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Orlando & The Freakshow

This Florida City Is Ranked As One Of The Top Halloween Towns In America

Author Richie Ortiz

It’s almost here! We are officially one week away from Halloween and many cities are getting ready to show everyone just how spooky they are. But what city is the spookiest? Before you go on a campaign trying to convince us your city is, we already have the rankings thanks to WalletHub. Here are the top Halloween towns in America.

The Criteria

There are a bunch of reasons why people love Halloween. It could be the candy, costumes, horror films, haunted houses, and/or parties. However, those are only a minor part of the criteria WalletHub used to come up with their list. WalletHub compared 100 of the largest U.S. cities across 20 key metrics to determine the best Halloween towns in America. Some of those metrics include costume stores per capita, crime rate, the share of potential trick-or-treat stops, Trick-or-Treater-Friendliness, weather, and much more. So where did Tampa rank?

Florida Cities

According to WalletHub, Tampa ranked 23rd in the nation. With the 12th Halloween fun rank and the 16th Halloween weather rank, you would think we would be higher, but our 52nd-ranked Trick-or-Treater-Friendliness is what brought us down. 23 is still pretty high considering more than 100 cities were analyzed. However, there were 3 higher-ranked Florida cities.

With the second-highest Halloween fun rank in the nation because of their amusement parks and haunted houses, Orlando comes in at number 16. Though they ranked higher than Tampa in virtually every category, they too were a victim of their Trick-or-Treater-Friendliness ranking which was 89th. Another city ranked higher than Tampa was surprisingly Hialeah. They ranked lower than Tampa in many categories, but their 7th-ranked Trick-or-Treater-Friendliness catapulted them to the top of the rankings. There was one city that ranked higher than them all though.

Top 3

The city that reigns supreme in the state of Florida is Miami coming in at number 3. With average rankings in all of their categories, it was their 5th-ranked Halloween fun category that awarded them the WalletHub bronze medal. Jersey City, NJ comes in second with the highest-ranked Trick-or-Treater-Friendliness, but there was one city that ranked higher in more categories. WalltHub’s Halloween Town of 2024 is New York City, New York.

If you would like to see the entire list, click the link below.

Source: WalletHub

Rich grew up in the Bronx, NY but moved to Tampa in 2006 to attend the University of Tampa. Even though he completed 4 years at the University for Sports Management, Ortiz realized his true passion for radio after taking a couple of classes to fulfill his communications minor and volunteering at UT's WUTT radio station as a sports director. Rich also worked at several clubs in Tampa as a host/promoter where he would meet and work alongside Davy Rolando, who would be the one who would help him get a job at WiLD 94.1. From there, Rich worked his way up from Promotions assistant to promotions coordinator, to eventually full-time on-air. Rich loves to write about his favorite Tampa food spots, concert reviews, and the WiLDest Florida man/woman stories.

13 Tampa Bay Fall Activities To Get You In The Spooky Spirit

Even though it still feels like summer, fall is in full swing in Tampa Bay. Don’t let the lack of autumn weather keep you from participating in all the Tampa Bay fall activities. From family-friendly pumpkin patches to haunted tours in Ybor City, don’t miss out on these spooktacular events! With the help of Tampa Bay Date Night Guide, we included the top 13 must-see Halloween events happening in Tampa Bay!

Some events may require some good travel time depending on where you are. But don’t worry, we only included the must-see fall activities happening in Tampa Bay so you don’t waste your time.

For those who like a good scare:

One Tampa Bay Halloween event even made the list of the best Halloween attractions in the U.S.. If you’ve never been to Busch Gardens’ Howl-o-Scream, it keeps improving yearly. This year, Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream takes over the entire park with haunted houses, scare zones, sinister shows and more.

Or you can explore on your own. Tampa is home to some super haunted locations in Florida. Check out the places here.

What about events for young ones?

If you’re looking for more family-friendly events, the best pumpkin patch in Florida is less than an hour away from Tampa. ZooTampa has also brought back Creatures of the Night! On top of Haunted Wharf, Sparkman Wharf is hosting a pumpkin painting open house, movies on the lawn, and other family-friendly events!

