Now that Halloween is just around the corner, it’s time to get ready for every thrill-seeker’s favorite fall activity… haunted house attractions! Prepare to be scared out of your mind at these seven best haunted houses in Iowa.
- Scream Acres, Atkins
Scream Acres/Facebook Scream Acres is a four-part haunted attraction that offers a haunted cornfield, a slaughterhouse-themed scare area, a zombie prison, and a 2,800-square-foot carnival-themed haunt. Scream Acres is open every Friday and Saturday night in October and tickets can be purchased at the ticket booth. To go through all three attractions, it usually takes about 25 to 40 minutes. Visit the Scream Acres website for more information, including current hours and ticket prices. Scream Acres Scream Park, 3260 69th St, Atkins, IA 52206, USA
- The Haunted Forest, Ames
Ames Haunted Forest The Haunted Forest in Ames offers a full thirty minutes of fear-packed excitement and the scariest walk you’ll take all year. The park is open every weekend in October. Visit The Haunted Forest website for more information, including current hours and ticket prices. Haunted Forest, 1400 S 4th St, Ames, IA 50010, USA
- The Heart of Darkness, Waterloo
The Heart of Darkness/Facebook The Heart of Darkness in Waterloo just might be the scariest haunted house in Iowa! It offers 13 different haunted areas including a maze, 3D haunted circus, haunted barn, Darkhold Castle, and more. Plus, you can enjoy live music and food while you wait! Tickets are cheaper if you buy them online, and they offer military discounts, family discounts, and kids’ nights. They are open during the month of October on Thursdays through Sundays. Visit The Heart of Darkness website for more information, including current hours and ticket prices. The Heart of Darkness, 5111 Osage Rd, Waterloo, IA 50703, USA
- Scare Central, Sioux City
Scare Central/Facebook Scare Central in Sioux City offers two different scare complexes. The first is Nightmare on 4th Street, which offers over 5,000 square feet of terror as you walk through the dark attraction filled with terrifying live actors, amazing special effects, and incredible monsters. The second is the Fear Factory, which offers 4,500 square feet of horror as you encounter flesh-eating zombies. Nightmare on 4th Street and the Fear Factory are both open weekends from late September through Halloween. You can opt to visit either haunted attraction or buy a combination ticket to experience both. Visit the Scare Central website for more information, including current hours and ticket prices. Scare Central, 1227 4th St, Sioux City, IA 51101, USA
- Sleepy Hollow Haunted Scream Park, Des Moines
Facebook/Sleepy Hollow Haunted Scream Park Sleepy Hollow Haunted Scream Park is one of the Midwest’s best haunted theme parks and they create an atmosphere like nothing else you will encounter. They offer many attractions including the Castle of Blood haunted house, zombie paintball, a freak-show-themed haunt, Nightmare Estates, a 3D alien attack gallery, a fog maze, and more. Plus, they have delicious food vendors if you get hungry and bonfires set up to keep you warm. They are open on select dates in October and there are several levels of ticket pricing depending on what you want to do. Visit the Sleepy Hollow Haunted Scream Park website for more information, including current hours and ticket prices. SLEEPY HOLLOW’S HAUNTED SCREAM PARK, 4051 Dean Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317, USA
- Thrashers House of Terror, Mount Pleasant
Thrashers House of Terror/Facebook From creepy clowns to evil doctors, Thrashers House of Terror is definitely a top contender for the spookiest haunted house in Iowa. It’s open on Thursdays through Sundays during October and you can either purchase a regular ticket or opt for a fast pass to skip the line. Are you brave enough to enter this twisted circus? Visit the Thrashers House of Terror website for more information, including current hours and ticket prices. Thrashers House Of Terror, 405 E Thresher Rd, Mt Pleasant, IA 52641, USA
- Zombie Hollow, Urbandale
Zombie Hollow/Facebook Zombie Hollow, in Urbandale, is less of a haunted house and more of a yard haunt. This is a great, family-friendly haunted house where you can take the kids to see a dazzling show without having to walk through pitch-black rooms and be grabbed. Editor’s Note: As of 2021, Zombie Hollow was beginning the process of relocating from a residential home to a larger-scale venue. We are currently awaiting a response regarding whether or not they plan to open for the 2022 season. Visit the Zombie Hollow Facebook page for the latest updates. Urbandale, IA, USA
What do you think is the scariest haunted house in Iowa? Share it with us! If you need a break from thrills and chills, check out our previous article for the best pumpkin patches in Iowa to visit on a fall day.
