It’s Getting Spooky

Get into the Halloween spirit with these pre-Halloween weekend events in and around the Leland area.

If you’re already starting to think about Thanksgiving and holiday plans, Stop. Right. There. These thoughts can wait. Because it’s Halloween, and our area has a ton of different things for you to do. Halloween parties, dog costume contests, trunk or treats, pumpkin patches, scary mazes, festivals, haunted houses, witchy bike rides, and haunted trails, just to name a few.

Here are a few of the highlights for pre-Halloween weekend, to get you geared up for Halloween of 2022.

Phobia Haunted Trail: The Institution
October 28, 29, and 30, 8 to 11 pm
2859 Maco Road NE, Leland
(910) 805-5572

Phobia Haunted Trail has scenes created to tap into your innermost fears. Guests will weave their way through the haunted trail and will be greeted by live actors. They will not touch you, but they will work to give you nightmares. As you walk through the trail you will transition through various scenes sure to have you on edge. This year’s attraction will have guests face their fears in The Institute. Dr. Von Witz is looking to break into your brain to test your fears, exposing you to very extreme phobias.

General Admission is $20; VIP Skip the Line Admission is $30 with a limited supply. Military discounts are available at the door; group discounts require purchase in advance.

Halloween Ghost Trolley
October 28, 29, 30 & 31, 6 to 10 pm
Market & Water streets, Downtown Wilmington
(910) 251-8889

Listen to ghost stories tailored for young children while riding past the historic homes in downtown Wilmington. The horses and drivers will be in costume. Let your little ones enjoy Halloween the way it used to be.

Tickets: $14 per adult, $6 per child younger than 12. Free treats for children. No reservations are required.

Nightmares Haunted Trail
October 28 & 28, 7:30 to 11 pm
7027 Seven Creeks Highway, Nakina
(910) 918-4966

The Scare Factor: Nightmares Haunted Trail (NHT) outside of Nakina is a great example of a classic old-school Southern haunt. Packed to the edges with banging clowns, horror movie characters and screams of fright, this one is not to be missed. While horror movie fanatics will likely find some of the scenes especially notable, even those who aren’t familiar with the staples of slasher films will find something along the trails to elicit screams. While you might not find big-budget animatronics or first-in-the-nation new props here, you will be greeted with a ton of passion and enthusiasm from a wide cast of characters.

Admission: $30

Panic Attack Haunted Attraction
October 28 & 29, 7:30 pm to midnight
3245 Pine Level Church Road, Nakina
(910) 918-4143

Voted one of America’s Scariest Haunted Attractions, Panic Attack Haunted Attraction sits in the farmlands and swamps outside of Nakina. A winding walk through different themed sections, Panic Attack has grown even larger than in previous years. A huge stage commands the queue area, blasting music while a variety of queue actors stalk the crowd and occasionally burst into bouts of dancing. Many of the sections within the haunt are based around water and the sea – from a fish market and cursed pirates to a journey beneath the waves. Amidst all of this are also the familiar tropes of haunted abandoned houses, cannibal butchers, spooky crypts and murderous clowns.

Admission: $30, $50 skip the lines

Halloween Slumber Party at Wonderland Farms
October 29 at 3 pm to October 30 at 11 am
7453 Radio Road NE, Leland
(910) 655-5735

Join Ivan and friends for a sleepover! There will be a costume class, horseback riding, and more. Children and counselors will sleep in the barn, so bring a sleeping bag!

Cost: $110 per child, including cookout dinner and breakfast.

Halloween Party & Costume Contest at Cadillac Ranch
October 29, 7 pm
2851 Maco Road NE, Leland

Come dressed to kill and enter the costume contest for a cash prize! DJ Paul will be taking requests behind the DJ booth from 8 pm until closing, and there will be drink specials and a spooky good time.

Admission: $5 gets you in the door. The costume Contest winner will be announced at 10 pm.