It's ba-ack!

If your family is a die-hard Halloween-loving crew, you probably never miss the fabulous, kitsch-as-a-witch Griffith Park Ghost Train—except last year when you sorely missed it. We certainly pined for it last October, when the all-volunteer crew of train enthusiasts at Los Angeles Live Steamers took a year off from their annual, spooktastic labor of love. But whether you love the ride or had never heard of it, we can all share in the wonderful news that the Ghost Train rides again in 2017!

Who's driving that hearse? Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum

We are big Halloween junkies in our family, and the haunted ride on this small scale track through Griffith Park is a fix we need each fall. Kids as young as three or four years old are generally fine with the scare factor of the Ghost Train, and yet it manages to pack in enough fun to keep kids coming back willingly into their tweens and even teens. The entertainment is all in the decor and stays off the train cars, so everyone feels safe (i.e. no actors jumping out to provoke screams), but the decorations are truly inspired and comprehensive. Every Halloween theme you can think of gets its own featured scene, along with plenty of coolio lighting and smoke effects—all with a goal that is always family entertainment.

See what glows at Green Station. Photo by Raymond Burden

We're hoping that the year off has given the conductors a chance to come up with some even more ghoulish delights to make us squeal this Halloween season. We'll assume, though, that certain things remain true—namely that the early trains have the longest lines (with wait times up to 90 minutes) and that the ride lasts about 15-20 minutes. We always find that the best way to ride an early train is to arrive at 6pm and bring a picnic; there is plenty of grass for romping if you sit down for a meal an hour before the line starts moving at 7pm. Alternatively, if your kids are older, the last trains (especially on Sunday evenings) usually have a shorter wait.

The Los Angeles Live Steamers Ghost Train opens for the season on the eerily appropriate Friday the 13th and runs weekends through Halloween night. The price is (a suggested donation of) $20.

All aboard! Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum

Top photo courtesy of Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum