Halloween Train Rides Near Arkansas (2026)
The Arkansas & Missouri and the Eureka Springs railways both have fall trains on the calendar, but they are foliage and dinner rides, and neither lists a Halloween train for 2026. So the straight answer for Arkansas parents is that the closest Halloween trains are in Oklahoma. Our map of Halloween train rides across the country has the full picture, and this page sorts out which Oklahoma ride makes sense from your corner of the state.
Southwest Arkansas has the shortest trip: Texarkana is about an hour and a half from the Nighttime Halloween Train of Terror at Beavers Bend State Park, which is a haunted night ride, not a toddler outing. For a gentle ride with a candy bag for every rider, the Oklahoma Railway Museum's Halloween Train in Oklahoma City is about 2 hours 45 minutes from Fort Smith and about 3 hours from Fayetteville and Bentonville. The Oklahoma Halloween train guide has more on both. This page also lists Halloween events for kids inside Arkansas that need no train, from the Little Rock Zoo's Howl-O-ween to a costume parade at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks.
Look inside the book
A dark tunnel, a brave corgi. Bring Rally along.
In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi rides into a dark tunnel, gets a little scared, and comes out to a big bright light and happy cheers. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the long drive from Arkansas to a pumpkin train.
Rally Takes the Train
Eight pages from the book
Turn the page
That's 8 of 25 pages
See who’s waiting at the station
Grandmommy and Papa are at the last stop. Get the full hand-painted book, $13.99 on Amazon.
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Like it so far? See the full book
25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.
Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.
No Train Needed: Halloween Events for Kids in Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas
These are family Halloween and pumpkin patch events in Arkansas that we confirmed on the organizers' own sites. They are not train rides, though Motley's does run a little cow train for kids.
Little Rock: Howl-O-ween at the Zoo
Little Rock Zoo · Zoo
The Little Rock Zoo spends Halloween Saturday on crafts, fall games and meet-and-greets with storybook characters from 10 AM to noon. The big moments are two costume contests on the Scaredy Cat Carpet at 10:30 AM and 1 PM, where every child who walks it takes home a prize. Everything is included with daytime admission, and adults are asked to skip costume masks.
Little Rock: Motley's Pumpkin Patch
Motley's Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Trees · Pumpkin patch
Motley's in Little Rock is a full fall farm day: tractor-drawn hay rides, pig races, a 250-foot mega slide and a farm zoo with Daisy the pig and Maggie the donkey. New this year is a cow train ride with double cars, the closest thing to a train ride on this page. The farm is open Thursday through Sunday until November 1.
Bentonville: HallowZING
Scott Family Amazeum · Museum
The Amazeum calls HallowZING a Halloween practice run: a sensory-friendly evening with glowing, tinkering and gentle STEAM activities, plus quiet spaces for kids who need a break. Children can wear costumes and try out the night at their own pace before the real thing. It is $5 for non-members, and you need to pre-register, so do it before Thursday.
Fayetteville: Little Sprouts Costume Parade
Botanical Garden of the Ozarks · Garden
The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks closes its Little Sprouts season for ages 3 to 5 with a costume parade and a morning of trick-or-treating through the garden. It is a weekday morning program with registration, which suits preschoolers who are done by lunch. The page lists Wednesday, October 28 without a year, so confirm on the organizer's site.
The closest Halloween trains to Arkansas
Broken Bow, Oklahoma: Nighttime Halloween Train of Terror
Haunted ride Beavers Bend Train Depot & Trail Rides
The closest Halloween train to any Arkansas town, running 6:00 to 10:00 PM through the pine forest of Beavers Bend State Park near Hochatown. It is billed as a Train of Terror, so think older kids who like a scare, not preschoolers.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Halloween Train
Pumpkin and costume ride Oklahoma Railway Museum
The family pick for northwest Arkansas. Every rider gets a candy gift bag, and Halloween Saturday has six departures from 11:45 AM to 6:00 PM out of Oakwood Station, so you can plan around naps.
