Maryland

Scary season: Haunted houses and ghost tours for frightful fun in the DC area

Published

1 year ago

September 30, 2024

Scary season: Haunted houses and ghost tours for frightful fun in the DC area

The nights are getting longer, and Halloween decor is jumping out of the bushes. It’s time to search high and low for thrills and chills!

Whether that means a horrifying haunted house or a creepy ghost tour, you have plenty of options in D.C., Maryland and Virginia… if you dare!

Haunted houses and Halloween trails in Maryland

Field of Screams

📅 Weekends and select other days through Nov. 2
📍 4501 Olney Laytonsville Road, Olney, Maryland
💲 $30+ (varies by date)
🔗 Details

Voted the best haunted attraction by USA Today, Field of Screams is for those seeking a real scare across 55 horrifying stations.

Tickets are sold online only starting at $54 and grant you admission to the SUPER Screams Haunted Trail and the Slaughter Factory Haunted House (if you dare).

Field of Screams is not recommended for children under 12.

Carnival games, bonfires, s’mores and a concession stand will be available if you can stomach it before or after the scares.

Field of Screams says it’s set to open Friday, Oct. 4. It pushed back its opening date amid bad weather and reports of permitting delays.

Laurel’s House of Horrors

📅 Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 2, plus extra days in the last weeks of October
📍 935 Fairlawn Ave., Laurel, Maryland
💲 $34.95+
🔗 Details

Get ready to be spooked in the area’s biggest indoor haunt. Built inside an abandoned movie theater, this season’s haunted house offers new chilling experiences in an eerie 28,000-square-foot space.

Explore the building’s paranormal activity and encounter terrifying creatures throughout the theater. Want more scares? Try out their “Escape the Movies” escape rooms based on some classic scary films (for an extra fee).

Along with general admission tickets, guests can buy additional packages with options to skip the line.

Six Flags Fright Fest in Bowie

📅 Select nights through Oct. 27
📍 13710 Central Ave., Upper Marlboro, Maryland
💲 $70 for a single-day park ticket and haunted attractions pass
🔗 Details

Six Flags has even more reasons to scream during October. Scare zones and rides for all are included with standard admission tickets. Get the Haunted Attractions Pass to experience more scares, including Haunting of Hall Manor, Sideshow: Haze House, Twisted Fairytales and more.

The scares ramp up after 6 p.m., and this experience may be too scary for kids 13 and younger. No costumes are allowed for visitors over 12.

Markoff’s Haunted Forest

📅 Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in October, plus Halloween
📍 19120 Martinsburg Road, Dickerson, Maryland
💲 About $40 for the trail (varies by night and attraction)
🔗 Details

Venture off into the woods to experience three haunted attractions. While waiting in Markoff’s Midway, soothe your fears at the bonfires or dance with “creepy weirdos.” Then, you can then venture off into The Town where you get up close and personal with the strange residents. The mile-long Haunted Trail has twisting turns and terrifying scenes.

Live entertainment is available some nights such as dance groups, live bands and fire spinners.

AVFD Station 7 Terror Trail

📅 Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 26
📍 2380 Davidsonville Road, Gambrills, Maryland
💲 $25 (Terror Trail) or $10 (Boo Loop maze)
🔗 Details

Looking for a family-friendly haunt? Visit the Arundel Volunteer Fire Department to wind through the scary Terror Trial aimed at kids aged 8 and up. If the kids want to have a less spooky adventure, get lost in their new Boo Loop Maze for $10. It’s geared toward kids under 8.

Kids are welcome to come in costume, uncover the mysteries of the Boo Loop filled with fairies, dancing skeletons and cackling witches.

You can purchase tickets at the firehouse or online. Proceeds go toward supporting the volunteer fire department.

Haunted houses and Halloween trails in Virginia

Fields of Fear at Cox Farms

📅 Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 2, plus Sunday, Oct. 13
📍 15621 Braddock Road, Centreville, Virginia
💲 $30-$40
🔗 Details

Fields of Fear turns this fall festival destination into one of your nightmares starting on Fridays and Saturdays.

Fear Deluxe admission includes one entry to four haunted attractions over 20 acres: the Firegrounds, Dark Side Hayride, Cornightmare and the Forest: Back 40.

Be warned: “You may be touched by Fields of Fear actors, but you will not be forcefully struck or grabbed by any Cox Farms staff member or actor at any time,” Cox Farms says.

Fields of Fear is not recommended for children under 12 years old. Children under 14 years old must have a chaperone. If Fields of Fear sounds too scary, check out Cox Farms’ Fall Festival.

