Fall Festivities: Fall & Halloween Bucket List LA

by Ela Ryback ‘25

The beautiful fall season has begun! Although the LA temperatures are still nearing 90 degrees, the city offers many fun ways to celebrate the harvest season and Halloween. Here are some of the best LA and USC activities to get in the spirit!

Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights

Halloween Horror Nights is one of the best ways to experience the spooks that come with the fall season. On top of access to the usual rides, the park is equipped with multiple mazes featuring Stranger Things, The Last of Us, Chucky, and more. Halloween Horror Nights may not be for everyone as it includes several jump scares, but this is the perfect activity if you are a horror movie fanatic! Plus, as USC students, we get a student discount. Make sure to reserve your spot as soon as possible online because as time passes, prices rise.

Knott’s Scary Farm

Similar to Universal Studios, Knott’s Berry Farm offers spooky evening entertainment until Halloween. Multiple mazes and scare zones fill the park. Expect to be chased as Knott’s Scary Farm includes many more scare zones than Universal Horror Nights. Booking your tickets online is also a good idea for this activity.

photo credit: Los Angeles Haunted Hayride

LA’s Haunted Hayride

Unlike Halloween Horror Nights and Knott’s Scary Farm, the Haunted Hay Ride is not attached to a theme park. Therefore, this attraction is often viewed as being more in the spirit of Halloween and full of more frights. In addition to the main haunted hayride, there are three other mazes you are free to explore. Get your tickets online for better prices for this attraction.

Fall Foliage Around LA

LA is known for many things, but its fall foliage is definitely not one of them. However, the multitude of botanical gardens in LA offers many opportunities to catch a glimpse of fall. The Huntington Library and Descanso Gardens are two of the most popular options for exploring the autumn leaf color on many different plants. Descanso Gardens also offers multiple nights during the fall season to walk through their lit-up carved pumpkin garden.

Pumpkin Patch

Nothing screams fall, and Halloween like pumpkins! There are several pumpkin patches in LA. However, one of the best ones happens to be close to USC. In Culver City, Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch offers a beautiful pumpkin patch along with a petting zoo and other fun activities. If possible, try to visit on weekday afternoons as it’s much cheaper than evenings and weekends.

Cinespia Horror Films

As home to Hollywood, LA boasts many interesting movie theaters, but very few are like Cinespia, which shows screenings at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and Los Angeles State Historic Park. These outdoor areas are the perfect places to watch horror films like The Ring and Rosemary’s Baby. Tickets are selling out fast, so check out the different ticket options online!

Fall represents abundance, growth, and letting go of the negative. It’s time to celebrate the emerging 2023 fall season, and all of these activities are the perfect way to feel the Halloween spirit while exploring LA.

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