• Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter takes the crown with a combined Halloween score of 6.62 – the highest in the nation.
• Orlando dominates spooky season with three of America’s top five Halloween theme parks.
• SeaWorld San Diego records the biggest seasonal surge, with 37.2% of its annual reviews posted in the fall months.

A new study by Fruity King has crowned Orlando the Halloween capital of the U.S., with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter taking first place among the nation’s most-loved spooky season theme parks.

The research analyzed thousands of TripAdvisor reviews from September to November – the Halloween season – assessing four key factors: average overall rating, number of total reviews, percentage of reviews posted during the Halloween months, and the average rating of those Halloween reviews.

These elements were scaled and combined into a single ‘Halloween Score’ to reveal which theme parks deliver the most-loved spooky experiences across the U.S.

The best themes parks in the U.S. for Halloween

Rank	Theme Park	Location	Combined score	Overall rating	Halloween season rating	Percentage of reviews in Halloween season
1	The Wizarding World of Harry Potter	Orlando, FL	6.62	4.80	4.77	16.13%
2	Discovery Cove	Orlando, FL	6.13	4.80	4.73	20.91%
3	Magic Kingdom Park	Bay Lake, FL	5.66	4.40	4.36	14.38%
4	Universal Islands of Adventure	Orlando, FL	5.62	4.60	4.57	13.90%
5	The Island in Pigeon Forge	Pigeon Forge, TN	5.44	4.50	4.56	25.93%
6	Disneyland Park	Anaheim, CA	5.23	4.40	4.38	21.88%
7	SeaWorld	San Diego, CA	5.18	4.20	4.19	37.17%
8	Silver Dollar City	Branson, MO	5.11	4.40	4.49	25.79%
9	Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, TN	4.89	4.30	4.34	23.85%
10	Disney California Adventure Park	Anaheim, CA	4.82	4.50	4.53	20.37%

At the top of the ranking is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando, which leads the study with a combined score of 6.62 out of 10. It draws 6,671 reviews during the Halloween season – around 16% of its yearly total – and holding a 4.77 average rating for the period.

Discovery Cove, also in Orlando, ranks second with a combined score of 6.13. Across the Halloween months it received 3,738 reviews – around one in five of its total – and maintained a 4.73 average rating.

Magic Kingdom Park in Bay Lake, Florida, places third with a combined score of 5.66. It has the highest review volume of any park – 10,040 reviews during the Halloween season, which means 14.4% of its annual total – and an average seasonal rating of 4.36.

Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando follows in fourth place with a combined score of 5.62, receiving about 7,300 reviews during the Halloween months (13.9% of its yearly total), and holding a seasonal rating of 4.57.

The Island in Pigeon Forge in Tennessee ranks next with a combined score of 5.44, based on 3,208 Halloween-season reviews – 25.9% of its total – and an average rating of 4.56.

Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, comes in sixth place with a combined score of 5.23, based on 6,189 Halloween-season reviews (21.9% of its annual total) and an average rating of 4.38 for the period.

SeaWorld San Diego followed closely in seventh with a combined score of 5.18 and the highest seasonal share of reviews in the ranking – 37.2% of its annual total. The park’s 4.19 Halloween-season rating came from 3,888 reviews.

In eighth, Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, posts a combined score of 5.11, based on 3,194 Halloween-season reviews (25.8% of its total) and an average rating of 4.49.

Dollywood, also in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, follows with a combined score of 4.89, drawn from 4,578 Halloween-season reviews (23.9% of its total) and an average rating of 4.34.

Rounding out the top 10 is Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California, with a combined Halloween score of 4.82. The park received more than 5,600 reviews during the Halloween season – around one in five of its total – and held an impressive average rating of 4.53 for the period.

“Halloween has turned into one of the biggest moments of the year for theme parks – it’s far from the off-season it used to be,” a spokesperson at Fruity King said. “Across the top parks, around one in five reviews now come from visitors during the Halloween months.

“Even smaller regional parks are seeing the benefits. People are actively seeking out Halloween experiences, and that seasonal buzz helps local attractions compete with the big destinations.

“Parks that go all in on Halloween – from themed nights to trick-or-treat trails – tend to see the biggest lift in both visitors and ratings. It’s become one of the most important times of the year for the industry.”