Train rides in Arkansas this fall
Inside Arkansas, the closest thing to a Halloween train is a farm ride. Some Arkansas pumpkin farms run small kid trains, and Motley's in Little Rock lists a cow train ride. That is a pull-along farm ride rather than a railroad, but for a two-year-old it may be all the train they need this October. Check the farm's site for days and hours.
Rally’s Spooky Train Ride: Halloween shirts
The tunnel page from the book, Rally on his red seat in the dark, is printed on black shirts in sizes for the whole family, from baby to 5XL. Skip the costume hassle: no masks to fog up, no capes caught in the train door, just a shirt that already says Halloween and layers under a coat on a cold platform. A matching set makes for easy pumpkin train photos. See everything in the Rally shop.
Adult tee
Sizes XS to 5XL, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Kids tee
Sizes S to XL, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Toddler tee
Sizes 2T to 5T, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Baby bodysuit
Sizes 3 to 18 months, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Warm Arkansas Afternoons, Damp Oklahoma Pine Woods After Dark
Arkansas late October days usually run in the 60s and low 70s, with nights in the 40s, and the Ozarks in the northwest are colder than the Delta. That means a T-shirt for the drive and a real jacket for the train.
The Beavers Bend ride runs at night in Oklahoma's Kiamichi country, which is forested and damp after dark. Oklahoma evenings in late October drop into the 40s and 50s and can be windy, so the 6:00 PM Oklahoma City departures call for a layer under the costume too.
Train of Terror or Candy Bag Train: Choosing for a Nervous Little Rock Kid
These two rides sit at opposite ends. Beavers Bend calls its ride a Train of Terror and runs it in the dark through the woods. The depot has not posted a minimum age, so check the operator site, but the name tells you who it is for. The Oklahoma Railway Museum's Halloween Train is billed as a family Halloween train with a candy bag for every rider, and its Saturday schedule starts at 11:45 AM.
For a child under six, choose Oklahoma City and an early slot. Talk through the ride beforehand: where you will sit, who else will be on board, and when the candy shows up.
In our book, Rally's train rolls into a dark tunnel, and he cannot see a thing. He is scared, until a big bright light appears and his big ears catch happy cheers on the other side. A night ride through the Beavers Bend pines is a lot of dark for a little one, which is why I would save it for older kids.
My mom gave us that tunnel before she died, and you can read why I finished her story. If your kids want a not-scary warm-up first, Rally's printable coloring pages make a calm evening at the kitchen table.
Notes for Arkansas Families Driving to an Oklahoma Halloween Train
- The Beavers Bend ride has only three nights left, October 16, 17 and 24, so decide early if your older kids want it.
- From Little Rock, Beavers Bend is about 3 hours 15 minutes each way for a night ride, which means a late drive home or a night nearby.
- The Oklahoma City Halloween Train runs only October 30 and 31; Friday has just two departures, 4:45 and 6:00 PM, so Saturday gives you more choice.
- Neither railroad has posted costume or stroller rules, so check the operator site before you pack the wagon.
- Bring a jacket even if it is warm when you leave Arkansas: Oklahoma evenings drop into the 40s and 50s and get windy.
A train book for the ride
For a train day without the Halloween theme, the Texas Eagle through Little Rock is a real long-distance train, and the Heartland Flyer out of Oklahoma City pairs well with a trip to the museum ride.
Free for train families
Print the Rally coloring pages before the drive
Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. They fit in a folder with a few crayons for the line at the depot or the drive home.
Get the free coloring pages for the drive
A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents, including one dark tunnel he is brave enough to ride through. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.
Buy on AmazonMore for train families
- Halloween train rides in every state: pumpkin trains and haunted rides by state
- Every Amtrak route with kids: find a train by city or station
- Halloween books for toddlers for the drive
Arkansas Parents' Questions About the Nearest Halloween Train
Is there a Halloween train in Arkansas this year?
No, no Arkansas railroad has a Halloween ride confirmed for 2026. The Arkansas & Missouri and Eureka Springs railways list fall foliage and dinner trains only. The closest Halloween trains are in Oklahoma: the Beavers Bend Train of Terror near Broken Bow, about an hour and a half from Texarkana, and the Oklahoma Railway Museum's Halloween Train in Oklahoma City.
What Halloween events for kids are there in Little Rock, Arkansas?
