Big Thrills & Safe Scares: Santa Maria’s Halloween Events Redefine Fun & Safety for Everyone

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - Santa Maria is hosting a lineup of Halloween events this weekend that range from daytime festivities for young children to an evening haunted maze for older thrill-seekers. 

The holiday activities begin with the “Boo Before Dark at the Boo-Seum” event, held today from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the CRR Discovery Museum at on South McClelland St. 

Admission is free for all families, offering trick-or-treating throughout the facility, a photo booth and interactive museum exhibits.

The daytime museum event welcomed more than 2,000 visitors during last year's celebration and is hosted by Children's Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County.

As night falls, the holiday activities shift to Allan Hancock College for teenagers and adults seeking haunts. 

The college's men's basketball program is hosting its 9th annual “Frightmare Forest” vineyard maze as a fundraiser for the team. 

Frightmare Forest spans a three-acre haunted corn maze at the college's baseball and softball complex, located next to the college vineyard at 800 South College Drive.

The student-run production features actors, specialized lighting and fog machines along a course filled with twists and surprises. 

Tickets for the maze are $15 per person and are available on-site or online, with free parking offered at the complex.

Community members noted that having separate daytime and nighttime venues allows families to tailor their holiday celebrations locally.

Frightmare Forest runs tonight, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. 

Attendees are invited to wear Halloween costumes to the maze.

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