Best 2017 Things to Do this Halloween in Florida

Before we know it the wind will be rustling the trees, prowling the streets, and we will have arrived at all Hallows' Eve. A shiver runs down the spine as darkness descends like black velvet; we don our costumes, to the smell of orange, as we head into the night towards one of the best things to do this Halloween in Florida. It's party time, and we have places to be; well, that is if you locked in your tickets! Click on the event links below to visit the event pages and hit TICKETS so you too can attend some of the BEST 2017 Things to Do this Halloween in Florida.

850area.com Tallahassee / Panama City

Halloween Panama City Beach - One of the most legendary things to do for Halloween in Florida is this beach bash at Splash Bar Florida, it will blow your mind. Malibu Rum and ABSOLUT Vodka are sponsoring, the LYCAN FORREST, yes, Werewolf is the 2017 Halloween theme. Eureka O'Hara (RuPaul's Drag Race) is headlining the show with other notables. Tickets are sold on a sliding system so the earlier you buy, the cheaper they are.

Halloween Howl 2017 at the Museum - Wicked fun for thrill-seekers can be had at the Tallahassee Museum’s 23rd annual Halloween Howl October 27 and 28 from 6-10 p.m. This event is for ALL ages, plan for the costume contest and for Tree to Tree to be open for both kids and adults. The TREEMendous Adventure children's course will be $10, and Canopy Crossing (adults) will be $20. Tickets for Halloween Howl are $15 for adults, $12 for children for non-members and $13 for adults, $10 for children for Museum Members (children under three free). Funds raised help support the Museum's educational, conservation and preservation activities.

352area.com Gainesville/ Ocala / Dade City

Annual Children's Halloween Carnival - This annual children's carnival, hosted by Ocala Breeder Sales and Racebook grows every year and includes several exciting events. Admission is only $1, and all food truck items are under $4 for this family-friendly thoroughbred event. The party starts at 6 pm, kids and adults wear your costumes! Expect fun, food, bounce houses, a cupcake walk and much more at this annual event in the heart of horse country.

Scream-A-Geddon: Florida's Premier Horror Park - Fright fans, this unique park in Dade City is open seasonally and always ready to scare. New for 2017 Halloween in Florida is Infected: Ground Zero at Scream-A-Geddon, with new haunts; familiar houses include Blackpool Prison, Bedlam 3D, Deadwood and the Cursed Hayride. Don't miss the Monster Midway!

407area.com Orlando

Covering the Orlando, Winter Park, Kissimmee area and more, bookmark the 407area Halloween Page to stay connected to Halloween in Orlando /Things to Do and Events.

Halloween Horror Nights - On our list of things to do this Halloween in Florida this ranks as a Premier Event. In their 27th year of nightmarish fun, people around the state are snatching up tickets to attend #HHN27. Enjoy heart-pounding moments on select nights from September 15 through November 4 as the streets of Universal Studios come alive with horrifying mutants, ghouls, monsters, and maniacs. Explore terrifying haunted houses as you make your way through scare zones where evil beings lurk beyond the turn. Enjoy outrageous live shows, exciting rides, and attractions at this years Halloween Horror Nights in Florida. Ticket start at $69.99 This 'Things to Do this Halloween in Florida' event is not recommended for children under the age of 13. No costumes or masks are allowed.

2017 Halloween at Magic Kingdom - Celebrate Halloween Disney style with magical festivities, parades, fireworks and more! Click the link for details and the schedule of events. Hit the TICKETS button to secure your passes into the park today.

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2017 - Find many boo-tiful ways to have fun with the enigmatic spirits of the season as they transform the park into a happily haunted hollow. This is a costumed event, so get your costumes ready but be sure to follow the Disney guidelines before heading out to the happiest haunting on Earth where you can collect candies, sweets and frightfully delicious treats. Meet grinning ghosts, enjoy eerie entertainment and Disney Characters that go bump in the night.

August 25 and 29, 2017
September 1, 7, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26 and 29, 2017
October 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29 and 31, 2017
November 1, 2017

Halloween Boo Bash A favorite Halloween in Orlando celebration at The Grove Orlando where kids get up close and involved with eerie experiments. Enjoy music, games, contests and a costume parade. Trick-or-treat will be happening throughout The Grove shops as Mad Science and a DJ spook up the fun.

813area.com Tampa

Howl-O-Scream 2017 Unspeakable terror lives at every turn during Busch Gardens pulse-pounding park adventure. Rides are overrun with creatures who ride alongside brave, thrill-seeking guests as unique haunted houses draw the brave inside. Remember at Howl-O-Scream, once you’re in, you’re all in. This epic Halloween in Tampa event begins September 23rd at 7:30 PM and runs through October 29th on special nights. Click the link above for additional information and tickets. This is a separately ticketed nighttime event and not intended for children.

Ghoulwill Bash Ship of Ghouls! Hope aboard Yacht StarShip Dining Cruises for this charitable event and celebrate Halloween in the Ghoulest way ever! This Halloween-themed fundraiser for Goodwill Industries provides partiers with a buffet dinner, cocktails and a breezy cruise around Tampa Bay. Dress up for the costume contest and dance to a DJ. Gayle Guyardo of News Channel 8 plays master of ceremonies, what could go wrong? Right!

The Halloween Horror Picture Show 2017 It's back! Yes, a horror-centric movie fest takes place once again in Downtown Tampa. Expect an intense lineup of some of the very best short horror films and a couple frightening features too! This smaller Halloween event is growing in stature as word spreads. It's lots of fun!