The Little Rock Zoo's Howl-O-ween on Saturday, October 31 from 9 AM to 4 PM has crafts, characters and two costume contests where every child gets a prize, all included with admission ($9.95 kids, $12.95 adults). Motley's Pumpkin Patch runs Thursday to Sunday through November 1 with hay rides and a cow train. The closest real Halloween train is in Oklahoma.
Is there a Halloween train near Fayetteville, AR?
Not in Fayetteville, but the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks holds a Little Sprouts Costume Parade for ages 3 to 5 on Wednesday, October 28 from 9:30 to 11 AM, with trick-or-treating through the garden; registration is required. For a train, the Oklahoma Railway Museum's Halloween Train in Oklahoma City is about 3 hours away on October 30 and 31, $8 for kids 3 to 12.
Where can Bentonville families find a Halloween train ride?
There is no Halloween train in Bentonville, but the Scott Family Amazeum holds HallowZING on Thursday, October 15 from 6 to 8 PM, a sensory-friendly Halloween practice night with costumes and gentle STEAM activities; it is $5 for non-members with pre-registration. For a train, the Oklahoma Railway Museum's Halloween Train in Oklahoma City is about 3 hours away, with six departures on Halloween Saturday.
What Halloween train is closest to Texarkana, Arkansas?
The Nighttime Halloween Train of Terror at Beavers Bend State Park near Broken Bow, Oklahoma, about an hour and a half from Texarkana. It runs October 16, 17 and 24 from 6:00 to 10:00 PM. It has been about $10 per person in past years, so check the operator site for this year's price. It is a haunted night ride meant to scare.
Are there Halloween events for kids near Fort Smith, AR?
There is no Halloween train in Fort Smith this year. The closest family Halloween train is the Oklahoma Railway Museum's ride in Oklahoma City, about 2 hours 45 minutes west. It runs Friday October 30 at 4:45 and 6:00 PM and on Halloween Saturday with six departures, and every rider gets a candy gift bag.
Is the Beavers Bend Train of Terror worth the drive from Texarkana?
For kids who enjoy being scared, yes: it is the closest Halloween train to Arkansas at about an hour and a half, and past years cost about $10 a person. It runs at night through the pine forest of Beavers Bend State Park. For preschoolers it is a poor fit, since the ride is billed as a Train of Terror.
Is the Oklahoma Railway Museum Halloween Train worth the drive from Fort Smith?
If you want a gentle Halloween train for young kids, it is the closest one to Arkansas, about 2 hours 45 minutes from Fort Smith. Every rider gets a candy gift bag, kids 3 to 12 are $8, and under 3 ride free on a lap. The ride length is not posted, so check the operator site.
Can kids wear costumes on the Oklahoma Halloween trains near Arkansas?
Neither the Oklahoma Railway Museum nor the Beavers Bend depot has posted costume rules, so check the operator site before your kids dress up. Both are Halloween themed, so costumes fit right in. Oklahoma evenings in late October drop into the 40s and 50s and can be windy, so plan a costume that goes over a jacket.
Which Halloween train near Arkansas works for a toddler?
The Oklahoma Railway Museum's Halloween Train in Oklahoma City is the one for toddlers. It is billed as a family Halloween train, children under 3 ride free on a lap, and the Saturday October 31 schedule includes late morning and early afternoon departures. The Beavers Bend ride is a nighttime Train of Terror and is not aimed at little kids.
Do any Arkansas pumpkin patches have a train ride for kids?
Yes. Motley's Pumpkin Patch in Little Rock lists a new cow train ride with double cars for 2026, along with hay rides, pig races and a 250-foot mega slide. It is open Thursday and Friday 1 to 5 PM and weekends 9 AM to 6 PM through November 1. It is a farm ride rather than a railroad, and prices are on the farm's site.
Rally’s Spooky Train RideThe no-fuss Halloween costume
Skip the costume hassle. Wear Rally.
No itchy masks, no last-minute store run, no meltdown on the platform. Pull on the tunnel tee from the book and you are dressed for the pumpkin train, warm under a jacket, and matching in every photo.
Who is riding?
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