Haunted attractions, Renaissance revelry, pumpkin patches, parades, after-dark zoo adventures, oh my! These Iowa October outings are worth the drive.
October is a good excuse to leave town, or just take a quick trip across one. The weather is usually decent enough for a road trip, complete with some amazing leaf peeping, and pretty much every community in Iowa has found a way to turn a weekend into a fall event. If you’re willing to drive a little, there are pumpkin patches, haunted houses, parades, Renaissance fairs, and enough Halloween activities to keep you busy until November.
Here are a few worth putting on your calendar, with a special focus on Davenport, Cedar Rapids, and Des Moines.
Davenport
1. Get scared at Skellington Manor
If your idea of fall fun involves being genuinely terrified, make a trip to Terror at Skellington Manor in Rock Island.
This year’s “Theatre of the Macabre” turns the historic manor into a full-blown haunted experience, with creepy rooms, characters lurking around corners, and so many surprises that you might not vibe with walking down a dark hallway by yourself.
And yes, it’s technically across the river in Illinois. But when you’re talking Quad Cities, we’re not going to get precious about state lines.
2. Take the kids (or yourself) downtown for candy
Halloween can be cute, too. It’s not all horror, jumps, and scares.
On Saturday, Oct. 24, downtown Davenport will host its Spooky Spectacular & Candy Crawl from noon to 3 p.m. Kids can show up in costume, grab a map, and make their way around downtown collecting candy from participating businesses.
There will also be face painting, balloon animals, a magician, photo opportunities, and other activities along the route. Basically, it’s a chance to let the kids eat candy in the middle of the afternoon while you pretend that’s completely reasonable. Because honestly, there are no rules when it comes to Halloween candy consumption.
3. Run with the zombies
The Village Zombie Run takes a basic 5K up a notch. So for non-runners, this is a great excuse to lace up your shoes (or pirate boots) and enjoy a nice, crisp October morning.
The Oct. 24 event includes a 5K, a kids run, trick-or-treating, and a post-race celebration. Costumes are encouraged, so you can either show up looking like a zombie or spend the afternoon wondering why everyone else looks significantly more committed to the theme than you do.
If you need a little more convincing, how about this: After the race, you can hang with a bunch of fellow zombies at the Kelso’s Corner Afterparty, which includes live music and drink specials.
Cedar Rapids
4. Go pumpkin hunting at Bass Farms
For the people who want their October to involve pumpkins, hayrides, and something sweet to eat (*raises hand*), there’s Bass Farms.
The farm’s fall festival runs on weekends through October, with pumpkins, hayrack rides, a corn maze, and fall-themed foods. And if you’re holding onto summer, or are just a year-round ice cream fanatic, get excited, because Bass Farms offers 16 different flavors to choose from.
5. Spend a weekend in the Middle Ages
Every October, the Iowa Renaissance Festival takes over Middle Amana Community Park, and for two weekends, regular life takes a back seat to jousting, sword fights, costumes, music, and medieval food.
The festival runs Oct. 10-11 and 17-18 this year, and trust us, you don’t have to be a hardcore Renaissance fair person to enjoy it. Half the fun is simply walking around and seeing how seriously people commit to the costumes. Add in some food, live entertainment, and a little horseback jousting, and you’ve got a pretty solid fall road trip. Plus, the Amana Colonies are worth the trip anyway.
6. Make Halloween a big deal
Cedar Rapids has so much going on (family-friendly things, too) once Halloween gets closer.
How about Spooky Station at The Fun Station, which runs Oct. 23-25 and Oct. 30, with trick-or-treating, face painting, cookie decorating, balloon artists, and inflatable attractions? Kids are encouraged to wear costumes, too!
Or what about the Cedar Rapids Howl-o-ween Full Moon Parade on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 6:30 p.m., in the NewBo and Czech Village area? Seriously, there will even be a full moon.
There will also be a kids zone, a family costume contest, and the parade itself. It’s a good one for families who want the Halloween experience without spending the evening wondering when someone might jump out at them.
Des Moines
7. Skip the bar and head to the zoo
On Oct. 9, Blank Park Zoo is hosting Spirits of the Wild, an adults-only night with local spirits, live music, food trucks, and a costume contest. It’s Halloween, but for grown-ups, and without the gore and scares.
If you’re looking for something to do with the kids instead, Night Eyes brings a more kid-friendly version of Halloween to the zoo, with treats, games, costumed characters, and lights.
8. Go to Adventureland after dark
You can always go to Adventureland for the rides, but October gives you a reason to stick around after the sun goes down.
Phantom Fall Fest brings haunted houses, scare zones, and nighttime rides to the park on select October dates. During the day, it’s a more family-friendly fall outing. After dark, things get a bit less comfortable…and a bit (okay, a lot) scarier.
If you have kids who aren’t ready for the scary stuff, go earlier. If you’re an adult who thinks haunted houses are fun (because apparently you’ve forgotten how fear works), stay late.
Worth the drive?
Honestly, it depends on what you’re looking for. The nice thing about Iowa in October is that you don’t need a big plan. Pick a Saturday, choose a direction, choose a vibe (are we going scary, or are we going for a cute fall day?) and see what you find. Just remember to bring a jacket, because it seems to go from zero to 100 temp-wise these days—and maybe don’t volunteer to go first into the haunted house.
