Disneyland’s Fright Fests: There’s no better place to celebrate Halloween. Through October 31, be scared out of your wits in Tomorrowland’s Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, an adventure that starts as the usual Space Mountain ride, but quickly launches voyagers into a haunted area of the universe. Count on creepy sound effects, eerie music, lots of screams, and breathtaking drops and curves as the ride hurtles through space. Don’t miss the fabulous Pumpkin Festival on Main Street, USA, with more than 300 pumpkins, none of them the same. And of course, there’s always Haunted Mansion Holiday, inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, the classic animated film that developed a huge following. The redecorated ride features festive scenes with spooky surprises. What else would you expect of the macabre Tim Burton?

Over at Disney California Adventure Park, drop in at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, where it’s rumored a “supernatural” occurrence took place on Halloween in 1939.

Mickey’s Halloween Party is an after-hours separately-ticketed event that takes place on special Monday, Tuesday, and Friday nights at 6pm or 7pm. Arrive early and wear costumes to fit right in with Mickey’s Costume Party cavalcade, performed twice nightly. Also offered is trick-or-treating and a spectacular Halloween Screams fireworks display, hosted by the “Master of Scare-omonies” Jack Skellington. Enjoy specially-themed dance parties and take advantage of an opportunity to play in Disneyland for three hours before the Halloween party begins. Scary, lovely, happy, imaginative, friendly, and colorful — these words describe the spirit of Halloween time at Disneyland. As Mickey and Minnie and all their friends greet guests, they, too, are dressed for the occasion. So, have a screaming good time. (www.disneyland.com/halloween)   DARLENE G. DAVIES

The Scream Zone: Del Mar Fairgrounds. October 1-2, 6-9, 13-16, and 20-31; 7-11pm Sunday-Thursday (when open), and 7pm-midnight Friday-Saturday. (www.thescreamzone.com)

Knott’s Scary Farm Halloween Haunt: Through October 31. Not recommended for children under 13. No costumes. Add the new Fright Lane ticket option to bypass the regular wait lines for every Haunt maze, plus one-time front-of-the-line access for each the Xcelerator, GhostRider, Silver Bullet, Sierra Sidewinder, Supreme Scream, and Boomerang. (www.knotts.com)

Brick-Or-Treat Party Nights: Legoland. Saturdays in October 5pm-9pm. Several monstrously fun areas are open late including Land of Adventure, Castle Hill, the Imagination Zone, Coastersaurus, Safari Trek, and Fairy Tale Brook. Free with admission or with your Membership Plus Pass. (www.legoland.com)

Halloween Spooktacular: SeaWorld San Diego. Weekends in October, catch spooky shows including the Pirates 4-D movie experience, join in The Search for Captain Lucky’s Treasure in a walk-through adventure, enjoy photo ops, and trick-or-treat alongside huggable SeaWorld characters. Costumes welcome. Event included with park admission. (www.seaworld.com)

The Haunted Hotel: Downtown in the Gaslamp District. See where the Hellevator takes you, explore Freddy Krueger’s workshop, and go crazy in rooms inspired by Legion and Shutter Island. Meet the night riders on the moving Subway and try to escape the virus outbreak in the Zombie office. Not recommended for children under ten. (www.hauntedhotel.com)

The Haunted Trail Of Balboa Park: Enter the mile-long trail through the twisted grove of pines and gnarled oaks. Experience an outdoor terror that is simply too big to house indoors, as well as "The eXperiment," a new maze. Not recommended for children under ten. (www.hauntedhotel.com)