Halloween in San Jose!

I'm a huge Halloween fan and have been going to most of the local Halloween events for the past several years. I thought I would share some of my top picks of places to visit. So far I have only been to the Halloween Haunt this year, but I have been to all of these in the past and they should all be quality events.

Halloween Haunt @ California's Great America - Santa Clara
The largest Halloween event in Northern California by a mile. Knott's Berry Farm was the first amusement park to throw special events for Halloween, and now that Great America is owned by the same parent company (Cedar Fair Parks) we get to share in the action. The second annual Halloween Haunt manages to surpass last year's impressive inaugural season. In addition to the park being entirely decorated for Halloween, there are a staggering 6 haunted mazes (one of which is brand new for 2009), a haunted ride (Logger's Run), and 4 Halloween shows (2 new ones for 2009). The icing on the cake is that almost all of the rides are still open and the roller coasters are being run with all the lights turned off. The cost is between $25-40 per person, making it both the most expensive local Halloween event and also the one with the greatest bang for your buck.

Pirates of Emerson - Fremont
The preeminent Bay Area Halloween event for almost 2 decades is returning this year with a good dose of new content. There are 6 different attractions, at least 2 of which are haunted mazes. These guys really know how scare that pants off of you, so be prepared for a more intense experience than some of the other Halloween events. The cost is $20 per person.

Gyro's 4D Fear Factory - San Jose
Stalking Raging Waters this year is a San Jose staple, Gyro's! This year they have 3 haunted mazes, a DJ station, 3D games, and several other attractions. In case you're wondering... smell is the 4th dimension.  This one will also set you back $20 per person.