Review - Travel - Oklahoma - Oklahoma City - Six Flags Frontier City - Fright Fest and Boo Fest

Since there were only a few days left for Fright Fest, our family decided to endure the loooong 3 hour drive from our home in Dallas to visit Frontier City just outside Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. We drove up Interstate 35 which has a lot of construction going on - even through the night - so beware of closed lanes and slow trucks.

One note is that the park doesn't have clear signage on where guests should enter along the road. After you exit I-35 you will go along E Hefner Rd. Pass N. Coltrane Rd which is actually one of the the parking lot exits. the actual entrance is just past the park to an entry sign. Parking is either $30 for standard or $40 for premium, but the parking lot is really small so there is no need to upgrade to the higher priced parking unless you have the need.

During the day from 1pm to 4pm CST (but they closed up most activities before 3:30pm) children can participate in Boo Fest throughout the Happy Trails children's area. Start at the first stop on the left and ask for a treat bag. Then go stop-to-stop for fun Halloween-themed crafts, games or more candy. One note is none of the candy contains chocolate and many of the candies were really sticky (like airheads). I recommend bringing your own bag because the bags are not easy to carry and they are also too small to hold any of your crafts, OR, one of the craft stations has large white paper bags to decorate you can use (but they are hard to carry around too).

One craft station features pumpking decorating with paint markers. You grab a pumpking and head up the stairs (or walk a few feet over to the ramp up) to tables that have TONS of paint markers to use.

Throughout the area are decorated pumpkins that small kids can climb inside or face-cut-out photo props.

At the end of the Happy Trails area (right next to the restrooms) is a fun Little Monster Maze. Note, there are only 2 days left for Boo Fest - October 25th and 26th.

Fright Fest starts around 6:00pm CST and ends at 10:00pm CST Friday through Sunday. The last day for Fright Fest this year is November 1st. Fright Fest is included in the price of your entrance but the Haunted Attractions are not. You can buy a combo ticket (entry + Haunted Attractions) or an add-on Haunted Attractions pass online or at the gate. There are five haunted mazes, several scare zones and some Halloween-Themed shows. Like other parks, the scare zones are easy to find with the fog machines blowing out clouds of fog and black lighting.

One thing that was different at Frontier City's Fright Fest than other parks I've attended recently was the Fright Fest Parade (which isn't advertised online and I only found out when they started blocking the street). You will see several themed cars (like above) and most of the entertainers who are working the festival. Just a note, many of the entertainers target young kids and those who look scared. There are loud noises (chainsaws and metal scraping the cement) and some screaming. I'd keep younger kids away from the main street just in case.

Although there are not a lot of food options throughout the park (and note, Wild Bill's Chicken is currently closed) they did offer some Fright Fest specialty items for sale (or as part of your add-on Dining Pass).

The Pumpkin Patch snack was delicious (I mean, it's fried donut balls, of course it would be delicious). Bring patience as the food locations are understaffed. The Fort is the main dining hall with options plus drink refill area and a central restroom location. Avoid the back room with broken-down and non-working arcade machines.

The Fort also hosted a magic show (at 4pm CST and 5:30pm) and then freak shows afterwards. There are also some live entertainment shows across the way (near the spinning rides) but they are short so get there early to not miss the fun.

Overall, it was a good visit for a small park with enough to keep older and younger kids entertained and fed.

Address: 11501 N-I35 Service Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73131
For more info: https://www.sixflags.com/frontiercity

Review - Travel - Texas - Arlington - Six Flags Over Texas - Fright Fest, Oktoberfest and Tricks and Treats

My family attended Six Flags Over Texas Tricks and Treats/Oktoberfest/ Fright Fest this past weekend after missing it for a few years. I think the kids' activities during the day were much better than they have been in the past and I'll get into those in a minute. The nighttime "scares" were much calmer, more organized, and (in my opinion) less scary - it seemed to us that teenage girls were the most scared by the costumed performers. Lots of screams there. We did not go inside the haunted houses as that requires purchasing a separate ticket ($30).

The park wasn't too crowded during the day. Most of the Fright Fest revelers seemed to trickle in later in the afternoon. Although the lines were shorter, a lot of rides kept breaking down especially popular rides like Batman, Titan, and the Texas Giant. The line for the new Aquaman was quite short - keep in mind the front row gets SOAKED.

Tricks and Treats
For kids, there is a fun little Trick-er-Treat area in the French area where the Fort stands. Kids and adults can get a free bag and go door-to-door ringing the doorbells for treats. In previous years, costumed characters handed out candy in the Bugs Bunny Boomtown area. There are characters to see but on a different street further away from the Bugs Bunny Boomtown area. It's not exactly a trail like advertised, more like just a bunch of small houses in a circle. And, for convienence, the restroom is next door.

Right outside the Trick-er-Treat area, between the Icey shack and the restaurant are tables set up for pumpking decorating and/or mask making - both are free.

At the entrance of the Looney Toon area, is a haybale maze with costumed mice to visit. Fun for very young kids. The maze closes much earlier than the rest of the area. During Fright Fest, the Bugs Bunny Boomtown rides stay open later than normal which is great.

Oktoberfest:
This event is in the small Biergarten just past the games area. They had german-style treats (like brats and pretzels) and adult drinks for sale. Games such as bags (bean bag toss) and jenga for anyone to play. There was a fun band playing songs (Oompah Delics). The workers were dressed in German-style outfits and did go around checking on customers. A good place to relax while you're at the park but not a destination in itself.

Fright Fest:
The actual event starts after 5pm CST when the sun starts going down. Although it's open to anyone, I don't recommend young kids to participate as it can be scary especially the loud chainsaw noises. If you stay really late, guests can become rowdy and throw a lot of f-bombs. They were selling a special glowing necklace which was supposed to limit the scares but it does say it's not guaranteed. Personally, I didn't think the "frights" were scary but it was loud and smoky.

There are 6 haunted houses (a special ticket to enter is required and can be purchased at booths nearby, at the park entrance gate, or online).

There are 5 scare zones each with a different theme. You can easily spot them as they will be running smoke machines. This is where you will find lots of spooky props and costumed performers will interact with guests.

There are also several Halloween-Themed shows which start earlier than Fright Fest itself. We watched a Ghouling Pianos singing show which you can hear from the street. Other shows include Toxicity, Raging Inferno (heavy metal show), Curse of the Undead (gunfighter show), and Dia de Los Muertos (Mexican dancing show).

Just a sampling of some of the interesting foods and alcoholic beverages that were being sold.

Fright Fest Map: https://static.sixflags.com/website/files/sfot_ff-guide.pdf

For more information, check out: https://www.sixflags.com/overtexas