Wander through these haunted houses in New Hampshire to support local businesses while having a spine-chilling time.
When the temperatures plummet, sunsets eerily draw earlier and earlier, and the leaves grow more barren with each passing day, we know fall has arrived. With the crisper temps and beautiful scenery comes the spooky season—aka the month of October—when everyone brings out their orange-and-black sweaters, sips spiced lattes, and tries to find the scariest, most seasonally appropriate activities to add to their itineraries. In New Hampshire, Mount Washington Hotel is a haunted spot that many frequent not only for cozy beds and yummy food but also for all that goes bump in the night.
Not everyone wants to trek to Bretton Woods for a chillingly good time, though—nor should you have to. You don’t even have to travel to Salem, Mass., even if that is always a perfectly spine-chilling time. No, there are many haunted houses in New Hampshire that can scratch that perennial hair-raising itch, and you don’t have to sell your soul to afford them, either. So, if you’re looking to take a trip through the terrifying this fall, hit up one of the following haunted houses; you might just find yourself electrified by the eerie.
1. Haunted Overload
Address: 20 Orchard Way, Lee, NH 03861
First on our list of the top haunted houses in New Hampshire is Haunted Overload, a spooky hotspot found at DeMeritt Hill Farm each fall. Haunted Overload will run from Oct. 9 to Nov. 2 in 2025, with both day and night haunts each weekend. The venue’s website notes that tickets tend to sell out each year, so you’ll want to make plans and prepare your trip accordingly, including booking tickets in advance.
Individual tickets range in price from $14 for a day haunt to $38 for the “Main Event,” which is described on the website as “an intense Halloween experience like no other.” Moreover, Hauntworld magazine deemed Haunter Overload “the #1 Haunted Attraction for 2015,” making this one you really won’t want to miss. Other ticket tiers include $25 for Fright Night Lite (a cozy experience sans scares but still with all of the typical sounds and lights you’d expect of a haunted house) and $28 for “LIGHTS OUT !!!” (a monster-filled trail that will only be open for a single night).
Buying tickets for Haunted Overload can be harrowing, but reviewers say it’s worth it. “The attention to detail and creativity that went into the whole setup and [build] is absolutely mind blowing,” one pleased visitor wrote on Google. Other reviewers love that you can buy apple cider donuts and beverages at the farm’s shop—a perfect treat to end your haunted experience.
2. The Dark Woods
Address: 150 N River Rd, Milford, NH 03055
When planning your fall in New Hampshire with hayrides, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and more, don’t forget to pencil in The Dark Woods. This beloved venue, housed at Trombly Gardens, opened for the 2025 season on Sep. 26 and will remain open for screams, chills, and thrills until Nov. 1.
One cool aspect of The Dark Woods is that its experiences are tiered by increasing spookiness. The basic experience, called The Dark Woods, is what you’d expect from a haunted house. Costumed characters will cause havoc while you work your way through the property, and eerie sounds will send chills down your spine. But if you want something even more terrifying, you can opt for The Darker Woods, which has even more scares up its sleeves. Not into that? Don’t fret—there’s an option for you, too. The Trauma Free Tour features no frights or jump scares. Instead, you can wander at your own pace and enjoy the ambiance.
The Trauma-Free Tour costs just $13 per person, while the other two options are $25. Hundreds of Google reviewers have made The Dark Woods sound absolutely worth the money. The attraction has been rated 4.9 stars, which is no easy feat, and reviewers particularly love how thoroughly The Dark Woods appears to be planned each year. “The Dark Woods is the bomb!! [If] you like being scared, this is the place to go!! It was creepy and dark,” one reviewer shared.
3. Fright Kingdom
Address: 12 Simon St, Nashua, NH 03060
If you’re looking for bang for your buck, look no further than Fright Kingdom. This venue boasts one of the highest overall ratings, landing at 4.7 stars from more than 1,000 reviews, and its general admission ticket contains more than one, two, or even three experiences for visitors. Fright Kingdom’s website says it has “New England’s scariest haunted houses,” not to mention some of the coolest haunted houses in New Hampshire, and true enough, you get five attractions with just one $38 ticket.
You can check out an “old farm house” at The Abandoned or navigate a dystopian world full of a mysterious and powerful contagion in Apocalypse Z. There’s also Bloodmare Manor, an early-nineteenth-century haunted house full of treacherous secrets kept mum by the titular family, and Psycho Circus, a harrowing 3D experience that you really need to love clowns to get through. Last but not least, Grim snuffs all of the light away from you, forcing you to figure out your way through the experience in new and scary ways.
Like other haunted houses, Fright Kingdom has a less-spooky option, though it’s only available for one night (Oct. 19). Tickets for this version cost just $10. No matter which route you go, though, you’re destined for a good time, according to Google reviews. “This place is fantastic! … The scares are real and so much better than any of the ones at the large resorts. Although we did finish the entirety of the houses in about 40 minutes, it was well worth it! We would absolutely go back again,” one visitor wrote. Keep in mind, too, that treats and photo opportunities are available outside of the main five haunted houses, which many reviewers have appreciated.
4. The Salisbury Woods
Address: 19 Franklin Rd, Salisbury, NH 03268
The Salisbury Woods is one of those attractions that just sounds scary (or maybe it’s just us who think that “Salisbury” has a sinister tone to it). The Salisbury Woods crawled to life in the early 2010s, now operating for its 12th year, and has a fun schedule planned for 2025. This year, you can hit up the haunted woods each Friday and Saturday from Oct. 3 to Halloween, and tickets are already on sale.
What sets The Salisbury Woods apart from other haunted houses in New Hampshire isn’t just that it’s partially an outdoor attraction; it’s also that it raises funds to give “financial support to local education, arts and community organizations,” according to its website. This means you get to shriek and laugh the night away while feeling good about where your hard-earned money is going. Plus, tickets are only $21.85 after fees, so The Salisbury Woods isn’t a wallet-drainer, either.
“Wow! This was absolutely unreal! … This haunt was literally on the same level as an attraction at [Halloween Horror Nights] in Orlando,” one thrilled reviewer shared on Google, where the attraction has an impressive 4.9-star rating. Reviewers also love that food is sold on-site, so if you get hungry from screaming, you can always refuel. All of this said, don’t forget the core tenet of haunted attractions: Have a good time—and dress in a Halloween costume inspired by New Hampshire if you’re feeling cheeky.
