7 Spooky Things to Do Near Disneyland Without a Park Ticket

Disneyland goes all in for Halloween.

There's a giant Mickey pumpkin, Haunted Mansion Holiday, Halloween food everywhere and enough orange-and-purple merchandise to decorate a reasonably sized city.

But there's one small problem.

You need a Disneyland ticket to see most of it.

If you're visiting Anaheim during Halloween season and don't have park admission that day—or you're a local who would rather not spend theme-park-ticket money every time you want to look at a pumpkin—there are actually plenty of spooky things to do near Disneyland without a park ticket.

Some are free.

Some are definitely not free.

One of them requires signing a waiver before people intentionally terrify you.

So we've got some range here.

Here are seven of our favorite Halloween things to do near Disneyland in 2026 without entering the theme parks.

1. Visit Eulogy Collective at Anaheim GardenWalk

This is about as close as you can get to Disneyland while going in the complete opposite direction emotionally.

Eulogy Collective is a year-round haunted attraction located inside Anaheim GardenWalk at 400 Disney Way, just down the street from the Disneyland Resort. Their newest haunted experience, Shades of Hell, opens September 11, 2026. (eulogycollective.com)

Unlike Disneyland's playful version of Halloween, Eulogy is an actual live-actor haunted house.

Their attractions use dark environments, close-up scares, theatrical lighting, loud audio and detailed sets, with the experience lasting roughly 8–10 minutes. Shades of Hell takes guests through different interpretations of fear as they descend deeper into the attraction.

It's not an enormous theme-park maze, and that's part of why we like it.

Eulogy feels like somebody said, “What if we just put a really good independent haunted house right next to Disneyland?”

And then actually did it.

Full disclosure: the people behind Eulogy are friends of ours, so we are admittedly a little partial to them.

But they're also genuinely good at what they do.

And supporting a small independent haunt while you're visiting the home of one of the largest entertainment companies on earth feels kinda nice.

Not Ready for the Haunted House?

Eulogy also operates a Spooky Boo-tique at the same location with horror merchandise, masks, collectibles and assorted creepy things. The shop is currently open Wednesday through Sunday, so you can still stop in even if nobody in your group is willing to enter the haunt.

Best for: Horror fans, couples and anyone who wants a real haunted house within the Disneyland Resort area.

2. Hunt for Pumpkins at Downtown Disney

Here's the easiest option on the list.

You don't need a Disneyland or Disney California Adventure ticket to visit the Downtown Disney District, and Disney still brings plenty of Halloween atmosphere outside the park gates.

During Halloween Time, Downtown Disney gets seasonal decorations, Halloween food, special merchandise, live entertainment and other fall touches. In 2026, Halloween Time runs from August 21 through October 31.

There's also Pluto's Pumpkin Pursuit.

Guests purchase a special map and search Downtown Disney for hidden Disney-themed pumpkins. Once you've completed your hunt—or decided you've stared at enough rooftops for one afternoon—you can turn the map in for a keepsake.

And importantly for this article, Disney specifically offers a Downtown Disney version, so you don't need theme-park admission to participate.

You will need to purchase the scavenger-hunt map, and Disneyland Resort parking rules still apply, so “no park ticket” doesn't necessarily mean “completely free.”

But if you're already staying within walking distance, this is probably the easiest bit of Disney Halloween you can get without going through a turnstile.

Best for: Families, Disney fans and people with a free afternoon between park days.

3. Try a Horror Escape Room at Exit Game OC

Hey, we know these people!

Exit Game OC is located a short drive from Disneyland at 2975 E White Star Avenue in Anaheim, and our 13th Basement escape room is basically what happens when a horror movie and an escape room make fun of each other for 60 minutes.

The premise is simple:

A serial killer loves escape rooms.

A little too much.

So naturally he built one.

Your group is split up at the beginning and has to reunite, explore multiple rooms and solve your way through his extremely questionable hobby before time runs out.

There's fake blood, body parts, creepy lighting, loud noises and some mild jump scares.

But—and this is important—there is no live actor inside the game.

That's why 13th Basement works really well for mixed groups during Halloween.

Maybe one person wants Eulogy.

Another person says absolutely not.

13th Basement is the compromise.

It's spooky enough to feel like Halloween, but it's intentionally a horror-comedy rather than an experience designed to make you cry in the parking lot afterward.

Every booking is also private, meaning you only play with the people you came with.

Best for: Friend groups, date nights, teens and Halloween fans who want creepy without scare actors.

4. Explore the Halloween Decorations at the Disneyland Resort Hotels

Here's another bit of Disney Halloween that exists outside the theme-park gates.

For 2026, Disney has expanded seasonal touches into the Disneyland Resort hotels.