The Workhouse Arts Center

📅 Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays through Nov. 2, plus Halloween
📍 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton, Virginia
💲 $30 in advance, or $35 day-of
🔗 Details

Operating on the grounds of a notorious former prison, Workhouse Arts Center has real-life scary stories to back up its haunted trail.

“Haunt: Twisted Tales of Terror” immerses guests in an outdoor walk-through trail where classic fairy tales take a very dark turn. Grab your loved ones close: The haunted house promises “gruesome characters and nightmarish surprises around every corner.”

Before and after the haunt, check your adrenaline in a festive atmosphere with a DJ, a bar and food trucks. Local artists will be selling their wares at the Haunt Pop-up Shop.

On Oct. 20, the Center is set to offer designated sensory-friendly time slots. On the trail, sound levels will be less intense and strobe lights won’t be turned on, the center says.

For a more lighthearted twist on Halloween scares, check out their production of “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors.”

Spooky tours in the D.C. area

Congressional Cemetery

📅 Various dates
📍 1801 E St. SE
💲 Suggested donation ($5+)
🔗 Details

While the Congressional Cemetery’s Soul Strolls is sold out, you can still enjoy a variety of other tours of the permanent resting place of 65,000 people.

Congressional Cemetery offers Sunday Strolls and Only at Congressional Tours regularly. They’re in the daytime, so it’s a good option if you’re looking for slightly spooky vibes.

Halloween Ghosts and History Tour

📅 Various dates
💲 About $22
🔗 Details

Author Edward Moser offers three ghost tours highlighting the spooky side of landmark neighborhoods. Here’s info on Georgetown and Old Town, Alexandria.

Screams & Disease Tour

📅 Oct. 18, 26 and 26
📍 Lee-Fendall House Museum (614 Oronoco St., Alexandria, Virginia)
💲 $15
🔗 Details

Explore the dark and bloody history of the Civil War hospital at the Lee-Fendall House.

Tickets must be purchased in advance.

Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.

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Maryland

Maryland commission approves half of BGE’s $152.3 million funding request to support rate increase

Published

3 hours ago

December 23, 2025

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Maryland commission approves half of BGE’s 2.3 million funding request to support rate increase

Maryland commission approves half of BGE’s $152.3 million funding request to support rate increase – CBS Baltimore

Watch CBS News

The Maryland Public Service Commission approved nearly half of Baltimore Gas and Electric’s (BGE) $152.3 million request for funding to support the final year of the company’s rate hike plan.

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Maryland DNR Provides Guidance Concerning Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

Published

15 hours ago

December 22, 2025

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Maryland DNR Provides Guidance Concerning Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

December 22, 2025

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), an airborne respiratory virus that spreads quickly among birds, is found sporadically in the state’s wild bird populations, especially waterfowl, raptors, and black vultures (pictured above). Photo by by Michael Dwyer, submitted to the 2023 Maryland DNR Photo Contest.

Early indicators suggest the coming months could be active for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in wild birds again this year. Avian influenza, often called “bird flu,” is an airborne respiratory virus that spreads quickly among birds. While once considered rare in Maryland, the virus is now being detected more commonly in the state’s wild bird populations, especially waterfowl, raptors, and black vultures. Risk to human health is considered low, but people who may handle or encounter wild birds should take common precautions to protect themselves and help limit the spread of this virus.

Hunting wild birds, including waterfowl and geese, is safe but the Maryland Department of Natural Resources recommend some guidelines for hunters and others who encounter wild birds:

Never handle wild birds that are obviously sick or found dead.
Wash your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer immediately after handling game.
Use disposable gloves when handling game and double-bag offal and feathers.
Use dedicated clothing, boots, and tools for cleaning game that are not used around poultry or pet birds. Anyone preparing harvested waterfowl should cook it to 165 degrees to kill any viruses or bacteria. Hunters and other outdoors enthusiasts can check online for more information from USDA on safely processing and disposing of wild birds.

Anyone who fills birdfeeders for the winter may continue to do so, as songbirds rarely carry or spread the HPAI virus.

Hiking, photography, and other outdoor activities in areas where wild birds congregate are safe, although as with hunting, precautions should be taken to avoid sick or dead birds.

Anyone who sees sick or dead birds in the wild should not handle or move the birds but should first report them to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) by calling 1-877-463-6497. DNR contracts annually with APHIS to help the state triage approximately 30,000 calls related to sick, injured, or dead wildlife. APHIS operators are available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except on state holidays. Those with area codes from outside Maryland should call 410-349-8055. Voicemails will be promptly returned.

USDA APHIS employs staff who are trained to handle and remove sick or dead wild birds while mitigating biosecurity risks and reducing potential spread of the disease to domestic poultry facilities. Key DNR staff are also trained and equipped to dispose of dead birds that may have contracted the virus and will be supplementing the disposal efforts. Reports will be triaged based on their seriousness and the two agencies will advise callers on a course of action and determine whether a direct field response is required.

More information on HPAI and how to mitigate exposure of domestic poultry to wild birds can be found on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture is encouraging poultry farm and backyard flock owners are urged to follow these guidelines to prevent the spread of HPAI:

Restrict access to poultry by posting “Restricted Access” signage, securing the area with a gate, or both.
Take steps to ensure that contaminated materials on the ground are not transported into the poultry growing house or area.
Provide the following items to anyone entering or leaving any area where poultry are kept:
- Footbaths and foot mats with disinfectant.
- Boot washing and disinfectant station.
- Footwear change or foot covers.
Cover and secure feed to prevent wild birds, rodents or other animals from accessing it.
Cover and properly contain carcasses, used litter, or other disease-containing organic materials to prevent wild birds, rodents or other animals from accessing them and to keep them from being blown around by wind.
Allow MDA to enter the premises during normal working hours to inspect your biosecurity and sanitation practices.
Report any unusual domestic poultry deaths or sudden increases in very sick poultry to the MDA Animal Health Program at 410-841-5810 or after-hours to 410-841-5971. Also contact the USDA at 866-536-7593.

Dead wild birds can be reported to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service by calling 1-877-463-6497. USDA Wildlife Services operators are available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except on state holidays. Those with phone numbers outside of Maryland should call 410-349-8055. Voicemails will be promptly returned.

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Maryland

Maryland Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for Dec. 21, 2025

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

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Maryland Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for Dec. 21, 2025

The Maryland Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 21, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 21 drawing

Midday: 1-9-3

Evening: 2-7-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 21 drawing

Midday: 6-4-9-9

Evening: 5-8-4-4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Dec. 21 drawing

Midday: 2-2-7-2-4

Evening: 0-5-9-9-8

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from Dec. 21 drawing

15-25-30-40-55, Cash Ball: 02

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 21 drawing

9 a.m.: 03

1 p.m.: 04

6 p.m.: 06

11 p.m.: 05

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Bonus Match 5 numbers from Dec. 21 drawing

05-11-18-22-26, Bonus: 36

Check Bonus Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Keno

Drawings are held every four minutes. Check winning numbers here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Maryland Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes above $600, winners can claim by mail or in person from the Maryland Lottery office, an Expanded Cashing Authority Program location or cashiers’ windows at Maryland casinos. Prizes over $5,000 must be claimed in person.

Claiming by Mail

Sign your winning ticket and complete a claim form. Include a photocopy of a valid government-issued ID and a copy of a document that shows proof of your Social Security number or Federal Tax ID number. Mail these to:

Maryland Lottery Customer Resource Center

1800 Washington Boulevard

Suite 330

Baltimore, MD 21230

For prizes over $600, bring your signed ticket, a government-issued photo ID, and proof of your Social Security or Federal Tax ID number to Maryland Lottery headquarters, 1800 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore, MD. Claims are by appointment only, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This location handles all prize amounts, including prizes over $5,000.

Winning Tickets Worth $25,000 or Less

Maryland Lottery headquarters and select Maryland casinos can redeem winning tickets valued up to $25,000. Note that casinos cannot cash prizes over $600 for non-resident and resident aliens (tax ID beginning with “9”). You must be at least 21 years of age to enter a Maryland casino. Locations include:

Horseshoe Casino: 1525 Russell Street, Baltimore, MD
MGM National Harbor: 101 MGM National Avenue, Oxon Hill, MD
Live! Casino: 7002 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover, MD
Ocean Downs Casino: 10218 Racetrack Road, Berlin, MD
Hollywood Casino: 1201 Chesapeake Overlook Parkway, Perryville, MD
Rocky Gap Casino: 16701 Lakeview Road NE, Flintstone, MD

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Maryland Lottery.

When are the Maryland Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 11 p.m. ET Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5 Midday: 12:27 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, 12:28 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday.
Pick 3, 4 and 5 Evening: 7:56 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, 8:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Cash4Life: 9 p.m. ET daily.
Cash Pop: 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. daily.
Bonus Match 5: 7:56 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, 8:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
MultiMatch: 7:56 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
Powerball Double Play: 11 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Maryland editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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