Halloween Party at the Hilton Tampa Downtown Fashionistas pay attention! This one is going to be different; the Hilton is throwing a big themed Halloween bash, the theme, "Iconic Fashion Moments." It's time to begin thinking about favorite all time classic fashion moments in history and recreate them as your costume! There will be a grand prize for best costume.

941area.com Sarasota / Bradenton

Selby Gardens Spooktacular 2017 Selby's Spooktacular is a funny, family-friendly event. Daytime activities will include traditional, wholesome Halloween happenings like trick or treating and pumpkin decorating, fun and educational activities like seed planting, and more. Bring trick-or-treat bags to collect goodies and come in costume! Michael’s on East will be grilling up ghoulish goodies for visitors big and small. The Selby House Cafe will also be open with its full menu. B’s Cool Treat’s will have their ice cream cart on -site with a wide assortment of frozen treats. And the trolley will run from 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. from Sarasota Friendship Center (1888 Brother Geenen Way ).

Halloween Candlelight Cartoon Tour at Gamble Plantation Tour the area's only antebellum plantation dressed as your favorite cartoon character. Adults, this means you too!

239area.com Venice / Fort Myers /Naples

Lakes Park Halloween and Fall Festival October 13th through the 29th this event is free to attend, activities range from $2 to $14. Located at Lakes Regional Park, the Festival features fun rides, games, pumpkins, food and the much anticipated spooky Halloween Express Train Ride through the Halloween Village! There will be tons of pumpkins, inflatables, hayrides, a scarecrow contest, displays and food for purchase. Find the perfect pumpkin then hit the bounce house, or hop on a hayride. *For train hours call: (239) 267-1905.

Naples 5th Ave South Halloween Spooktacular Another free to attend Halloween in Florida event, there is an entrance fee for the costume contest. Enjoy live music, games, street dances, spooky movies and trick or treating! This fantastic event attracts more than 30,000 ghoulish creatures to 5th Avenue South in downtown Naples each year.

Naples Adult Only Halloween Party The details for this first annual bash are $60 per person. Adults 18+ only, no children. Sponsored by Project Help, expect a fun filled evening featuring a costume contest, ghoulish and sweet treats, tarot card readings, music, and dancing!

305area.com Miami / Miami Beach / Key West

Zoo Boo One of South Florida’s premier Halloween events where there’s something for everyone. Included with your zoo admission, families and kids ages 12 and under can trick-or-treat in costumes, participate in costume contests and more. View special performances and enjoy the wild animals as they receive a unique Halloween treat of their own! This Best 2017 Things to Do this Halloween in Florida event includes music and games with fun prizes. Save money and time by purchasing your tickets online! Click the link above and hit tickets to get yours today.

Vizcaya 31st Annual Halloween Sundowner One of the top Halloween events in Florida, the Sundowner at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens celebrates their 31st Annual Halloween Sundowner, one of Miami's most iconic events attracting 1,000's of guests each Halloween. This all-inclusive party takes place on Saturday, October 28, 2017, from 8:00 p.m. to midnight, benefiting the preservation of Vizcaya, a National Historic Landmark. Early bird tickets are $130 per person. You want to grab yours now; this always sells out! Click the link for more information and ways to contact organizers if you have questions.

Nightmare on the Beach 2017 A charitable Halloween in Florida event supporting The Little Lighthouse Foundation. This, their 8th Annual Nightmare on the Beach: Dark CarnEvil Halloween party will occur on Friday, October 27, 2017 from 9 pm to 2 am at Lummus Park on 9th Street & Ocean Drive, in Miami Beach. Over one-thousand guests are expected to devour top shelf cocktails, delicious bites from catering partners, and live entertainment at the Miami Herald’s #1 Halloween event four years running. Join Miami’s movers, shakers, and top brands, for an extravagant night of celebration benefiting South Florida’s most progressive non-profit.

Miami Nice 2017 Annual Halloween Yacht Party Click the link for date and time, this party boards at 11:30 pm and leaves the dock at 12:30 am returning at 4 am. The Biggest Annual Halloween Yacht Party in Miami with four levels, VIP Areas, eight flat screens, an open air promenade, new cabana furnishings and a DJ sky booth! Expect sexy at this Halloween in Florida thing to do. A complimentary light buffet accompanies DJ's. You must be 21+ and you MUST have a costume on to board. Tickets are just $65 so act now prices will go up!!!

2017 FANTASY FEST PARADE in Key West If you’ve ever spent any time on Duval Street in Key West, you’d imagine there’s always a party going on, but that wasn’t always true. Back in the 1970s, despite reliably beautiful weather, from a retail and tourism standpoint, October was dead. Shops up and down Duval, put out the “gone fishing” signs and closed up for months at a time. A group of local business owners started thinking about what they could do to change this fact by attracting Floridian,s visitors and snowbirds to an earlier start of the winter season in the Keys. The powers that be decided a big party might just do the trick — so, taking advantage of the popularity of Halloween in Florida and the tradition of fanciful costuming in the Keys, in 1979, they threw a parade, and it's still FREE! Make your reservations now to join 70,000 exuberant partygoers as this year's Bud Light Fantasy Fest Parade as it rolls down Duval Street. It doesn't get any wilder than this when it comes to Best 2017 Things to Do this Halloween in Florida!

Whatever you chose to do, the time to make your hotel reservations and secure your tickets is now. When it comes to the Best 2017 Things to Do this Halloween in Florida many of the events sell out, and you do not want to be left out of the fun. Life is short, don't waste a minute of it, get out there and experience Halloween in Florida this year! Cover photo by Yasin Erdal