Scream Acres/Facebook
Scream Acres is a four-part haunted attraction that offers a haunted cornfield, a slaughterhouse-themed scare area, a zombie prison, and a 2,800-square-foot carnival-themed haunt. Scream Acres is open every Friday and Saturday night in October and tickets can be purchased at the ticket booth. To go through all three attractions, it usually takes about 25 to 40 minutes. Visit the Scream Acres website for more information, including current hours and ticket prices.
Scream Acres Scream Park, 3260 69th St, Atkins, IA 52206, USA
Ames Haunted Forest
The Haunted Forest in Ames offers a full thirty minutes of fear-packed excitement and the scariest walk you’ll take all year. The park is open every weekend in October. Visit The Haunted Forest website for more information, including current hours and ticket prices.
Haunted Forest, 1400 S 4th St, Ames, IA 50010, USA
The Heart of Darkness/Facebook
The Heart of Darkness in Waterloo just might be the scariest haunted house in Iowa! It offers 13 different haunted areas including a maze, 3D haunted circus, haunted barn, Darkhold Castle, and more. Plus, you can enjoy live music and food while you wait! Tickets are cheaper if you buy them online, and they offer military discounts, family discounts, and kids’ nights. They are open during the month of October on Thursdays through Sundays. Visit The Heart of Darkness website for more information, including current hours and ticket prices.
The Heart of Darkness, 5111 Osage Rd, Waterloo, IA 50703, USA
Scare Central/Facebook
Scare Central in Sioux City offers two different scare complexes. The first is Nightmare on 4th Street, which offers over 5,000 square feet of terror as you walk through the dark attraction filled with terrifying live actors, amazing special effects, and incredible monsters. The second is the Fear Factory, which offers 4,500 square feet of horror as you encounter flesh-eating zombies. Nightmare on 4th Street and the Fear Factory are both open weekends from late September through Halloween. You can opt to visit either haunted attraction or buy a combination ticket to experience both. Visit the Scare Central website for more information, including current hours and ticket prices.
Scare Central, 1227 4th St, Sioux City, IA 51101, USA
Facebook/Sleepy Hollow Haunted Scream Park
Sleepy Hollow Haunted Scream Park is one of the Midwest’s best haunted theme parks and they create an atmosphere like nothing else you will encounter. They offer many attractions including the Castle of Blood haunted house, zombie paintball, a freak-show-themed haunt, Nightmare Estates, a 3D alien attack gallery, a fog maze, and more. Plus, they have delicious food vendors if you get hungry and bonfires set up to keep you warm. They are open on select dates in October and there are several levels of ticket pricing depending on what you want to do. Visit the Sleepy Hollow Haunted Scream Park website for more information, including current hours and ticket prices.
SLEEPY HOLLOW’S HAUNTED SCREAM PARK, 4051 Dean Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317, USA
Thrashers House of Terror/Facebook
From creepy clowns to evil doctors, Thrashers House of Terror is definitely a top contender for the spookiest haunted house in Iowa. It’s open on Thursdays through Sundays during October and you can either purchase a regular ticket or opt for a fast pass to skip the line. Are you brave enough to enter this twisted circus? Visit the Thrashers House of Terror website for more information, including current hours and ticket prices.
