Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld San Antonio
Howl-O-Scream at Seaworld San Antonio is back so get ready to get scared! Here's everything you need to know about visiting SeaWorld this spooky season for chills and thrills.
Howl-O-Scream
Howl-O-Scream is included with SeaWorld park admission, although not all SeaWorld's regular attractions will be available during Howl-O-Scream. You can count on many of the rides being available but the animal shows will most likely not be an option during this scary, evening event. Howl-O-Scream is available on select nights through October 27 – check SeaWorld's website for specific dates.
If you want something less scary, check out SeaWorld's Halloween Spooktacular, which is happening Thursdays through Sundays through October 31. This daytime event geared toward families with kids has a corn maze, trick or treating, and a Sesame Street parade. A Camp Spooktacular is also available during the hours of Howl-O-Scream that allow younger guests to enjoy activities while their parents attend Howl-O-Scream.
Anyone can enjoy the Halloween Spooktacular but Howl-O-Scream is not recommended for guests under 13. The park becomes very scary after 7:00 PM.
Haunts and Terror-Tories
There are six haunted houses and eight Terror-Tories at Howl-O-Scream. The haunted houses are self-explanatory and the entrances are clearly marked, however, Atlantis: The Cursed Chasm, is a little challenging to find. It's tucked away back by the Journey to Atlantis attraction. We walked by twice without realizing it is there.
The Terror-Tories are themed areas with goblins, ghouls, and other scary friends. The new Til Death Do Us Part area features wedding-themed characters, a bar, and live entertainment. The characters are certainly frightening to look at and will sometimes charge at you or jump at you to amp up the fear factor. However, they won't touch you and you're not to touch them. Same goes for the characters inside the haunted houses.
There are also five themed bars with special Howl-O-Scream cocktails. The cocktails are slightly different at each bar but you can get a “blood bag” and a Jello shot syringe at all of them.
If you don't want to be scared you can purchase a “no boo” necklace which signals the monsters roaming the streets not to scare you. However, these necklaces aren't designed to be worn inside the haunted houses as the whole point is to be scared.
Evil Upgrades are a Must
Purchasing an add-on Fear Pass will help you get the most out of your Howl-O-Scream experience. We had a Fear Pass Plus, which sells for $49.99 per person. This is a chunk of change on top of the SeaWorld ticket but it allowed us to jump to the front of all of the haunted house lines and select rides. The Fear Pass Plus allows unlimited access, so you can visit the haunted houses over and over and ride as many rides as you want. There's also a cheaper option with the regular Fear Pass, which allows one skip-the-line privilege per haunted house, and a Fear Pass Ultimate, which includes drink tickets and reserved seatings at select shows.
Monster Stomp
The Monster Stomp is SeaWorld's nightly Halloween show. The show lasts about half an hour and has music, dancing, and a rather creepy love story. The quality is excellent. The venue can fill early, so get there early for a good seat. There are two shows nightly, an earlier show and a later one. The show is not particularly scary and suitable for all ages but when you're leaving the early show, the monsters will be out and you'll have to dodge them as you make your way to the entrance if you've got younger kids or if you're faint of heart.
Check out Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld San Antonio through 10/27. Other SeaWorld parks have similar events but this info is specific to the San Antonio park.