Halloween Events Bring Spooky Fun to Texas State Parks

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AUSTIN— The ghosts and goblins are coming to Texas State Parks this month with Halloween events throughout October around the state.

Everything from zombie apocalypse hikes to Halloween themed geocache events and pumpkin painting will be featured at parks for visitors to enjoy. Events can be found on the holiday calendar page on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website. Halloween themed events happening this month include:

The Monster Mash Cache event, happening Oct. 29 at Eisenhower State Park, is a digital scavenger hunt using hand held GPS systems to find treasures hidden throughout the Elm Point day use area. The GPS units will lead visitors to caches of small Halloween goodies and art supplies to make a monstrous craft. Any visitors wearing their Halloween costumes will receive an extra treat.

Estero Llano Grande State Park is hosting the 10th annual Spooky Science Fest Oct. 22. This year’s festival theme is Jurassic Estero. The event will include a dinosaur program for visitors, as well as traditional fall fare with hayrides, costume contests and food vendors. Popular activities like archery, a fishing pool where children can easily catch live fish, knot-tying, face painting, how-to-camp training, poisonous/edible plant education will also be taking place. Displays of live animals like snakes and spiders, a dino maze and games will be ongoing through the event.

Every Friday evening in October, Galveston Island State Park will be hosting a Zombie Apocalypse Hike, a fun program to help visitors prepare for an apocalyptic event. The hike will begin at the nature center and the group will travel the park to find the necessary items for survival. The guides will show the hikers the importance of plants and human uses of the area. The hike is a one hour program and all pets must be on leash.

The Halloween Fest at Wyler Aerial Tramway on Oct. 29 features exhibits for visitors atop Ranger Peak displaying the bats and creepy desert critters found in the area. There will also be arts in the parks stations for children to enjoy and each station will have a different craft to make. A contest for the best carved pumpkin can also be voted for during the festival.

To find local Halloween events, visit the TPWD calendar page.