Thrashers House Of Terror, 405 E Thresher Rd, Mt Pleasant, IA 52641, USA
Zombie Hollow/Facebook
Zombie Hollow, in Urbandale, is less of a haunted house and more of a yard haunt. This is a great, family-friendly haunted house where you can take the kids to see a dazzling show without having to walk through pitch-black rooms and be grabbed. Editor’s Note: As of 2021, Zombie Hollow was beginning the process of relocating from a residential home to a larger-scale venue. We are currently awaiting a response regarding whether or not they plan to open for the 2022 season. Visit the Zombie Hollow Facebook page for the latest updates.
Urbandale, IA, USA
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The OIYS Visitor Center
Haunted and Creepy Places in Iowa August 22, 2022 Katie Lawrence Where is the creepiest town in Iowa? Hands-down, Villisca is the creepiest town in Iowa. Home to one of the most notorious cold cases in the world, the Villisca Axe Murders, this tiny town of just under 1,200 is one place you don’t want to visit at night or alone. Those who are brave enough, however, can actually spend the night in the house where an entire family, as well as two family friends who were staying over, were mercilessly killed in their sleep. A word of caution, though: the former crime scene is allegedly riddled with paranormal activity. Guest after guest has reported experiencing unexplained phenomena during their stay, from hearing disembodied voices to seeing full-blown apparitions. Some have even witnessed blood stains on the walls disappear right before their very eyes! Villisca definitely isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you’re looking to see a ghost, we can’t imagine a better place. Are there any haunted restaurants or bars in Iowa? Most people don’t know there is a haunted bar in Iowa — and it happens to be located in one of our state’s oldest and most historic hotels! Hotel Blackhawk is a Davenport icon, built in 1915 and boasting over 400 guest rooms. Plenty of notable figures have stayed in the hotel, including legendary actor, Cary Grant, who tragically died in his room after becoming ill at a nearby theater. Today, hotel guests often recount experiencing things that simply cannot be explained by science, such as feeling cold spots and hearing noises that appear to have no origin. A few (un)lucky folks have even spotted the ghost of Grant wandering the halls! The hotel’s on-site bar, Bix Bistro, is the perfect place to unwind with a nice glass of wine or a cocktail in between your ghost-hunting shenanigans. Just don’t be surprised if the person you start chatting with mysteriously disappears a second later. Drinks aren’t the only spirits you’ll find here! What are the creepiest cemeteries in Iowa? Cemeteries are quite peaceful — some would even go as far to say they’re beautiful — but there’s no denying their eeriness. One of the creepiest cemeteries in Iowa is, without a doubt, Oakland Cemetery. This Iowa City graveyard dates to 1843, making it one of the oldest cemeteries in the state. It’s full of fascinating history — and a ghost story — because what good is a cemetery without one? There is a statue within the cemetery, known as the Black Angel, that has become the object of an urban legend over the years. Despite its beauty, the coal-colored statue is said to strike anyone who touches it dead. While this notion has been tested (and proven false), there is an undeniably spooky energy surrounding it. If you happen to visit during winter and see the statue covered in snow, it’s even more hauntingly breathtaking.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Haunted and Creepy Places in Iowa
August 22, 2022
Katie Lawrence
Where is the creepiest town in Iowa? Hands-down, Villisca is the creepiest town in Iowa. Home to one of the most notorious cold cases in the world, the Villisca Axe Murders, this tiny town of just under 1,200 is one place you don’t want to visit at night or alone. Those who are brave enough, however, can actually spend the night in the house where an entire family, as well as two family friends who were staying over, were mercilessly killed in their sleep. A word of caution, though: the former crime scene is allegedly riddled with paranormal activity. Guest after guest has reported experiencing unexplained phenomena during their stay, from hearing disembodied voices to seeing full-blown apparitions. Some have even witnessed blood stains on the walls disappear right before their very eyes! Villisca definitely isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you’re looking to see a ghost, we can’t imagine a better place. Are there any haunted