Antioch (Oct. 15) INFO»
- "Hocus Pocus" in the Park in Mundelein (Oct. 15) INFO»
- Haunted Great Lakes at Waukegan Public Library (Oct. 15) INFO»
- Halloween Hoopla: Haunted Hustle and Monster Dash (Oct. 16) INFO»
- October Family Swim Night at Swim Night at Waukegan Park District's Indoor Aquatics Center (Oct. 16) INFO»
- Make Your Own Glass Pumpkins at Peter Patterson Glassworks (Oct. 16-17, 23-24)
- Wauke-Con at Ray Bradbury Experience Museum (Oct. 16-17) INFO»
- Halloween Movie Wednesdays at Zümbier Brewery (Oct. 20, 27) INFO»
- Fox Lake Murder Mystery (Oct. 22) INFO»
- Cars Under the Stars: "Beetlejuice" at Hawthorn Mall (Oct. 22) INFO»
- Halloween Hikes at Ryerson Woods (Oct. 22-23) INFO»
- Go Waukegan Zombie Walk (Oct. 23) INFO»
- Pet Costume Parade at Historic Downtown Long Grove (Oct. 24) INFO»
- You've Been Egged in Grayslake (Oct. 28) INFO»
- Haunted Waukegan Guided Walking Tour (Oct. 28) INFO»
- Halloween Trail of Treats in Zion (Oct. 29) INFO»
- Long Grove Historical Society Walk (Oct. 29) INFO»
- "Dracula: A Live Radio Play" presented by Improv Playhouse (Oct. 29-30) INFO»
- Monster Mash Dash 5K Run & Walk at North Point Marina (Oct. 30) INFO»
- A Very Bradbury Halloween at the Ray Bradbury Experience Museum (Oct. 30) INFO»
- Princess and Monster Tea at the Chocolate Sanctuary (Oct. 30) INFO»
O trick or treat, O trick or treat. How lovely are thine satchels? Maybe that wasn’t the proper lyrics, season or equipment, but it’s that time of year when your youngsters go door-to-door in the neighborhood and demand people to smell their feet and provide their taste buds with some nourishing sugar treats. For if your neighbors refrain from providing tasty treats, these children have don’t have a care in the world and will proceed to embarrass you in front of the whole community by removing your undergarments. So if you want our advice, give the kiddies the candy they deserve.
For more info the top 5 Halloween things to do in Lake County, continue here. To learn more about more going on in the land of lakes, click here.
