There is nothing I love more than Halloween, unless it’s Halloween plus my favorite Florida theme park. For 2009, Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights will have 8 haunted houses, 6 “scare zones”, and 2 new live shows. The park does a great job of reworking these shows every year, so you could make it an annual event and never see the same thing twice. Universal’s hanuted houses are scary too, and are not for kids or faint-hearted adults.

The theme for 2009 at Universal is “Ripped from the Silver Screen” with haunted houses and events focused on your favorite horror movies. You’ll see scenes from classics like Dracula, the Wolfman, and Frankenstein, plus new favorites like Saw, Child’s Play and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures (who knows where that one came from!). Most of your favorite rides at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure will also be open, so take a break from all the horror by hitting up the new Simpsons ride or the classic arcade-style Men in Black.

Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights are open on the following dates for 2009:

October 1-4, 8-11, 15-18, 21-25, 28-31

Most nights the park is open from 6:30 pm to 2 am, though it closes at midnight on Sundays. While this is one of the best Halloween attractions in the country, it’s also one of the most crowded, so it helps to know how to beat the crowds. Read more »

Let’s face it. Theme park tickets are expensive. No matter which amusement park you choose, you’re going to shell out big bucks for your tickets. But let’s break it down. Disney and Universal tickets cost about $70 for a one day, one park ticket. On the average day, the park’s are open from 10 am to around 9 pm. That’s 11 hours of world class fun for $70, or just over $6 an hour. When you look at it that way, it’s not such a bad deal after all.

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