Here are 13 Tampa Bay Fall Activities To Get You In The Spooky Spirit

  • Scream-A-Geddon

    If you love a good, scary haunted house then you must go to Scream-A-Geddon. The fully immersive Dade City attraction is totally worth the hype! This year it features 6 terrifying attractions including the popular Zombie Paintball Assault. Tickets can be purchased online for dates September thru October 31st.

  • Howl-O-Scream - Busch Gardens

    Tampa’s premier Halloween event! Howl-O-Scream is back at Busch Gardens with haunted houses, scare zones, sinister shows and more.

     

  • Undead In The Water

    Tampa’s ONLY nautical haunted attraction onboard a WWII cargo ship.

    In the fifth iteration of UNDead in the Water, a mysterious female apparition and her possessed cult threaten passengers across 60,000 square feet of cavernous cargo holds and open-air decks. Traverse multiple decks of this WWII ship and save your soul from the horror that awaits.
    [undeadinthewater.com]

  • Sir Henry's Haunted Trail

    Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail is an outdoor haunted trail located in Plant City with three different attractions. The trail is open from 7:30-11p.m. every Friday and Saturday September 27-November 2 & every Sunday from 7:30-9:30 p.m. starting October 6

  • Spooky-Themed Bars

    A new pirate-themed speakeasy recently opened up in Downtown Tampa. Morgan’s Cove is going to be a great place to spend a weekend night come Halloween time. Another option is to head to Dracula’s Legacy Wine Bar & Bistro where it’s spooky-season year round. They are located at 811 N Tampa St, Tampa

    https://www.instagram.com/p/C_tQUjVxxJP/

     

     

  • Tampa Riverwalk Trick-or-Treat - Downtown Tampa

    Tampa Bay’s Riverwalk is hosting a family friendly trick-or-treat event on Saturday, October 28 from 4pm-7pm. Show up in your best costume!

  • Haunted Tours - Pirate Water Taxi

    After taking a year off, Haunted Tours are back! The cruise will include terror filled-storytelling, ghostly horror, and haunted happenings on this 45-minute storytelling ride aboard one of Tampa’s most popular attractions. Running Friday-Sunday starting October 4. Click here for more info.

  • Spookala

    Think Comic-Con but for horror movies! October 4-6, actors, including Walton Goggins (Fallout), Howie Mandel (Gremlins), Anthony Starr (The Boys) and more will descend upon Tampa for Spookala. Click here to get more info!

     

  • Haunted Wharf

    Sparkman Wharf in Channelside has loads of Halloween themed events all throughout October. But everybody will be lining up for Haunted Wharf on Halloween Weekend. Sparkman Wharf will transform into a haunted pirate shipwreck with sinister surprises at every corner. Haunted Wharf is a free community event for all ages that will offer silly spooks for the kids and scary fun for the adults as the evening progresses. Enjoy entertainment, Halloween photo-ops and festive food and drinks!

  • An Eerie Evening at the Tampa Bay Hotel

    An Eerie Evening at the Tampa Bay Hotel will be held on October 27, 28, and 29, 2023. See the Museum in moonlight as you’ve never see it before and explore Victorian horror stories brought to life! Tickets are $35 for non members!

  • SpookEasy Lounge In Ybor

    All spirits welcome in the most haunted kava bar in the world! Serving up botanical teas, kava, and coffee, you can find some of the tastiest concoctions in this alcohol-free lounge. For Halloween themed alcoholic beverages, go downstairs to their Sister business – The Catacombs

  • Hyde Park Pumpkin Patch

    Get the perfect pumpkin for your front porch at the Hyde Park pumpkin patch! Bring the little ones for storytime in the patch this Thursday, October 5.

     

  • Fall Fest at Armature Works

    Bring the whole family to Armature Work’s annual Fall Fest taking place on October 22 this year. The event is from 12 – 5pm and will be held on the Pier, South Lawn and West Lawn. There will be bounce houses, face painting, live entertainment, a pumpkin patch, holiday-inspired treats, a petting zoo and more!

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Author Richie Ortiz
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