San Diego is known for its sunny days, beautiful temperatures, and stunning sea views, but there is one time of year when it is also known for its dark nights and spooky delights. That time of year when the curtain between the living and the not living is paper thin, when costumed creatures roam the streets seeking sweet treats from strangers, and houses that are haunted become the star attraction. We are, of course, talking about Halloween in San Diego, and if your spooktacular San Diego journey takes place over this wonderful holiday, choosing Vacation Rentals by Kimberly promises to bring you comforts and luxuries each night while you fill each day with chills and spooky thrills, such as the ones listed below.
Pick Your Pumpkin
What is Halloween without an orange gourd? Not very fun is our answer, and you can pick your own pumpkin with a visit to Mr. Jack O’Lanterns Pumpkin Patch. Offering two locations, 6710 La Jolla Boulevard in La Jolla and 3190 Mission Boulevard in San Diego, visitors can roam their patches looking for the perfect pumpkins, participate in pumpkin carving activities, carnival games, and explore mazes that are more fun than scary for the little ones. This family friendly activity will be the highlight of your San Diego getaway, especially for the littles, as they also offer bounce houses to delight and thrill!
Glow Up and Trick or Treat
Halloween Aglow, held at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 2300 Expedition Way in La Jolla, is one of our kids’ favorite events, and we are pretty sure it will be yours too! Held the last weekend in October, kids are encouraged to wear their costume as they go trick or treating around the aquarium, enjoying spooky thrills such as skeleton divers in the Giant Kelp Forest, interactive experiments with bioluminescence, and simple fun while dancing to live music and playing games.
They Can Hear You Scream at the Del Mar Fairgrounds
The Del Mar Scream Zone has been this area’s longest running haunted attraction, having opened their squeaking doors for over 20 years. Perhaps not meant for the tiniest travelers in your group, this haunted trail truly frightens and is known as the scariest and goriest attraction in the state. In other words, they LOVE to hear you scream, offering three haunts that include the Haunted Hayride, Stars of the Silver Scream, and Labyrinth Manor. There will also be Halloween themed midway games, rides, and food and beverages, ensuring that you will experience a well-rounded Halloween activity if you can stomach the scares!
A Crawl to Remember
This next event, the Pacific Beach Halloween Pub Crawl, is for the over 21 crowd only, as it involves pubs and alcohol, occurring on the Friday and Saturday before Halloween. Offering an all-access pass to 10+ pubs that include drink vouchers, invitations to Halloween parties, and welcome shots at participating pubs.
Downtown
We’ve taken you on a tour of the area, stopping in at some of our favorite holiday events, but perhaps your favorite moments will be the ones you enjoy while exploring the downtown area of San Diego. The entire downtown becomes one big Halloween event, and we have listed some of the most popular ones below.
- WCKD Haunted Village, Gaslamp Quarter – The historic Gaslamp Quarter becomes Halloween central, offering escape rooms, holiday themed games, three music stages, and a costume contest in which the winners can score the big bucks.
- Halloween Trail at Petco Park – Featuring a haunted trail, a Halloween market, and pumpkin patch, this family friendly event always shines bright over all Hallows Eve.
- Haunted Trail of Balboa Park – Maybe not as frightening as the Del Mar Scream Zone, the Haunted Trail of Balboa Park is only recommended for those 10 years of age or older.
- HalGLOWeen at the San Diego Zoo – A trip to the San Diego Zoo is always a good idea, and at Halloween (HalGLOWeen) it is even more so. Offering glow in the dark hula-hooping, bubble dance parties, and a wildly fun night at the zoo, this family friendly event never disappoints.
- San Diego Halloween Yacht Party, the Black Pearl – Only for those 21 and over, the Halloween Yacht Party aboard the Black Pearl involves a haunted boat, costume party, DJs playing your favorite spooky tunes, and an open bar and complimentary appetizers.
Bring the Celebration Home to Vacation Rentals by Kimberly
We hope you enjoyed our guide on halloween things to do san diego. The comfortable times never end when you choose our Vacation Rentals by Kimberly Halloween hideaways, offering everything you need for a hauntingly good time—minus the ghosts, spiders, and zombies that often accompany Halloween events! Create Halloween themed foods in our fully equipped kitchens and binge watch spooky movies on state-of-the-art televisions, wishing this spooky San Diego sanctuary could be yours forever. Contact us and reserve your favorite property today!