In search of Summer-ween
I’ve carved the watermelons and bought the jack-o’-lantern floaties. Always in search of Halloween no matter the season, I’m constantly looking for little reminders that spooky season doesn’t have to wait until October.
Summer can feel like the longest stretch of the year for Halloween lovers. While everyone else is chasing sunshine and beach days, I’m hunting for haunted houses, creepy treats and anything with a hint of Halloween magic. This year, I found all three at the San Diego County Fair.
Finding a haunted house in the middle of June intrigued me so much that I signed up to be their ticket taker in hopes of getting a few free scares. Midnight Manor, making its debut at the fair this year, has a nostalgic haunted house feel that reminds me why I fell in love with Halloween in the first place. Walking through the attraction, I couldn’t help but wish I had someone beside me to grab onto when the monsters appeared.
Weeks of construction and a dead-icated cast of scare actors have transformed a corner of the fair into a spooky escape from the summer heat. The moment you step inside, the sounds of carnival rides fade away, replaced by eerie hallways, creepy lighting and the anticipation of what might be lurking around the next corner. For a few minutes, it feels like October has arrived early.
Of course, no trip to the fair is complete without trying something over-the-top to eat. Since I was embracing Summerween, dining on cryptids felt like the obvious choice. I ordered the Chupacabra Tasti Chips from Tasti Chips, one of my longtime fair favorites.
The legendary Chupacabra—Spanish for “goat sucker”—has been part of folklore across the Americas for decades, making it the perfect inspiration for a spooky fair snack. Thankfully, they substituted the goat with pulled pork, barbecue sauce, nacho cheese and green onions piled high over crispy potato chips. It was messy, delicious and exactly the kind of outrageous fair food I was hoping to find.
You never know what you’ll discover inside Bing Crosby Hall, but I was excited to stumble across House of Halloween. I’ve visited their seasonal store in La Jolla before, but somehow shopping for horror-themed décor, collectibles, toys and spooky accessories feels even more fun in the middle of summer. Browsing shelves of pumpkins, horror merchandise and Halloween decorations while the rest of the fair celebrated summer made me smile. Sometimes all it takes is spotting a jack-o’-lantern to make the season feel a little closer.
There’s less than a week left to enjoy the San Diego County Fair, making now the perfect time to experience your own Summerween adventure. Whether you’re searching for scares at Midnight Manor, grabbing a cryptid-inspired bite to eat or picking up a little Halloween treasure at House of Halloween, there’s still plenty of spooky fun waiting to be discovered.
Halloween doesn’t have to wait until October. Sometimes it’s hiding between carnival games, haunted hallways and pulled pork pretending to be a legendary monster. So come out, find your Halloween magic, get a scare at the fair and, if you stop by Midnight Manor, be sure to say hi. Just don’t scream too loudly while I’m working.
