Wild Waves invited to me come experience Fright Fest on opening weekend and we jumped at the opportunity! We live about an hour away and my kids have seen the water/theme park as we’ve driven past on the freeway many times and have always wanted to go. This time of year the water park is closed but the theme park is open on weekends through November 2nd. They’ve added 3 haunted houses and other Halloween themed activities to make your visit as fun as possible! The Family by Day and Fright by Night theme separates the all-ages family fun activities from the night time festivities which may not be suitable for children under 13. Parent discretion is advised and children under 13 may not be in the park without adult supervision at all times. My oldest daughter is 10 but LOVES scary stuff. My son and his girl friend are 12. We all had a great time!
If you are on the fence about whether or not you should stay for the night time activities, you can catch a short preview of the haunted house characters during the Parade of Ghouls at 6:45 pm. Get there a few minutes early if you don’t want to miss it because it’s very short and they started a couple of minutes early on the day we were there.
The park opens at noon. All rides are included and unlimited. We arrived around 3 pm and there were no lines or very short lines for all of the rides! The closer it got to Fright Night, the busier it got and the lines increased. To get the most out of your experience I’d highly recommend the Fast Pass. For an additional fee you can go straight to the front of the line for all 3 haunted house plus one time on five of the most popular rides. When the haunted houses opened at 7 the lines were already long and it was so awesome to be able to bypass that! That gave us even more time to fit more rides in!
There are quite a few rides spread out through the park including several roller coasters. The Timberhawk is a creepy old wood roller coaster that is extra fun to ride in the dark! Wild Thing is a newer coaster that goes upside down and is super fun! Both of these rides are included on the Fast Pass so you can skip the line one time each.
There are height restrictions on some of the rides but there are still plenty of rides for younger children including this mini roller coaster that even my big kids enjoyed! There’s even an old carousel!
As you can see, there are many, many rides to enjoy — all unlimited! This alone would be a fabulous time but with the 3 Haunted House experiences it’s an unforgettable experience!
Be sure to check the schedule so you won’t miss out on events like a Sponge Bob Meet & Greet, a magic show by Xakary the Magician, and SCARE-a-oke where you have a chance to win a Fast Pass!
Booville is a family friendly area located in Kiddie Land for ages 12 and under. This scare-free area features an arts & crafts station, a hay bale maze, safe trick-or-treating, games for prizes and theme park rides. This isn’t open on Friday nights or after 7pm on Saturdays and Sundays so plan accordingly!
As night falls, get ready for some screams! For all five of us, this was a first time haunted house experience and while we don’t have anything to compare it to, we were quite impressed with all three attractions! We huddled together and made our way through each one, scared and creeped out at every turn!
The first one we did was Camp Whispering Pines and was our favorite. This haunted trail is located in the Cascades Picnic area, and is riddled with slaughtered campers that checked in…but never checked out. Tortured camp counselors will guide you if you dare! This one seemed to have the most live characters and was the most scary because they were both in front of you AND behind you! We enjoyed every breathless and heart-pounding second of it!
The second one we did was called The Playground located inside the Lumberjack Falls attraction. If clowns freak you out you may or may not want to give this one a try but I recommend you do! This haunted house is in 3D so you can wear the glasses if you wish. There’s lots of neon and a fun moving part in the middle. This one wasn’t as long as the first but we loved the extra effects of the 3D! Watch out for creepy carnies and clowns in this funhouse!
The last one was called Chamber of Souls and was a more traditional haunted house featuring blood, gore, medical mishaps, corposes, zombies and most importantly, bone-chilling scares. We made it through and were catching our breath when we got an extra surprise and were chased by a chainsaw wielding ghoul!
You can rest assured that your safety is a top priority. The characters are not allowed to touch you and in return, you are not allowed to touch them. There was plenty of security on-site as well as some police presence. Rules are strictly enforced so make sure to adhere to them or you’ll be promptly escorted out of the park! No photos are video are allowed inside the haunted houses which is why you don’t see any here.
Purchase your ticket to Fright Fest online and save $5! $28.99 for general admission or $16.99 for a child/senior admission. This price includes admission, unlimited rides, and one time through each of the 3 haunted houses. You can add the Fast Pass for $35 or purchase the bundle for only $55.99!
If you live nearby, you might consider purchasing the Season Pass for just $59.99. This will include this year AND next year’s Fright Fest admission plus admission for the entire open season as well as some additional perks! This does NOT include the Fast Pass which will need to be purchased separately if desired. I would highly recommend it if you plan on visiting the Haunted Houses because these typically have long wait times.
We had the BEST time and can’t wait to attend Fright Fest again next year! Find out everything you need to know at www.wildwaves. com.