Costumes ready? Pumpkins picked? Spooktober is back at Thanksgiving Point!
All October long, Halloween fun takes over Thanksgiving Point’s Discovery Centers with pumpkin-filled adventures, festive Daily STEM Discovery programs, scavenger hunts, dance parties, glowing experiences, creepy crawlies, and plenty of spooky surprises.
The best part? You do not have to choose just one Halloween experience. From barnyard celebrations and glowing pumpkin adventures to dinosaurs after dark and live tarantula feedings, every week brings a different reason to come back. So grab your costume and start planning your October adventures.
Halloween Fun All Month Long
Spooktober is designed for families looking for Halloween activities that feel festive, playful, and just spooky enough.
Throughout the month, guests can discover themed activities and seasonal surprises across Thanksgiving Point’s Discovery Centers. Many experiences combine Halloween fun with hands-on learning, giving kids a chance to play, explore, ask questions, and maybe even learn something without realizing it. And yes, costumes are encouraged. Here is what is happening throughout October.
Barnyard Halloween Fun at Curiosity Farms
Mondays | 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
October 5, 12, 19 & 26
Calling all party animals!
Curiosity Farms is getting into the Halloween spirit with a celebration made for little farmers, animal lovers, and anyone ready to show off a costume. Hop aboard the train, paint a pumpkin, complete a scavenger hunt, and see how good your aim is with pumpkin bowling. Then follow the music to the Barnyard Bash Dance Party, happening at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. It is Halloween fun with a barnyard twist—and the whole herd is invited.
Free for Thanksgiving Point members and included with regular admission.
Pumpkin Glow Nights at the Museum of Natural Curiosity
Wednesdays | 5–8 p.m.
October 7, 14, 21 & 28
All aboard for Pumpkin Glow Nights! The Museum of Natural Curiosity is turning pumpkin prep into an adventure inspired by Thomas & Friends™.
Junior helpers can harvest pumpkins, prepare them for the Halloween celebration, and send them safely down the railway while completing hands-on activities along the way. Guests can also enjoy pumpkin-themed crafts, stories, playful challenges, and plenty of opportunities to explore the museum in costume. It is a fun way to mix imagination, problem-solving, and Halloween into one evening.
Free for Thanksgiving Point members and included with regular admission.
Dinos After Dark at the Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life
Thursdays | 5–8 p.m.
October 8, 15, 22 & 29
Dinosaurs after dark? Things are about to get weird.
The Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life transforms for Dinos After Dark, where guests can step into Club Cryptid for an evening filled with glowing lights, music, mysterious creatures, and dino-sized Halloween fun. Come dressed in costume, explore cryptid-inspired activities, hunt for hidden surprises, and grab a glow stick as you make your way through the museum. Then follow the music back to the lobby for the Cryptid Club Dance Party at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Bring your best monster moves.
Free for Thanksgiving Point members and included with regular admission.
Creatures of the Night at Butterfly Biosphere
Fridays | 5–8 p.m.
October 9, 16, 23 & 30
Not everything that comes out after dark has fangs. Some things have eight legs.
Butterfly Biosphere gets extra creepy-crawly during Creatures of the Night, an evening dedicated to some of the fascinating animals people often find a little spooky. Watch roach races, stop by an arachnid education station, see live tarantula feedings, and get an up-close look at creatures that thrive after the sun goes down.
Feeling brave? Take on the Courage Cave Challenge and put your nerves to the test. Then shake off the creepy-crawlies at the costume dance party at 6:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. You might leave with a new appreciation for some of nature’s most misunderstood creatures.
Free for Thanksgiving Point members and included with regular admission.
More Than Just Halloween Fun
Spooktober may be filled with pumpkins, costumes, dancing, and glowing lights, but there is plenty of learning happening along the way too.
Why are people afraid of spiders? What creatures are active at night? How do animals respond to changing seasons? What can we learn from fossils and mysterious creatures from the past?
Thanksgiving Point’s mission is to help kids grow through curiosity, compassion, and confidence, and Spooktober gives families a playful way to explore those ideas together. Sometimes curiosity starts with a science experiment. Sometimes it starts with a dinosaur. And sometimes it starts with watching a tarantula eat dinner.
Make Halloween a Little More Curious This Year
There is no shortage of Halloween activities in Utah, but Spooktober adds something different.
Kids can wear their costumes, dance, play, explore, and celebrate the season while discovering animals, dinosaurs, science, nature, and new ideas along the way. Parents get a fun Halloween outing, kids get an adventure, and everyone gets another excuse to wear the costume before October 31.
Spooktober takes place throughout October at Thanksgiving Point, with special experiences happening every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Choose your favorite event or make plans to experience them all.
Spooktober activities are free for Thanksgiving Point members and included with regular admission to the participating Discovery Center.
Grab your costume, bring your curiosity, and get ready for a whole month of Halloween fun at Thanksgiving Point.
