Halloween at Universal Orlando with Kids: CityWalk, Shopping, Hotels, and More
While some of Orlando’s theme parks are better known for their family-friendly Halloween offerings, there’s lots of Halloween fun to be had at Universal Orlando Resort as well. Universal hosts the iconic event Halloween Horror Nights each year, but since it recommends kids only visit the scary event if they’re 13 or older, parents may wonder what else there is for kids to do to get into the spooky spirit at Universal’s hotels and theme parks.
Read on for our guide to different Halloween activities and happenings going on at Universal Orlando from now through early November when Halloween Horror Nights ends.
In Case You’re Interested:
>> Super Fun Family Restaurants
>> Cheap Family Fun
>> Orlando Hotels with Waterparks
Monstrous Halloween photo opportunities at Universal hotels
At all eight of Universal Orlando’s hotels, there are Halloween-themed photo opportunities in hotel lobbies. These photo backdrops include everything from a web of sinister roots and pumpkins in the lobby of Cabana Bay Beach Resort to a dark, seaside gothic manor vibe in the lobby of Loews Sapphire Falls, and can make for a fun day of visiting the lobbies of different Universal hotels with your family collecting photos.
On our recent visit, my teenage son and I visited a few hotels via Universal’s system of walking trails and boats and stopped for lunch and shopping at Universal CityWalk midway through our day of photo-hunting.
Shopping for Halloween merchandise at Universal Orlando
Whether you’re interested in purchasing a Chucky popcorn bucket or window-shopping to look at Universal’s beautifully-themed Halloween storefronts, window displays, and merchandise, walking through highly-themed stores in the theme parks, resorts, and CityWalk can be a fun spooky season activity.
The Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store is a must-see
Don’t miss the Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store, located inside Universal Studios. You don’t need a HHN ticket to visit this store and see its over-the-top theming, as it’s open during normal theme park hours as well.
This year’s tribute store sells merchandise from intellectual properties like Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and A Quiet Place in addition to some really fun and unique Halloween products. The store is themed around an icon of Halloween Horror Nights past, Batilda the bat, and tells a story all its own if you’re paying attention. And, inside, there are delicious baked goods for sale like Stay Puft Marshmallow Man s’mores and bat-shaped Batilda sugar cookies.
Parent pro tip: The Tribute Store has everything from scary t-shirts to spooky mannequins, so be sure to consider whether or not your child would be frightened by these scenes before taking them in.
Many hotels have Halloween-themed bars
This year, every Universal hotel has changed its lobby bar to a Halloween-themed motif for spooky season.
On our recent visit, we visited Cabana Bay Beach Resort and enjoyed seeing how its lobby bar, Swizzle Lounge, had been fully decorated in a creepy pumpkin patch motif. At Aventura Hotel, the bar is alien-themed, and at Endless Summer Dockside, the bar is adorned with spooky driftwood characters. These bars often also sell Halloween-themed drinks, so it can be fun to order a few creepy cocktails and mocktails and give your feet a rest while you cool off.
Dead Coconut Club at Universal CityWalk
On nights when HHN is taking place, there’s a special pop-up bar available for guests to visit at CityWalk, no park ticket or event ticket required. Normally the Red Coconut Club, the Dead Coconut Club only pops up during the Halloween season and is normally open from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. on event nights.
The entire space gets a spooky overhaul during Dead Coconut Club. In 2024, the bar is split into two themes, an `80s vampire bar downstairs and a tribute to Blumhouse movies like The Purge and Happy Death Day upstairs. While these settings are plenty spooky, there are no HHN-esque jump scares or excessive gore, so it can be a fun place to cool off and enjoy cocktails or mocktails while feeling festively spooky.
Lil Boo’s Trick or Seek scavenger hunt
In past years, Universal has offered an official scavenger hunt featuring Lil’ Boo, a Halloween pumpkin character who has been a part of Halloween Horror Nights lore since 2017. For about $10, parents have been able to purchase a Lil’ Boo’s Trick or Seek scavenger hunt map at several retail locations throughout Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and CityWalk. The hunt consisted of taking the map around the theme parks and CityWalk hunting for clues, then returning the completed scavenger hunt map to one of the retail locations listed to redeem it for a prize.
While there’s been no official announcement from Universal Orlando on whether or not Lil’ Boo will make a return in scavenger hunt form in 2024, I checked in with employees at the Universal Studios Store at CityWalk and was told they have not heard an official “no” from higher ups at this time.
In fact, the employees seemed hopeful that once all things Halloween Horror Nights had kicked off at Universal Orlando, they may see a 2024 scavenger hunt arrive.
Halloween Horror Nights can be fun for some teens
The biggest Halloween event at Universal Orlando is definitely Halloween Horror Nights, an event with 10 haunted houses, plenty of jump scares, and lots of gore. Universal recommends kids be at least 13 before visiting HHN, but we’ve definitely seen younger kids visit the scare-tacular event. Like any Halloween event, it all depends on what you’re comfortable with and what your kid can handle.
If you do visit HHN with your teen, which I’ve done for the last two years, consider adding Express Pass to your ticket to minimize line wait times. Universal also offers group and private R.I.P. Tours with a dedicated guide who can take you to the front of each house’s line for an added cost. We often splurge for these upgrades as it makes the night run more smoothly, but there’s plenty of scares and fun to be had without them, too.
My teen and I also spent time listening to the Discover Universal podcast in advance of our trips to HHN, as the hosts share a great deal of details and information on many of the houses and the event overall. Going in prepared has been a great help for my kid, as he was more aware of what to expect.
Read our guide to how to know if a kid is old enough to attend HHN.
