Boney Island is back this Halloween season! One of the Los Angeles area's most popular family-friendly haunts for decades, the former lawn haunt from Sherman Oaks has joined forces with the Natural History Museum to stage a spookily exciting comeback. After 5 long years, there are lots of kids who have never experienced this LA Halloween tradition, and we're so excited that this is the year a whole new generation can experience the not-too-spooky thrills.
For more Halloween news, reviews, and events, be sure to check back frequently for updates on our Halloween Events and Activities Guide for Los Angeles Families. And while you're at the Natural History Museum, you'll want to spend the whole day, armed with this Insider Tips for Visiting the Natural History Museum with Kids.
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The NHM is giving a new home to Boney Island in Exposition Park, allowing families to walk the Halloween Lights Experience for the first time since 2018. But now, you don't need to trek to Sherman Oaks and disturb the neighbors; the Natural History Museum will transform its Nature Gardens into a not-so-scary interactive light-up experience for all ages.
Traditionally, Boney Island is as family-friendly as a haunt can be. Every inch of free space is filled with skeletons, most of whom are engaging in some form of magic trick, including interactive optical illusions and a crowd-pleasing mind-reading skeleton (if you figure out the trick, don't spill the beans!). The biggest highlight is an impressive musical light show with glow-in-the-dark fountains shooting phosphorescent streams of water high in the air under the direction of a wise-cracking skeleton host.
We will have to see how many familiar illusions return, but one thing we know is that the museum is putting its own spin on the event as well, by adding artistic performances, real fossils, live animal presentations, and trick-or-treating.
Tickets go on sale on August 24, with early access for museum members on August 22. The show starts haunting on September 28, and tickets are $25 for non-members, $20 for members. Check out our event listing for updates to dates, times, and ticket information as soon as it becomes available.