Phantom Fall Fest brings haunted houses, scare zones, kids' activities to Adventureland

Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register

September 28, 2023 at 7:02 AM·5 min read

All things creepy and spooky return to Adventureland Park for the Phantom Fall Fest, the Halloween-themed entertainment park. For the second year, spine-chilling thrills, scary décor and themed food and drink take over the theme park in Altoona through Oct. 29.

“We’ve really worked to elevate the haunted experience here,” said Alex Payne, regional public relations manager for Adventureland’s parent company Palace Entertainment, during a tour of the new haunted attractions.

This year, the theme park offers eight haunted attractions, a new nightclub, and rides that light up at night. Adventureland dubs this the largest Halloween attraction in the state.

This season, the park offers two different ways to experience Halloween — one family friendly and the other meant for older patrons who like to be scared.

What can younger children do at Phantom Fall Fest?

Kids can decorate gourds at Phantom Fall Fest, which kicks off with four haunted houses, four scare zones with zombies and creepy creatures, and more at Adventureland Park.

By day, families can stop by the park from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays for trick-or-treating down Main Street, costume contests, a hay maze, a scream contest, pumpkin painting and Scary-oke sessions.

“It’s a much tamer experience during the day,” Payne said. “We really want to make this a family-friendly place during the day for kids to be able to come and experience Phantom Fall Fest.”

Even the toys for sale got an upgrade. New Halloween plushies include cute cats, vampires, bears and pumpkins dressed in holiday décor. Visitors can also find Icee-flavored cotton candy.

More: Some communities are moving Beggars' Night to Saturday: When is trick-or-treating near you?

How does Phantom Fall Fest change at night?

The CarnEvil haunted house features scary clowns ready to frighten fans. Phantom Fall Fest kicks off with four haunted houses, four scare zones with zombies and creepy creatures, and more at Adventureland Park.

But by night, the theme park turns into a scare zone starting at 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Some of the rides stay open late and feature new lighting. The Frantic Freeway bumper cars turn into the Frantic Fearway with lights. Monster, the roller coaster with a vertical climb and nearly vertical drop to start, Storm Chaser with its spin in the clouds, Space Shot with its acceleration into the sky, and the new roller coaster Dragon Slayer all offer scary nighttime thrills.

At night, the Monster roller coaster is lit up during Phantom Fall Fest, which kicks off with four haunted houses, four scare zones with zombies and creepy creatures, and more at Adventureland Park.

“We’re raising the bar on fear this year as we prepare to deliver our most terrifying and immersive Halloween experience yet,” said Adventureland’s general manager Mike Lusky in a news statement. “These haunts are guaranteed to leave guests screaming for more.”

Four scare zones get patrons ready for thrills

Main Street turns into a zombie-filled Deadsville, one of the scare zones at Phantom Fall Fest, which kicks off with four haunted houses, four scare zones with zombies and creepy creatures, and more at Adventureland Park.

Fans who visited Phantom Fall Fest last year can find new thrills to experience. Four new scare zones start with Deadsville, a zombie-filled Main Street; Nordic Nightmare in the new Draken Falls and Dragon Slayer area of the park; The Fallen, a cemetery-themed scare zone; and Hellbellies, with scary hillbillies on a bridge. These open-air areas can be explored or raced through, depending on the person. Each features spooky fog to up the scare factor.

Adventureland hired more than 100 scare actors to work in the eight haunted attractions.

Four haunted houses up the thrills

The Mad Hatter played by actor Bennie Ulin throws a tea party in the haunted house Malice in Wonderland at Adventureland Park for Phantom Fall Fest.

Those who can get through the scare zones can add to the thrill factor by heading to four haunted houses, including the revamped mAlice in Wonderland with a new layout, lighting and special effects, now included for free with admission to the park.

“It used to be two different ways to go through it, but we decided to change that into a longer experience,” Payne said. “We’ve really worked to redo the whole experience through mAlice and you’ll see more fog, more lights, more sounds and more scare actors. What we really wanted to do is amplify the whole experience with Phantom Fall Fest.”

CarnEvil comes with clowns behind every corner and mind-bending funhouse mirrors.

At Cornstalkers, a chemical spill turns a cornfield into a hazmat zone, and the corn is now alive.

Spirits of the Swamp features a bayou ghost town where the spirits try to pull you into the swamp.

“It gets better and scarier every year,” Lusky said.

Where to party at Phantom Fall Festival with food and drink

Dry ice makes the drinks, with or without alcohol, smoke at Phantom Fall Fest, which kicks off with four haunted houses, four scare zones with zombies and creepy creatures, and more at Adventureland Park.

The new Club Blood awaits at the festival with a deejay and adult beverages. Find smoking cocktails in flavors such as pina colada, blue raspberry, Creamsicle and strawberry that use dry ice to give them an eerie feel. Patrons can order them as non-alcoholic versions as well. Club Blood will show Halloween movies to keep in the holiday spirit.

Wine comes in fake blood bags at Phantom Fall Fest, which kicks off with four haunted houses, four scare zones with zombies and creepy creatures, and more at Adventureland Park.

Drink wine served in blood bags and syringes filled with Jell-O shots at Doc and Leone’s Diner.

Find the new Demon Fries with Lola's Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce at the new Club Blood at Phantom Fall Fest, which kicks off with four haunted houses, four scare zones with zombies and creepy creatures, and more at Adventureland Park.

New dishes include Diablo chicken sliders with spicy breaded chicken, Nashville hot sauce and crispy onions, and Potato Patch fries topped with barbecue sauce and smoked pulled pork with cheddar cheese or a Demon version with Lola’s ghost pepper sauce, bacon and corn.

What special events take place during Phantom Fall Fest?

Phantom Fall Fest kicks off with four haunted houses, four scare zones with zombies and creepy creatures, and more at Adventureland Park. Scary decor awaits.

On Saturday, Oct. 7, take part in the Phantom’s Worm Eating Contest at 3:30 p.m. The first to eat six earthworms wins a Yeti cooler prize pack. Only those age 18 and older can participate.

Also on Oct. 7, Andrew Fuller, who owns Sugar Freakshow in Des Moines and won Season 1 of “Is It Cake?” will be on hand from 4 to 5 p.m. to sign autographs and take photos.

How much are tickets to Phantom Fall Fest?

Tickets start at $34.99 on the website: adventurelandresort.com/book-and-buy/Phantom-Fall-Fest-Open-Day/select-visitors

Two ways to make the experience personal

Want to get to the front of the line? Buy the Spooky Pass starting at $49.99.

Don’t want to be scared? Buy a No-Boo ticket that lights up and alerts the scare actors to go easy on you.