Tweetsie Railroad’s Ghost Train, a long-running family Halloween event in the North Carolina mountains, returns Friday, September 25, and runs Friday and Saturday nights through October 31. The nighttime event at the Blowing Rock theme park pairs its signature Ghost Train ride with a haunted house, the Freaky Forest, trick-or-treating, a blacklight show, and after-dark amusement rides, all included in one ticket.
Here is our clip of the Ghost Train rolling through the park after dark:
Tweetsie Railroad is a Wild West-themed park built around a coal-fired steam train in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Ghost Train is its fall tradition. Tweetsie bills the night as safe, spooky fun for the whole family, pitched younger than a hardcore haunt, though the haunted house and Freaky Forest bring real scares for older kids.
The rides, shows, and haunts
A Ghost Train night runs on several tracks at once:
- The Ghost Train takes a nighttime ride with spooky surprises around every turn (recommended for ages 8 and up).
- The Haunted House and Freaky Forest hold the night’s biggest scares, also recommended for ages 8 and up.
- Trick-or-treating and a Main Street dance party give younger children a gentler path through the evening.
- The Tweetsie Palace Spooktacular is a family-friendly blacklight character musical, performed throughout the night.
- Amusement rides and the Boneyard run after dark, including the Black Hole and Warp Tunnel.
The range makes a Ghost Train night flexible for a family: little kids can lean on trick-or-treating and the show, while older kids and adults take on the haunted house and Freaky Forest.
Dates and times
Ghost Train runs Friday and Saturday nights from September 25 through October 31:
- 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.: September 25 and 26, and October 2, 3, 9, and 10
- 7:00 to 10:30 p.m.: October 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and 31
Tickets and ages
Ghost Train is a separate nighttime event with a dedicated ticket, apart from daytime park admission. Tickets are $65 for adults 13 and older, $45 for children 3 to 12, and free for toddlers 2 and under, with taxes and fees included and free parking. Each ticket covers one reserved Ghost Train ride plus the rest of the night’s attractions. Tickets are tied to a specific date and train departure time, so advance purchase is recommended, and Golden Rail season pass holders get $20 off one ticket. The Ghost Train, Haunted House, and Freaky Forest are recommended for ages 8 and up, while younger kids can stick to Main Street trick-or-treating and the Tweetsie Palace Spooktacular.
Tweetsie Railroad is at 300 Tweetsie Railroad Lane in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and Ghost Train tickets are on sale at tweetsie.com. For when haunts open across the country this season, see our guide to when haunted houses open.
