One Wisconsin haunted house sits inside a former infirmary that is reportedly haunted on its own. The ticket money helps a local Boys and Girls Club.
I love that mix of chills and kindness.
That spot is just one stop on this list.
Another haunt lets you ride a ski lift and zoom down a giant slide between scares.
One more drops a 30-person group into a buried alive experience, which sounds like my worst group project ever.
Fall in this state brings bonfires, foggy trails, and actors who wait in the dark for you.
Some stops go full nightmare.
Others keep things silly enough for younger kids with daytime or not-so-scary shows.
So grab a flashlight and a brave friend. Who in your group screams first?
I already know my answer, and it isn’t pretty.
The Hill Has Eyes
Most haunted houses don’t come with a ski lift, but this Franklin haunt never got that memo. You get scares, a chairlift ride, and a giant slide spread across 45 outdoor acres.
Season 15 brings four attractions for one ticket: Failed Escape, Hunger Hollow, CARNIvore, and Dead End. Plan on roughly 60 minutes of creeping past a haunted trailer park, a graveyard, and a spooky carnival.
Actors here stay in character, so don’t expect a friendly wave. Groups often move through in bunches of 10 to 15 people, which means plenty of screaming that isn’t yours.
Between haunts, the Party Pit offers bonfires and music with a DJ. Food is available for purchase, and costumes are welcome if you want to blend in with the monsters.
Got younger kids? Not So Scary Sundays run on select October afternoons with guided tours, tyke-level ghosts, and trick-or-treating for ages 8 to 12.
Nighttime dates fall on select Fridays and Saturdays, with timed admission windows starting at 6 PM. Buy tickets online early, since dates and time slots can sell out.
A VIP Speed Pass can shorten your wait, and parking is free. That leaves more energy for the slide.
Address: 7005 S Ballpark Dr, Franklin, WI 53132
Burial Chamber Haunted House Complex
How do you feel about being buried alive with 29 friends? Trapped, the 30-person Buried Alive experience, is one of four huge attractions at this Neenah complex.
The rest of the lineup includes Adrenaline and Insanity, two full haunted houses, plus Phobia Haunted Woods outdoors. HauntWorld once ranked Burial Chamber as high as number 8 among America’s best haunted attractions.
Inside, expect detailed sets and scares powered by hydraulics and air blasts. Clowns show up too, so consider yourself warned if they already bug you.
The fun spills outside the houses. Music, food vendors, and monster parades keep the energy up while you wait for your turn.
Burial Chamber sits in the Appleton and Fox Cities area, making it an easy night out in northeast Wisconsin. Doors open Friday and Saturday nights from late September through early November.
Buying tickets ahead is a smart move for a place this popular. Parking is free, with an on-site lot and street spots nearby.
The complex also welcomes LGBTQ+ guests and calls itself a transgender safe space. That’s a nice thing to know before you scream your lungs out with friends.
Address: 500 N Lake St, Neenah, WI 54956
Terror on the Fox
Your scare night starts with a train ride, which feels fitting on the grounds of the National Railroad Museum. Fog, creepy lights, and lurking actors greet riders before the main haunts even begin.
Two big attractions headline the season. Jason Universe: Survive the Night is an officially licensed Friday the 13th walkthrough, and Myths and Legends takes you inside the crumbling Blackthorn Hollow manor.
Want a say in the chaos? The new Director’s Cut VIP experience lets groups choose how Jason attacks, and a Respawn Pass is offered too.
Parents, take note: the nighttime event may be too intense for kids 12 and under. Smaller fans can try the daytime lights-on walkthrough with candy stations, friendly actors, and a family Terror Train ride.
Select nights run from September 19 through November 1, with openings at 7 PM. Tickets are sold online only and often sell out, so don’t wait until Halloween week.
An outdoor woods trail adds plenty of scare spots before the giant haunted house. Watch for a performance on the balcony before you head inside.
The haunt bills itself as Wisconsin’s Favorite Halloween Tradition, and the train alone makes a strong case. Nobody promised the ride would feel relaxing, though.
Address: 2285 S Broadway, Ashwaubenon, WI 54304
The Dark Side Haunted Adventure
Paintball and zombies on a working farm in Ixonia? The Zombie Expedition lets you fire at the undead from custom wagons on a nearly half-mile trek through seven scenes.
That ride is optional, and the main event is already huge. The Dark Side Haunted Adventure spreads across more than 40 acres with six themed haunts.
You’ll find a mine descent, a 4D haunted hayride, and a pine-forest trail with a 200-foot treetop bridge. A 13-door maze, a corn trail, and man-eating greenhouses round out the lineup.
Actors love pulling guests into the action with jump scares. A tractor ride through the woods brings serious creep factor, and a train ride carries you back toward the parking lot.
Now in its 14th year, the haunt is often voted Wisconsin’s Scariest Haunted House. Lines can get long, but a large indoor queue area and concessions help pass the time.
The haunt runs Friday and Saturday nights in October, opening at 7 PM. The Zombie Expedition starts at 6:30 PM and runs until 9:30 PM.
Buying tickets in advance is recommended. Terror Treatment, a secret enhanced experience, can even be bought online for an unsuspecting friend.
Address: N1255 Hoard Rd, Ixonia, WI 53036
Screamin Acres Haunted Houses
Plenty of haunts start big, but this one began as a college fundraising project in 2011. Today it covers more than 30,000 square feet, plus a three-acre cornfield.
Four attractions are included on one ticket, and the experience lasts about 45 minutes. Chop Shop is an industrial wasteland, and Lockup Under No Management drops you into a ruined prison.
Side Effects: Recharged and DeathTrap: Unclogged complete the set. That second one promises a reality-bending descent, which sounds like a rough Monday morning.