The Disneyland Hotel has Haunted Mansion-inspired decorations, Pixar Place Hotel gets new Monsters, Inc. décor, and both the Disneyland Hotel and Grand Californian have seasonal confectionery displays.

There are also Halloween dining experiences outside the parks, including Goofy's Kitchen Celebrates Halloween at the Disneyland Hotel and seasonal character dining at Storytellers Cafe inside Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. Reservations are available for those dining experiences.

A warning here because we don't want somebody showing this article to a confused Cast Member:

Some Halloween activities at the hotels are specifically for registered hotel guests, including select trick-or-treat activities.

So don't wander into the Disneyland Hotel carrying an empty pillowcase and tell them Exit Game OC promised you candy.

We did not.

But the hotels are still worth looking at if you're already spending time around Downtown Disney, particularly if you have dining reservations.

Best for: Disney fans who want more Halloween atmosphere on a non-park day.

5. See the Anaheim Halloween Parade

If you're in town on October 24, this might be the best completely free activity on the entire list.

The Anaheim Halloween Parade rolls through Downtown Anaheim at 7 p.m. as the finale to the annual Anaheim Fall Festival.

And unlike most things involving Halloween in Southern California, admission costs exactly:

$0.

The parade starts around Anaheim Boulevard and Broadway before traveling through Downtown, with local groups, floats and gigantic Halloween characters taking over the streets.

Earlier in the day, the Anaheim Fall Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Center Greens with vendors, costume contests, live entertainment, a classic car show, kids' activities and a scavenger hunt. That's free too.

This is also one of the activities we recommend most strongly for visitors because it's something you probably wouldn't know exists if you only stayed inside the Disneyland bubble.

Anaheim has been celebrating Halloween for generations, and the parade feels very different from the massive commercial Halloween events surrounding it.

Make an afternoon out of it.

Visit the Anaheim Packing District, grab some food, walk around Downtown and then find a spot for the parade.

Best for: Families, locals, budget-conscious travelers and people looking for something uniquely Anaheim.

6. See The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Grove

Apparently Anaheim looked at October 2026 and decided it wasn't quite spooky enough.

On October 10, the Grove of Anaheim is hosting The Rocky Horror Picture Show Original Cast Spooktacular Tour.

The event includes a screening of the original unedited movie with original cast members Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn, plus a live shadow cast, costume contest and audience participation.

Which is about as Halloween-season appropriate as a Saturday night can get.

The Grove is over near Angel Stadium, so this one does require a short drive or rideshare from the Disneyland Resort area, but there's no theme-park admission involved.

And if Rocky Horror isn't your thing, the Grove is also hosting a Little Shop of Horrors 40th Anniversary event on October 18.

Feed me, Seymour.

Sorry.

Had to.

Best for: Adults, cult-movie fans, theater people and anyone looking for a Halloween date night that's not another haunted maze.

7. Make the Short Trip to The 17th Door

And now we're cheating again.

The 17th Door isn't actually in Anaheim.

It's in nearby Buena Park.

We know.

Please direct all geographical complaints to someone else.

We included The 17th Door in our full Anaheim Spooky Season Guide and we're putting it here too because if somebody searches for scary things near Disneyland, it would be ridiculous not to mention one of Orange County's best-known extreme haunted attractions.

For 2026, The 17th Door opens September 25 at the Buena Park Downtown Mall, with dates continuing through the Halloween season.

This isn't Disney Halloween.

It isn't even regular haunted-house Halloween.

The 17th Door markets itself as an immersive extreme haunt experience, and guests sign a waiver before entering. There is also a safe word if things become too intense.

So maybe don't make this a surprise date.

“Hey honey, I planned something romantic” should probably not conclude with somebody handing your spouse legal paperwork.

That said, if your group loves serious haunted attractions, The 17th Door is absolutely worth the short drive from Anaheim.

We like these guys too.

We just like Eulogy a teeny tiny bit more.

Home-team advantage.

Best for: Experienced haunt fans who actually want to be scared.

You Don't Have to Spend the Entire Trip Inside Disneyland

We love Disneyland.

We also live and work in Anaheim, so we're obligated to gently remind everyone from time to time that there is an actual city outside the Disneyland gates.

And spooky season is one of the best times to explore it.

You can walk from the Resort District to an independent haunted house at GardenWalk, spend an hour solving your way through a horror-comedy escape room, watch a nearly century-old local Halloween tradition downtown, catch Rocky Horror or drive a few minutes to an extreme haunt in Buena Park.

You don't need another Disneyland ticket.

You just need to decide how scared you actually want to be.

If the answer is:

“A little spooky, but I absolutely do not want someone chasing me,”

that's where 13th Basement at Exit Game OC comes in.

And if the answer is:

“I want somebody to make me deeply reconsider coming here,”

our friends at Eulogy and The 17th Door can take it from there.

Happy spooky season.