The 62nd house opens Oct. 9
The Children's Museum Guild opens its 62nd annual Haunted House on Oct. 9, 2026. This year's house is Fright Academy, presented by PNC. The run ends Oct. 31.
Fright Academy carries its own ticket, and the price does not include museum admission. A visitor buys both.
The session decides the hotel night. A visitor who fixes the session first can plan the stay around the window they want.
Nine nights run the Frightening Hours
Frightening Hours run Thursdays through Saturdays, 4 to 9 p.m. Nine dates qualify inside the run: Oct. 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 29 and 30.
Two nights are dark. There are no Frightening Hours on Friday, Oct. 9, and none on Halloween, Oct. 31.
Frightening Hours carry dimmed lights, scary music, jump scares and haunters in masks.
Friendly Hours cover the other days
Uranus Fudge Factory Friendly Hours run Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday adds a second window, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sundays run noon to 5 p.m.
That window runs on brighter lights, upbeat music, goodies and friendly greeters, and the museum recommends it for children who scare easily. Wednesday visitors also collect a free bike helmet giveaway.
Both windows run the same house.
A Friday arrival covers two sessions
Book against the session. A Friday arrival puts the Saturday evening window and the Sunday friendly window inside one stay.
Take Saturday, Oct. 17. Frightening Hours run 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 runs noon to 5 p.m. Two nights away, two versions of the house.
Two dates carry a second trip. Oct. 15 and Oct. 22 are Twice the Fright Nights, and one Frightening Hours purchase buys two trips through the house.
Tickets and group rates
General admission is $9, museum members pay $8, and Access Pass holders pay $5. Groups buy cheaper: $9 each for 1 to 19 tickets, $7.50 each for 20 to 99, and $7 each for 100 or more. Group orders go through Customer Service at 317-334-4000.
Theme days add giveaways. Opening day lands Oct. 9. Art day is Oct. 13. Bike safety days run Oct. 14, 21 and 28. Library day is Oct. 20. Math day is Oct. 27.
Free parking under the Skywalk
Museum parking costs nothing. The garage sits on the west side of Illinois Street just north of 30th Street, and its address is 3000 North Illinois Street. The garage connects to the museum by the Skywalk, which crosses Illinois Street. The museum itself stands at 3000 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208-4716.
Surface lots north of the garage take the overflow on Illinois Street. Neighborhood streets are not for museum parking. The garage and the Water Clock Lot both carry ADA spaces.
A second museum day costs less. Second-day tickets carry a discount at the Box Office.
Nine partner hotels across four districts
The museum publishes nine preferred hotel partners. Downtown holds four: Crowne Plaza Downtown at 123 W. Louisiana St., Omni Severin Hotel at 40 W. Jackson Place, Holiday Inn Express City Centre at 410 S. Missouri St., and Staybridge Suites Downtown at 535 S. West St.
North holds Homewood Suites at Keystone at the Crossing, 2501 E. 86th St., and Fairfield Inn & Suites Whitestown, 6035 Perry Worth Rd. West holds TownePlace Suites Indianapolis Airport, 8850 Hatfield Dr., and Crowne Plaza Airport, 2501 S. High School Rd. East holds Marriott Inn East, 7202 East 21st St.
The museum also sells a Family Fun Adventure package. It bundles museum tickets, The Indianapolis Zoo and a hotel stay.
No partner rate is published. The list fixes the district, and the nightly number comes from the property.
Sixty-two years of the house
The first house opened in 1964 on an idea from Guild member Dessie Partenheimer. It drew 26,000 visitors over 10 days and raised $13,200. The run has drawn more than 3.3 million visitors since. The Guild has donated more than $17 million to the museum, and more than $3 million of that arrived in the past six years. Guild members contribute more than 36,000 volunteer hours a year.
Book the room the way you book the ticket
A group of 10 or more rooms can go out to bid instead of booked one property at a time. hotelhuddle sends one free request to 50 or more hotels in the destination, and it states that most properties quote group rates from 10 rooms per night with some quoting from five. Hotels respond within 24 to 72 hours, and many reply the same day. The planner pays the hotel directly, and hotelhuddle states that it adds no commission to the rate.
Fix the evening window first. Add the friendly window second. Let the rate pick the property.