Braver guests can tackle DeathTrap: Unclogged, an experience designed to overwhelm the senses. Expect static shocks, tight spaces, and some crawling.
Screamin Acres stands out for detailed props and well-timed scares that mix creepy with fun. It has been voted Haunted Wisconsin’s Visitors Choice Haunted Attraction in multiple past years.
About 80 percent of the attraction is indoors or covered, which helps on chilly nights. Boots are recommended, and the haunt is not recommended for kids under 12.
A DJ keeps the waiting area lively, and parking is in a paid lot. Doors open at 7 PM on Fridays and Saturdays in October.
Address: 3865 WI-138, Stoughton, WI 53589
House Of Shadows
Some buildings don’t need much help looking spooky. This Sparta haunt takes over a reportedly haunted former infirmary of the Wisconsin State Child Center each year.
Better yet, your screams support a good cause. House of Shadows is a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Sparta.
The attraction is interactive, so expect actors to get close. Some spaces are very tight, which matters if small rooms make you nervous.
Have little ones who want in on the fun? The 5:30 PM Not-So-Scary show gives younger guests a gentler taste of Halloween.
Later shows turn up the fright for older kids and adults. That split makes it a handy pick for families with a wide range of bravery levels.
Staff members are polite and helpful, which eases nervous first-timers. The whole haunt is a community effort to keep local kids’ programs going.
Doors open Friday and Saturday evenings at 5:30 PM, with scares wrapping up around 10 PM. Free parking is available in a lot and along the street.
Sparta sits in western Wisconsin, so this makes a fine stop on a fall drive. Maybe skip the bedtime stories about old infirmaries afterward.
Address: 501 Osborne Dr, Sparta, WI 54656
Desolate Acres
“The legend is real. The curse remains.” That’s how Desolate Acres introduces itself, and subtle it is not.
This Waukesha attraction calls itself Southeastern Wisconsin’s newest haunt. Newcomers have something to prove, which makes it a fun one to check out early.
Expect a mix of scares and laughs rather than nonstop terror. That balance works nicely for friend groups where one person jumps at shadows and another cracks jokes.
The haunt leans hard into its cursed backstory. You’ll have to show up to see how the tale plays out.
Desolate Acres opens on Friday and Saturday nights in October. Doors open at 6:45 PM and stay open until 11 PM.
Waukesha is an easy drive from Milwaukee, so it slides nicely into a weekend plan. A free parking lot sits on site, and restrooms are available.
Already done the big-name haunts? A newer stop keeps your Halloween bucket list interesting, and early bragging rights come free.
Round up friends who can laugh at themselves. You may need that skill by the end of the night.
Address: 1000 Northview Rd, Waukesha, WI 53188
Ski Sprites Haunted House
A haunted town that refuses to let you leave? That’s the welcome waiting at the Ski Sprites Haunted House in Eau Claire.
The theme changes each fall, giving returning visitors a different experience. The current setting is a spooky town that promises to keep you, with scares waiting around corners.
That rotating theme is a big reason families turn it into a yearly tradition. You get a new story each season without traveling far from home.
The overall atmosphere gets plenty of love, too. Expect a full themed world rather than a hallway with a few rubber masks.
Doors open Friday and Saturday nights from 7 PM to 11 PM during the season. Plan your visit for a weekend, since weeknights are closed.
A free parking lot makes arrival easy. That’s one less thing to stress about before the screaming starts.
Eau Claire sits in western Wisconsin, and this haunt adds a fun stop to a fall weekend in the area. Pair it with a pumpkin patch earlier in the day for a full autumn lineup.
Just remember the town’s slogan before you go. Leaving might take a little extra courage.
Address: 415 S Dewey St, Eau Claire, WI 54701
Perdition Pines Haunted Event
“YOUR SOUL IS REQUESTED.” Perdition Pines doesn’t do polite invitations, and honestly, that’s part of the charm.
This Antigo event blends a haunted trail and haunted house into one experience. The North Woods setting gives the pines plenty of room to feel creepy.
Nervous about going in? A bonfire burns while your group works up the courage to enter.
Snacks come with a homemade twist here. Concessions include homemade hot apple cider and cookies, which beats a sad vending machine any day.
Axe throwing joins the fun at Pumpkin Overlord’s Axe Throwing. Several ticket levels are offered, including VIP Gold and VIP Platinum.
The scares don’t stop when October ends. Frostbite Forest brings a holiday horror encore, and Disenchanted Freakshow Forest serves up a summer nightmare.
Hours run Friday and Saturday nights from 7 PM to 11:30 PM. Free on-site parking and restrooms make the trip easier.
The staff, actors, and volunteers bring big energy to the night. Kid-friendly activities also help younger guests join in.
Address: N1385 County Rd D, Antigo, WI 54409
The Haunted Mansion
Not every scare needs a cornfield and a midnight curfew. The Haunted Mansion on Broadway in Wisconsin Dells opens in the daytime, so the kids can scream before dinner.
Expect a nostalgic walkthrough packed with animatronics and jump scares. Screen effects and other visual tricks keep surprises coming without going full nightmare.
The scare level stays playful rather than brutal. That makes it a solid first haunted house for kids around 8 to 10 and the grown-ups holding their hands.
Adults still get their share of jumps, too. The displays are well done and pack more punch than you’d expect from a quick stop.
Hours run 11 AM to 6 PM on Fridays through Mondays. The attraction closes Tuesday through Thursday, so plan around that.
Street parking nearby is paid, so pocket a little time for finding a spot. Broadway’s busy strip makes it easy to pair with other Dells fun.
Think of it as a Halloween appetizer for the family. It’s spooky enough for giggles and gasps, yet gentle enough that nobody needs a nightlight later.
Address: 112 Broadway, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965