restaurants or bars in Iowa? Most people don’t know there is a haunted bar in Iowa — and it happens to be located in one of our state’s oldest and most historic hotels! Hotel Blackhawk is a Davenport icon, built in 1915 and boasting over 400 guest rooms. Plenty of notable figures have stayed in the hotel, including legendary actor, Cary Grant, who tragically died in his room after becoming ill at a nearby theater. Today, hotel guests often recount experiencing things that simply cannot be explained by science, such as feeling cold spots and hearing noises that appear to have no origin. A few (un)lucky folks have even spotted the ghost of Grant wandering the halls! The hotel’s on-site bar, Bix Bistro, is the perfect place to unwind with a nice glass of wine or a cocktail in between your ghost-hunting shenanigans. Just don’t be surprised if the person you start chatting with mysteriously disappears a second later. Drinks aren’t the only spirits you’ll find here! What are the creepiest cemeteries in Iowa? Cemeteries are quite peaceful — some would even go as far to say they’re beautiful — but there’s no denying their eeriness. One of the creepiest cemeteries in Iowa is, without a doubt, Oakland Cemetery. This Iowa City graveyard dates to 1843, making it one of the oldest cemeteries in the state. It’s full of fascinating history — and a ghost story — because what good is a cemetery without one? There is a statue within the cemetery, known as the Black Angel, that has become the object of an urban legend over the years. Despite its beauty, the coal-colored statue is said to strike anyone who touches it dead. While this notion has been tested (and proven false), there is an undeniably spooky energy surrounding it. If you happen to visit during winter and see the statue covered in snow, it’s even more hauntingly breathtaking.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Hands-down, Villisca is the creepiest town in Iowa. Home to one of the most notorious cold cases in the world, the Villisca Axe Murders, this tiny town of just under 1,200 is one place you don’t want to visit at night or alone. Those who are brave enough, however, can actually spend the night in the house where an entire family, as well as two family friends who were staying over, were mercilessly killed in their sleep. A word of caution, though: the former crime scene is allegedly riddled with paranormal activity. Guest after guest has reported experiencing unexplained phenomena during their stay, from hearing disembodied voices to seeing full-blown apparitions. Some have even witnessed blood stains on the walls disappear right before their very eyes! Villisca definitely isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you’re looking to see a ghost, we can’t imagine a better place.
Are there any haunted restaurants or bars in Iowa?
Most people don’t know there is a haunted bar in Iowa — and it happens to be located in one of our state’s oldest and most historic hotels! Hotel Blackhawk is a Davenport icon, built in 1915 and boasting over 400 guest rooms. Plenty of notable figures have stayed in the hotel, including legendary actor, Cary Grant, who tragically died in his room after becoming ill at a nearby theater. Today, hotel guests often recount experiencing things that simply cannot be explained by science, such as feeling cold spots and hearing noises that appear to have no origin. A few (un)lucky folks have even spotted the ghost of Grant wandering the halls! The hotel’s on-site bar, Bix Bistro, is the perfect place to unwind with a nice glass of wine or a cocktail in between your ghost-hunting shenanigans. Just don’t be surprised if the person you start chatting with mysteriously disappears a second later. Drinks aren’t the only spirits you’ll find here!
What are the creepiest cemeteries in Iowa?
Cemeteries are quite peaceful — some would even go as far to say they’re beautiful — but there’s no denying their eeriness. One of the creepiest cemeteries in Iowa is, without a doubt, Oakland Cemetery. This Iowa City graveyard dates to 1843, making it one of the oldest cemeteries in the state. It’s full of fascinating history — and a ghost story — because what good is a cemetery without one? There is a statue within the cemetery, known as the Black Angel, that has become the object of an urban legend over the years. Despite its beauty, the coal-colored statue is said to strike anyone who touches it dead. While this notion has been tested (and proven false), there is an undeniably spooky energy surrounding it. If you happen to visit during winter and see the statue covered in snow, it’s even more hauntingly breathtaking.
