Is Fall Camping Best? + Fall and Halloween Fun at Jellystone Parks Across the Country

Over the past decade, fall weekends and Halloween Fun at Jellystone Parks have transformed from simple trick-or-treat nights into elaborate festivals packed with activities. What began as costume parades and campground candy has grown into multi-week celebrations with haunted trails, harvest festivals, zombie scavenger hunts, and even chocolate slides.

For families, these weekends are a perfect way to extend the Halloween season. Kids get extra chances to wear their costumes, and parents can enjoy seasonal favorites like apple cider and pumpkin donuts. Compared to a single afternoon at a local farm, these Jellystone weekends often offer more activities for less money, all while giving you the comfort of your RV or cabin to return to between events.

Here are some of the standout Jellystone Parks hosting fall harvest and Halloween weekends in 2025. 

Jellystone Park Big Prairie｜Big Prairie, Ohio

In Ohio’s Amish country, Jellystone Park Big Prairie is celebrating fall with three themed weekends in October. From October 3–5, the park will host a Harvest Hoedown with cider tastings, fresh-made hot apple cider, and spiced donuts, along with tractor-pulled wagon rides, a magic pumpkin ride, costume contests, and trick-or-treating. 

The following weekend, October 10–12, brings the Fall Flannel Festival, which includes a flannel fashion contest, lumberjack-inspired games, pine cone crafts, fall ceramics, and another round of pumpkin rides, costumes, and candy. 

Finally, from October 17–19, the Fall Foliage Fiesta invites campers to enjoy scenic hikes, a nature photography contest, pumpkin painting, and a festive costume parade.

Jellystone Park Burleson ｜Burleson, Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas—including fall camping weekends at Jellystone Park Burleson. Beginning in late September, the park offers six consecutive weekends packed with family fun. 

Guests can look forward to pumpkin decorating contests, a costume fashion show, campsite decorating competitions, trick-or-treat trails, and an annual haunt spectacle that transforms the campground into a festive destination. 

Once Halloween winds down, the fun continues with three “Gobble ’Til You Wobble” weekends in November, featuring pumpkin pie eating contests, turkey scavenger hunts, turkey trot races, and even a pumpkin spice cooking competition with sweet and savory categories.

Jellystone Park Caledonia｜Caledonia, Wisconsin 

Just outside Milwaukee, Jellystone Park Caledonia offers six weekends of fall and Halloween fun. The festivities begin October 3–5 with a Wizards and Warlocks Weekend filled with magical crafts and potions sure to delight young campers. 

Later in the month, from October 17–19, the campground will host a traditional Halloween celebration that includes a haunted trail, campsite decorating contests, and plenty of costumes and candy for the whole family.

Jellystone Park Cochran｜Cochran, Georgia

In Cochran, Jellystone Park kicks off the season with a Chocolate Lovers Weekend during the last weekend of September. This sweet celebration features chocolate-themed crafts, delicious treats, and a unique chocolate slide. 

The fun continues October 10–13 with Fall Frenzy Weekend, which offers hayrides, pumpkin painting, and other autumn crafts. To wrap up the month, the park will host two classic Halloween weekends with pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, and spooky surprises.

Jellystone Park Endicott｜Endicott, New York

Halloween starts early at Jellystone Park in Endicott, New York, where celebrations begin the last weekend of September and continue through October 26. Themed weekends include Mischief and Magic Wizards & Witches Weekend from October 3–5, when kids can make witch hats, wizard masks, and wands, join broomstick races, and experiment at a magic potion-making station before touring the haunted house. 

On October 17–19, families can participate in a pumpkin painting contest and a monster-themed dance party. Then from October 24–26, the park hosts a Zombie Weekend with activities like zombie mask-making, a relay race, charades, and even zombie gellyball.

Jellystone Park Zion｜Hurricane, Utah 

Jellystone Park Zion, located in Hurricane, Utah, will host five straight weekends of Halloween fun beginning the last weekend of September. Activities include a magic pumpkin patch, a trick-or-treat trail, and a spooky wagon ride that combines fright and fun. 

On October 24–26, the park will embrace a Zombie Apocalypse theme, while the season wraps up October 30–November 2 with a colorful Day of the Dead celebration featuring vibrant crafts and music.

Jellystone Park Jamestown｜Jamestown, New York 

At Jellystone Park Jamestown, located in New York’s scenic Chautauqua County, families can enjoy three weekends of Halloween programming starting in late September. Each weekend will feature trick-or-treating, parades, and classic fall fun, making this location a festive option for families throughout the month.

Jellystone Park Lake Charles｜Lake Charles, Louisiana

Halloween lasts all month at Jellystone Park Lake Charles, where every weekend in October includes frightful festivities. Guests can expect mummy wrapping relays, scavenger hunts, zombie chases, a wicked witch laugh contest, a haunted trail, and a Halloween parade to cap off the season. This park leans heavily into spooky themes, making it a great choice for families with tweens and teens who love a good scare.

Jellystone Park Watts Bar Lake ｜Loudon, Tennessee 

In Loudon, Tennessee, Jellystone Park Watts Bar Lake offers six consecutive Halloween weekends starting the last weekend of September. The lineup includes pumpkin painting, costume contests, campsite and cabin decorating competitions, trick-or-treating, and lively ghoulish dances that bring the whole campground together.

Jellystone Park Monticello｜Monticello, Iowa 

Jellystone Park Monticello begins its Halloween festivities early, with four weekends starting September 19–21. Along with a haunted trail to thrill campers, the kickoff weekend also includes a chili and soup cook-off. Food-themed weekends have become increasingly popular at Jellystone Parks, and Monticello’s cook-off is a perfect example of how these events mix seasonal fun with campground tradition.

Jellystone Park New Douglas｜New Douglas, Illinois

Fall fun begins in New Douglas with themed activities the last weekend of September and the first weekend of October, including pumpkin picking, games, crafts, and trick-or-treating. 

Beginning October 10–13, the park ramps up the Halloween spirit with a haunted house, trick-or-treating, and ghostly games. 

From October 24–26, the campground hosts a Zombie Weekend featuring zombie scavenger hunts and an undead three-legged race that’s sure to get laughs.

Jellystone Park Pelahatchie｜Pelahatchie, Mississippi

In Mississippi, Jellystone Park Pelahatchie launches its fall schedule with a Harvest Hoedown the last weekend of September. The event includes a harvest craft station, a cornhole tournament, scarecrow-making contests, wagon rides, and a festive dance party. 

From there, the park hosts five consecutive Halloween weekends in October, offering everything from a magic pumpkin patch and campsite decorating to a kiddie trail, a haunted trail of terror, eyeball scavenger hunts, vampire donuts, glow ghost rides, and interactive scary stories with Yogi Bear himself.

Why You Should Try Halloween Fun at Jellystone Parks

Jellystone Parks have taken fall camping to the next level, offering affordable, family-friendly fun that rivals any pumpkin patch or farm festival. With activities for little ones, tweens, and even teens, these campgrounds create memories that last long after the costumes are packed away.

For availability and details, please make sure to check the website of the Jellystone Park you are interested in visiting! Halloween fun at Jellystone Parks is an absolute guarantee! We hope to see you at the spooky campground!

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