Des Moines Haunted Houses

The list of rides operating during Phantom Fall Fest have been announced on the official website. As always, go to the official website before heading out to make sure things that are important to you haven’t changed:

RIDE AVAILABILITY

Saturday & Sunday until 6pm: A-Train, Carousel, Circus Balloons, Dragon’s Nest, Frog Hopper, Hamptons, Leap Frogs, Lady Bugs, Convoy Truckers, Lighthouse, Speedway Racers, Revolution, Red Barons, Tilt-A-Whirl, Tea Cups, Dragon Slayer, G-Force, Galleon, Rockin’ Rainbow, Sky Wheel, Parachutes, Phoenix, Underground, Tornado, Spaceshot, Monster, Frantic Freeway, Scrambler

Friday, Saturday & Sunday after 6pm: Dragon Slayer, G-Force, Galleon, Rockin’ Rainbow, Sky Wheel, Parachutes, Phoenix, Underground, Tornado, Spaceshot, Monster, Frantic Freeway, Scrambler

https://www.adventurelandresort.com/things-to-do/events/phantom-fall-fest

On Friday, the park is open from 6pm to 11pm. A lucky thirteen rides will be operating after 6pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On Saturdays and Sundays, many more rides will be available from 1pm to 6pm.

Under 18? You cannot enter on Friday without a 21+ chaperone. You can go Saturdays and Sundays from 1pm to 6pm, and if you remain in the park, they “expect” a chaperone to show up and join you. Unofficially, they have said they won’t be asking anyone to leave if they are not causing problems. So, behave. It gives them a good excuse to kick rowdy teens out if they mess with the props or actors.

Buy tickets in advance to save money! If you plan to go, use their current $34.99 discount offer. That, plus 5 for Malice in Wonderland, and $15 for discounted parking, will get you in to the park for only $66.84 — saving you $40 off the front gate price.

Act soon. The earlier $29.99 offer expired Sunday 9/18 (even though it was still being advertised on YouTube ads as recently as Monday, 9/26).

Per guest services at Adventureland, the standard $20 Adventureland parking fee will apply to their Phantom Fall Fest event. If you planned to show up and pay, you would be paying $99.98 to do all four haunted houses — $69.99 admission, $20 parking, and an extra $9.99 for their upcharge haunt.

DMHH advice: Buy your ticket online in advance. You can pick a specific day you plan to go, and get tickets for $39.99-$49.99 depending on the day. Currently the park is offering a $29.99 ticket price – by doing that, you can save $40 right there.

You can also pre-pay for parking, and receive $5 off, getting it for only $15.

If you plan to go hang out with friends, consider carpooling. Over in my Adventureland Iowa Discussions Facebook group, folks often mention that they park for free at the hotel and just walk over. Others say they park across the street at a nearby hotel or even a fast food restaurant. Keep in mind, if you try this, you might find your car has been towed. It might be better off to take an Uber or Lyft, especially if you live close enough that the rideshare to and from costs less than $20.

Chaperone Policy

The park has stated that a chaperone (21 or older) will be needed for all guests under 18 who are in the park after 6 p.m. I reached out to the park for some clarification and was told:

“We will not be evicting everyone and reentering them checking IDs. If the kids create no trouble they will be allowed to stay.”

Adventureland Guest Services, 9/15/2022

This is great news for kids who want to experience the event without mom or dad hanging around. While they may not be admitted after 6 p.m., it sounds like they can show up earlier in the day and just stay until closing.

Disclaimer

This is just what this one specific guest relations employee told me. It is not stated on the official website policy, and as such, could change. As the website states:

This policy is subject to change at Adventureland’s discretion.

https://www.adventurelandresort.com/things-to-do/events/phantom-fall-fest/faqs

Always check with the official sources. Never rely on fan websites, Facebook groups, etc. since we just echo what we’ve heard, and the moment we hear it that information could be out-of-date 🙂

I did ask them specifically if “must be accompanied by an adult chaperone” meant that the adult had to actually be accompanying the kids (as in, with them). The response was “you do not have to hold their hand.” So take that as you will. To me, it sounds likes well-behaved kids will be just fine roaming around on their own, but Adventureland said “if they create problems they will be removed from the park.”

Rides?

The event description does mention rides will be open, but I haven’t seen a list of which rides. On the Adventureland Facebook Page they did announce that The Outlaw would be closing for the season, so it probably won’t be open.

More news when we get it…

On Adventureland’s Phantom Fall Fest F.A.Q., they note that after 6 p.m., anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult that is 21 or older. This is a bit more restrictive than the movie industries R rating, which requires those under 17 to be accompanied by an adult:

R – Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Movie Ratings

Adventureland is normally a family-friendly establishment full of children’s rides, but they have done a number of “adults only” events such as their yearly Oktoberfest and even some adults-only days at the water park.

Is this a hint that the style of haunts at Adventureland will be more on the adult/mature side after 6 p.m.? Will the haunts be tamer for kids during the day, then cranked up in the evening?

The event hours are:

• Fridays – 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
• Saturdays – 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.
• Sundays – 1 .p.m. to 8 p.m.

This means if you are a teenager that wants to go out just with your friends, you can only do it for five hours on Saturday or Sunday between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., then you will have to leave or call an adult to come join you.

Updates when we have them…