Halloween: Four fun, family-friendly preholiday events this weekend in the Wichita area

Whether you like your Halloween delightful or frightful, Tanganyika Wildlife Park’s Pumpkins at the Park is sure to please the smallest ghouls and boys to the biggest scaredy-cat in your family.

“With this event, we truly say there’s something for everyone,” says Matt Fouts, assistant director at Tanganyika. “While the bulk of activities are geared toward 2- to 8-year-olds, we make sure teenagers and parents also enjoy the evening.”

From 6 to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday, families can wander the park and experience a variety of activities including a lighted pumpkin trail, candy stations, an inflatable obstacle course, the Land O’ Giants, Isle of Intrigue and a waterfall light show. Green lights signal that an area is family-friendly, while purple lights indicate it might be a bit scary for young children.

Teens will be excited to try the new Zombie Task Force Paintball Experience. Participants 12 years and older can test their survival skills in the paintball course as they take down unwanted zombies. Tickets are $20, but a combination ticket for $25 will allow admission to both Pumpkins at the Park and the paintball experience.

Guests can warm up and grab a bite to eat in the Chamber of Mystery, where hot chocolate, cider, hot dogs, caramel apples and other Halloween treats will be available. Even adults can kick back with special bars serving festive mixed drinks such as Witch’s Potion and Warlock’s Brew.

Each year Tanganyika staff travels to a Halloween trade show to bring back the latest and greatest displays for the event, Fouts says. One of these is the 3-D Haunted House created by well-known artist Stuart Smith. Guests can slip on 3-D glasses to see paintings that come to life and tell the magical story of how Pumpkins at the Park came to be.

“There’s really nothing else like it,” Fouts says. “Adults and kids will love it.”

There will also be opportunities for hands-on fun with some the park’s animal friends and Dr. Frank N. Stein’s Mystery Show.

All proceeds from the event go to Tanganyika’s winter fund, which helps raise the $600,000 needed to care for the animals throughout the winter.

“This event is really important for us,” Fouts says. “When we close in November we basically go five months without income. Every dollar goes back to the animals.”

Details: 6-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat. and Oct. 30, 1000 S. Hawkins Lane, Goddard. Tickets are $12 for adults and children, and $6 for children age 2 and under who will participate in activities and trick-or-treating. Children 1 and under get in free. Tickets for the Zombie Task Force Paintball Experience can be purchased at zombietaskforce.strikingly.com for $20.

For safety reasons, only three children per adult are allowed. Advance tickets are recommended. Tickets are available to purchase online at www.pumpkinsatthepark.com.

Here are a few more Halloween-themed events this weekend. For more, see The Eagle’s Click & Go calendar or visit events.kansas.com.

A Night of Hay, Hooves, and Halloween

Giddyap to Old Cowtown Museum for an evening of Western-inspired fright and fun. Children of all ages will enjoy dancing, pumpkin bowling, a masquerade ball and trick-or-treating through the streets of Cowtown.

Arrive early to catch a zombie gunfight, the Headless Horseman, and a dead wedding ceremony. For older children, the Wichita Paranormal Research Society will be available to talk about their findings at the museum.

Details: 4-8 p.m. Sunday, Old Cowtown Museum, 1865 Museum Blvd. Admission is $5 for all ages. For more information, call 316-219-1871 or visit www.oldcowtown.org.

Night of the Living Zoo

Children are encouraged to wear costumes as they wander the Sedgwick County Zoo for some not-too-scary Halloween fun. The just-spooky-enough displays, characters and decorations are perfect for young children and their families.

Families can explore Jack-o’-Lantern Lane, visit Dracula and fortune tellers, and get a head start on trick-or-treating at the many candy stations throughout the zoo. While some animals will be in their outdoor exhibits, most will not be available to see.

Details: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun., Sedgwick County Zoo, 5555 Zoo Blvd. Advance tickets $7 online or at QuikTrip stores. Tickets purchased at the gate are $7 for members, $9 for nonmembers. Children 2 years and younger do not need a ticket. For more information, call 316-266-8386 or visit www.scz.org.

Spooky Science

Excite children’s creepy, crawly curiosity with Exploration Place’s weekend of “Spooky Science.” Hands-on activities and experiments will feature creepy sound makers, glow-in-the-dark games, dancing ghosts, decoding of secret messages and dissections.

Special demonstrations will include extreme pumpkins (Saturday only at 11 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m.), sky observations with the Kansas Astronomical Observers (1-5 p.m.), close encounters with reptiles (Saturday only, 1 and 3 p.m.), and Professor Pancreas’ Cabinet of Curiosity (11:30 a.m., 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Sat.; and 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Sun.).

Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. and noon-5 p.m. Sun. Included with museum admission, free for members. Admission is $9.50 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for ages 3 to 11, free for ages 2 and under. For more information, call 316-660-0600 or visit exploration.org/programs/parents/spooky-science.

This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 4:48 PM with the headline "Halloween: Four fun, family-friendly preholiday events this weekend in the Wichita area."