Which Halloween Event is more worth it out of these 3 Kings Island, Six Flags Great America, or Cedar Point.

Here is my dilema. I am trying to figure out where to go for a Halloween event this fall. In the past we have stuck to Cedar Point, but in all honesty to stay on site, the price is getting very close to staying at a Disney Resort. I have thought about staying off site, but also have run into the issue of hitting the very slow moving traffic jam and huge crowds on a saturday. Last year when we went, our ert on maverick was held to one ride becuase the line grew to an hour very quickly. I have been to Six Flags for Fright but that was 9 years ago, and I have also been to Kings Island for their event but that was the year before they added the back lot stunt coaster. All the sites have very little info out there as to what will be happening this year. I have 3 hour drive to Six Flags, 4 hour drive to Cedar Point and a 5 hour drive to Kings Island. Friday nights are out becuase of my work schedule as are Sunday days since I have to be back to work Sunday afternoons. What is your honest oppinion on all three?

I'm assuming you really, really like haunts to endure a fall Saturday at any of these places!

I guess it depends on how you like it- Kings Island's is probably the most immersive of the three, while at Cedar Point you can pretty much avoid it if you want to. With all three being so nuts busy I would probably let drive time be my guide!

Is it possible you will go Sunday as well? It's far less busy, with no haunts to speak of, and if you're going for rides that would be the day to concentrate on them. I can speak to the Ohio parks on that.

Wait! Have you tried Diamondback yet? It's only five hours away!

I would stick to Cedar Point. The pricing might be a little on the high side but they are adding a new walk through haunted house in the disaster transport line.
All in all out of all the haunts that i have attended Cedar Points was really good...
But thats my opinion

The problem is, we had been saving all year to go to an amusement park, unfortunatly work would not allow us time off. I am not complaining, I mean I am in michigan where i work 2 jobs where there is an umemployment rate of 15% So it would be a combination of going to the haunts and riding the rides.

If you can spring it I would suggest going to a USF or to Knotts, everyone really talks those two up and someday Ill make it to them.

As for CP vs KI vs SFGAm. SFGAm makes you pay to go through a house, so as a fan of houses and of the general opinion that I dont want to pay extra for a house (note I have no problem paying extra for an event like some parks do, Im weird that way) so that leaves CP vs. KI. Heres the deal, I really enjoy both of them. You have been to CP so instead of comparing CP to KI side by side, Ill just mention the pluses and minuses of KI.

Positives: On Friday, get there for opening, all the actors in the outdoor maze will be waiting for you right at the enterance, great way to start the night. Their indoor mazes are much better then CP's indoor mazes. There is fog everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. Saturday, before the Haunt starts will actually be not that crowded (think summer weekday) and is quite enjoyable. It stays open until 1 am. They have a meal deal where you get a buffet and FOL access to the newest haunt at opening (do this Saturday, to see why see the negatives.)

Negatives: Their outdoor zones are all queued so there is no attraction like the Fright Zone where you can get some scares without waiting in line (which makes Saturdays really stink.) Once the Haunt starts, expect the park to be super packed, Im talking full queues and spilling onto the midway for every haunted and normal attraction, really youre better off doing the meal thing, riding the Beast one more time (for the night ride) and high tailing it out of there.

So, which Friday or Saturday is the least busy at Kings Island? I am assuming it would be the second weekend. Am I right?

I've never been to a park during a haunt (except for when I worked at Cedar point) because of other haunted attraction obligations. Even though I am working at a local haunt again this year (like every year since i was a teenager), I am pretty sure that I can find the free time this year. Kings Island is the closest to me, so that's probably where I will end up.

Busch Gardens or Kings Dominion is also a slight possibility.

I can say that the haunts at cedarpoint are more "family" friendly.

The haunts at kings island are more adult oriented.

BGW's Howl-O-Scream was a great time in 2005. Great shows (Jack show in Ireland, awesome, Festhaus show awesome,) really great lighting, although I do have to say, the mazes (except for the maze below Pompeii was lacking based on what Ive seen at KI and CP now. Looks like the rest no no longer exist or have been updated which is good.

All 3 of those places suck. Go to Kennywood.

kpjb said:
All 3 of those places suck. Go to Kennywood.

Indeed. I'll second that.

Mostly because the others get too crowded to be even remotely enjoyable. Assuming crowds aren't a problem then...

1. Can't speak for any SF halloween event. Haven't been to one. Can I use Q-bot in some way? If yes, then it's a win.

2. CP's is pretty decent. Nothing too outrageous or different, but fun to be had.

3. Done KI's two years in a row and will probably just skip it this year. Not a fan of the night time stuff - it's weak at best, but the day stuff for kids and little ones is excellent.

LK - I think the earlier in the month the better, close to Hallowe'en is busiest. Friday nights are also the best to go as Football Friday Night helps keep the crowds down.

Worst thing about SF frightfest is you have to pay for the haunted houses, atleast that was the case a few years ago...

I'm obviously biased, but if you're going on a Saturday and are mostly interested in the Haunt attractions, CP might have the most to offer you. The indoor attractions open early enough in the day that you can probably get them done before the outdoor zones open at 8 PM. Cornstalkers is the only outdoor area with a queue, and can have up to a 2 hour line. Fright Zone, Terror Island, Fear Faire, and CarnEvil are all wide open walk through attractions with no lines, unless you show up at Terror Island prior to or right around the 8 PM opening. Then there is a queue just to hold the people who show up early for this one. It usually empties out in 15-20 minutes.

Friday is out, Sunday is out. So we are stuck going on Saturday only. My kid wants to see how they deck the parks out with the Halloween stuff, I want to ride the rides, My lady wants to do both but has never been to KI or SFGAM. If we don't get into the Haunts, that wouldnt bother me, since we always go to the Screampark here. www.haunted.org .Crowds dont bother me if there are shows to keep me entertained. Once Six Flags had a good Hypnotise show. I don't recall KI having anything like that, or do they?

The Fright Zones use to be fun at CP, but the last two years when we were there, too many punks were ruining it by running around, being asses, at one point, the screamster were taken out of the zone because they couldnt control the punks. I mean, its good to have fun but when your pushing people, trying intimadate the screamsters, trying to be a screamster yourself, it gets out of hand. I even felt like I was gonna get pick pocketed. We watched one guy actually go up and kick a screamster and walk away thinking he was a big man laughing.

The new haunts at CP will blow you away. They're raising their game big time.

Agreed with Jeff 100%. Forget what you know about previous CP houses, these new ones are going to be fantastic.

Talonstruck said:
at one point, the screamster were taken out of the zone because they couldnt control the punks.

I assure you that never happened. If there was a zone stop (lights come on, Screamsters get out of the way) it was for a medical emergency or something similar. The cops keep enough of a handle on things that there's no need to stop a zone for the antics of dumb teenagers.

Talonstruck said:
We watchedone guy actually go up and kick a screamster and walk away thinking hewas a big man laughing.

Unfortunately, that part does happen way too often.

Kennywood!

I've been to KI on both Fridays and Saturdays of last year, everyone thought that Fridays were the best time to go, will something must had changed. Ever Friday night I went to was packed, didn't really matter if it was warm or cold.

I enjoy and appericate all of the insight I am getting on this topic.