Updated for 2024 season!
Looking for a safe and family-friendly way to celebrate the spooky season of Halloween? Buckle up and head on out to some of the best home haunts in Fairfax County, where local residents deck out their homes with ghosts, goblins, monsters, and ghouls.
Here are a few homes to add to your route, but keep checking back as more will be added as they become available.
But, make sure to see them before Halloween Night, as many come down immediately after and to ensure safety for the neighborhood children who get to trick-or-treat during the Halloween night festivities.
**Reminder: These are private properties, so please respect the owners’ homes and stay out of the light display and yard when visiting, and please, do not block driveways.
610 Spring St, Herndon
Image courtesy The Historic Halloween House
This year, The Historic Herndon Halloween House is celebrating its 20th year (!!) with “Space Aliens” as its theme. These festive homeowners are on a mission to put Herndon on the map as Virginia's #1 Halloween Town, working with their friends at The Beastro at Queens Row (see below) and encouraging residents to follow along in the Space Aliens theme by using props they already have or scouring local thrift stores to get creative!
Be sure to peer along this historic home's fence line to search for several games and interactive activities, including Astronaut Would You Rather, Outer Space Word Search, and an alien skeleton doorbell that kids can press to hear multiple creepy messages. Plus, be on the lookout for a hidden E.T., who will be moved to a different spot each day.
Remember, there are certain things that show up more clearly during the day and others that are best seen at night. The owners suggest coming in the early evening before the sun goes down, to see everything in the daylight and then taking a stroll through The Town of Herndon and dining at one of its great local restaurants. After dinner, when the Halloween House lights have come on, come back for another look in the dark. It’s a great way to spend an evening in Historic Herndon.
For parking, due to construction surrounding the area, it is highly recommended to park in the Herndon Town Lot and walk down to the house.
4401 Dolphin Ln, Alexandria
Image courtesy Haunting of Yacht Haven/Facebook
Do you go into "Spirit Halloween" stores every year to see the new animated figures? The homeowners at The Haunting of Yacht Haven are up to about 150 animatronics and lights on display in a walk-through yard haunt, arranged in groupings of scarecrows, clowns, witches, monsters, a King with his dragons and horsemen breathing smoke, plus a graveyard with pirates. This one can really scare the little ones but is quite a sight and sound extravaganza for the brave. Follow along on Facebook: The Haunting of Yacht Haven.
The family has also started a fun community barbecue and setup event to get neighbors, friends, and visitors in on the fun of decorating for the season. The display will be open Fridays-Sundays from 5-9pm through Halloween. For parking, consider parking in the street and be respectful of other homeowner's private residences.
13204 Stone Heather Dr, Herndon
Image courtesy Wendy Callarman Hunt
In its 25th year of a bright lights display, this local family-oriented favorite in the Oak Hill neighborhood of Herndon features thousands of purple and orange lights, 200+ pumpkins of one kind of other, numerous animated and inflatable decorations including lifesize floating witches that talk to you, and a spooky walkway under Leyland cypresses (great to walk through with the kids). Beware of the ghosts flying overhead and the witches stirring their cauldrons! Snap photos of the pumpkin heads, witches, and ghosts, and don't miss special appearances by Snoopy and even Hello Kitty!
The porch features original Halloween artwork by Charlotte Henley Babb and the festive garlands and wreaths are all handmade by the homeowner herself.
3006 Rosemoor Lane, Fairfax
Image courtesy Holly Zell
After October 20, enjoy the HOLLYWEEN MEMORIAL CEMETERY. Enter through the driveway/graveyard, past the fresh grave, and the skeletal cook who is busy mixing potions, to get your "treats" from the man in the coffin. Be sure to visit the mausoleum full of silly-named residents before you leave. Beware the giant spider doesn't get you and drag you into his web. For more on HOLLYWEEN and her handmade props, check out her Facebook group here.
415 Queens Row St, Herndon
Image courtesy Justin Jameyson
Calling all extraterrestrial tourists! Herndon's Alien Invasion has a twist at The Beastro at Queens Row – an Intergalactic Luau that's out of this world. Sick of your human camouflage? Their skin bin is ready and waiting, so you can party in your true alien glory. Swap that stuffy disguise for a lei and sip on their famous "Martian-Tini" while you learn to hula with however many limbs you've got. From space limbo contests to entertainment from every corner of the galaxy, The Beastro at Queens Row has thrills that'll make all your eyes light up. So remember, earthlings and aliens alike: "Drop the Skins, Grab a Lei" at The Beastro's Halloween Roswell Retreat!
7302 Rhondda Dr, Lorton
Image courtesy Craig Rupert
This decked-out townhome in Lorton delivers the shivers with a mixture of animatronic, homemade, and inflatable creations. This year's display is bigger and better than ever, with scarecrows, ghouls, neon insects, and other creepy characters. The display wraps around the yard with large, glowing inflatables and is draped in a glowing purple light. You definitely don't want to miss this one!
7104 Calamo St, Springfield
Image courtesy Creepy Nights on Calamo
Enjoy an animated light show and music at this Springfield home, broadcast on 91.1 FM or via speakers in front of home. The music will be running until November 4 and starts at 5:30pm nightly and runs until 9pm Sunday-Thursday and until 10pm Friday and Saturday. The lights will continue to run with no sounds until 11pm. Trick or treaters are in for a special treat as the path to candy winds through the graveyard scene - on Halloween night ONLY.
8519 Spartan Road, Fairfax
Image courtesy Ali Mace
This Halloween yard display is part graveyard, part pumpkin patch. On one side of the yard, ghouls, skeletons, the Grim Reaper, and wicked witches stalk those who dare to visit the tombstones that litter the ghostly graveyard. On the other side, a possessed scarecrow, a giant cat, and other creepy creatures populate a petrifying pumpkin patch. A giant skeleton with a jack-o’lantern head presides over the entire display. Visit if you dare!
2321 Fairview Terrace, Alexandria
This decked-out home in southern Fairfax County is inspired by the homeowner's childhood memories of the iconic Halloween house in their own hometown. Towering 12 foot skeletons and scarecrows are enhanced by a vibrant array of colorful lights that help create that enchanting atmosphere. Look for a pumpkin patch farm stand and other classic Halloween emblems that will hopefully bring all passersby a sense of joy and wonder. The display is lit every night from 6pm to 11:30pm, rain or shine!
Get a good spook this Halloween with your significant other on a couples getaway, or visit these spooky houses on a haunted family adventure! Either way, these haunted houses won’t let you down. For more Halloween fun and events, go here. Scares and spooks not your thing? Check out the fall foliage viewing and scenic fall drives in the area, or just take a trip to the pumpkin patch or a fun fall festival before the season is over.
Are there other homes you know of that aren't on this list? Let us know in the comments below. Find even more great Halloween and Christmas home displays, check out Holly's Tacky Christmas Lights' special Halloween page (updates coming soon!) or join her Facebook group for the latest on Halloween and Christmas light displays in the neighborhoods of Northern Virginia.
