Spooky spirits and festive fun: Your ultimate Halloween guide to the Black Hills

It’s scary how fast Halloween is coming up, but we aren’t scared at all. It’s a magical time filled with laughs and screams of joy. There will be plenty of Halloween parties to show off your most creative and creepy costumes and various family-friendly events to get in the spirit of things. With numerous costume contests in the area, you’ll have the chance to strut your stuff and even win some spooktacular prizes! Check out our list below of festive parties, ghost tours and Halloween-inspired events perfect for celebrating a spooktacular Halloween in the Black Hills.

1. WaSpooki Halloween Party — WaTiki^® Indoor Waterpark Resort

Oct. 25 to 27

Grab the family for some ghoulish fun with Koko’s Pirate Krew and embark on a spooky pirate island for the Halloween weekend at WaTiki^® Indoor Waterpark Resort. Kids will brave the orange- and purple-lit waterpark, receive an inflatable pirate sword to plunder Koko’s Kingdom, or take the Parrots Plunge, if they dare. Get past all the skeletons, hanging spiders and eerie surprises to find the keys hidden around the waterpark to open the treasure chests full of sweet candy and rad loot.

2. A Horror Icon Halloween Party — Hotel Alex Johnson

Oct. 25

A night of killer fun awaits you in the historic Hotel Alex Johnson Ballroom this Halloween. Don your spookiest getups and make plans to join us for a Horror-Icon-themed Halloween party to remember, starting at 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, featuring live DJ support from Elite Mobile Sound, the annual costume contest and so much more. Tickets are now on sale, so don’t miss your chance to party at the spookiest hotel in Rapid City.

3. Pickle Boo at The Box Pickleball Tournament — The Box Elder Events Center

Oct. 26 and 27

Grab your partner to get your best dink shots in over Halloween weekend during the second annual Pickle Boo at The Box Pickleball Tournament. This two-day tournament will feature both men’s doubles and women’s doubles on Saturday, and mixed doubles on Sunday. Make it a weekend and enjoy special room rates at Courtyard by Marriott. Don’t forget to dress to impress. Show off your spooky style for a chance to win $500.

4. Deadweird Event — Deadwood

Oct. 25 and 26

Mark your calendars and join us for a night of thrills, live music, costume contests and a whole lot of fun during the annual Deadweird event. At Cadillac Jack’s^® Gaming Resort and Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort, the fun begins here with the best costume contests and promotions in town. At the end of the night, don’t worry about a place to stay. Cadillac Jack’s^® and Tin Lizzie both have comfortable rooms at a spooktacular rate.

5. Haunted Experiences & Ghost Tours — Deadwood

All month long

Deadwood’s Wild West history is filled with ghost stories and tours, haunted experiences and a legend or two. Some say that the local spirits continue to linger in and around town. For the month of October, travel back in time and learn the haunted side of Deadwood’s history with a guided ghost tour or a paranormal experience.

Adams House

A historic, Queen Anne-style mansion call the Adams House offers a unique glimpse at a house captured in time and is rumored to be haunted with objects moving on their own, unexplained voices and perhaps the ghost of Adams himself. Visitors can tour Adams House during regular hours or participate in one of the paranormal investigations held on Fridays and Saturdays during the month of October.

Bullock Hotel

When it comes to the haunted history of Deadwood, the Bullock Hotel usually comes to mind for most. As Deadwood’s first and perhaps most renowned hotel built by the town’s first sheriff, Seth Bullock, some say his spirit continues to linger throughout the hotel, essentially keeping a close eye on his staff and patrons. Encounters include moving furniture and unexplained appearances. For the full story, visitors can take a guided ghost tour on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays.

Fairmont Hotel & Oyster Bay Bar

The Fairmont Hotel & Oyster Bay Bar is also at the top of the list for paranormal activity in Deadwood. Dubbed South Dakota’s most haunted restaurant, legend has it that it’s filled with haunted experiences from past and present owners. The restaurant and bar are located below the hotel itself, which is seemingly filled with a dark, mysterious history behind it all. Many visitors have reported all kinds of paranormal activity including strange apparitions, mysterious voices and objects being thrown across the room. Feeling brave enough? Take a ghost tour, which is available nightly at 8:30 p.m. and takes approximately 80 minutes.

Haunted History Walking Ghost Tour

Discover Deadwood’s history and hauntings on foot with a walking tour along Main Street. This 75-minute walking tour will transport you back in time to the streets of Deadwood where the legends also walked. The Haunted History Walking Ghost Tour is operated by a long-term local resident historian with expertise and interest in Deadwood’s history. Please allow at least 24 hours in advance when making reservations.

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