Halloween Train Rides Near South Dakota (2026)
The question South Dakota parents ask first is whether the 1880 Train in Hill City runs at Halloween, and for 2026 the answer is no: it lists no Halloween departure. The state's one pumpkin train, at Historic Prairie Village in Madison, already ran on October 3, so nothing in South Dakota has a date left. For the full national list, see every state's Halloween train rides.
Sioux Falls has two options at nearly the same distance. Iowa's Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad lists its Pumpkin Express about 3.5 hours away, though its site could not be re-checked this week, and the Minnesota Streetcar Museum's Halloween streetcars in Minneapolis are about 3 hours 45 minutes away. All four rides below are gentle family outings, none of them haunted. West River families have a harder road, and we are honest about that too. We also list Halloween events for kids in Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Aberdeen that need no train at all.
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 South Dakota 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.
See the full bookPage 1 of 8
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.
Closer to Home: South Dakota Halloween Events for Kids From Sioux Falls to Rapid City
These are family Halloween events in South Dakota that we confirmed on the organizers' own pages. None of them is a train ride; they are zoo, museum and library trick-or-treat events you can reach without leaving the state.
Sioux Falls: ZooBoo
Great Plains Zoo · Zoo
The Great Plains Zoo fills four days with vendor trick-or-treat stations, a Haunted Mansion photo spot and characters on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Sunday is a Sensory Day, with crafts, an animal meet-and-greet and the carousel running without music. The zoo says its Strange Creatures Scary Stroll is designed for teens and adults, so steer little ones past it. Tickets are good only for the day you buy.
Sioux Falls: Halloween Party
Siouxland Heritage Museums (Old Courthouse Museum) · Museum
The Old Courthouse Museum invites families to trick or treat through its galleries, listen to spooky stories, make a craft and show off costumes at its yearly Halloween Party. The museum says the party is held every October 31, which lands on a Saturday this year, but it has not posted 2026 times, so check the organizer's site. Regular admission to the museum is free.
Rapid City: Halloween Story Time
Rapid City Public Library · Other
The Rapid City Public Library's downtown branch starts Halloween morning with a spooky story time in the Children's Area, then moves to the Community Room for trick-or-treating and a food craft. Costumes are encouraged. It wraps up by lunchtime, which leaves the rest of the day free. The listing does not post a price, so check the organizer's site.
Aberdeen: Haunted Forest Matinee
City of Aberdeen (event listed on the city calendar) · Other
Aberdeen's Haunted Forest at Wylie Park runs a daytime matinee meant for younger children, and it includes trick-or-treating with the Haunted Forest characters. The evening shows that weekend are billed as thrilling and chilling, so the 1:00 PM matinee is the one for preschoolers. The city calendar lists no price, so check the organizer's site before you go.
Aberdeen: Trick-or-Treat at the Haunted Library
K.O. Lee Aberdeen Public Library · Trick or treat
The K.O. Lee Aberdeen Public Library is building an all-new walk-through haunted house with four themed rooms, and kids trick or treat at stations along the way. The library calls it equal parts spooky and fun for the whole family, with spooky creatures and friendly characters inside. A nervous child can hold a grown-up's hand through each room. No price is posted, so check the organizer's site.
The closest Halloween trains to South Dakota
Boone, Iowa: Pumpkin Express
Pumpkin and costume ride Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad & Museum
A real train ride of about 90 minutes to the railroad's own pumpkin patch, where each child picks a pumpkin, and costumes are encouraged. The railroad's site was blocked when we re-checked on Oct 14, and one outside guide lists a different date, so confirm Oct 17 on the operator site before you leave Sioux Falls.
Minneapolis, Minnesota: Farmer Ken and Jan's Pumpkin Patch on the Como-Harriet line
Pumpkin and costume ride Minnesota Streetcar Museum
The confirmed pick for this weekend. Streetcars shuttle back and forth from Lake Harriet to a pumpkin patch all afternoon, kids can buy a pumpkin for $7, and nobody needs a ticket in advance. It is a historic streetcar, not a full-size train, and these are the patch's final two days.
Minneapolis, Minnesota: Transylvania Trolley
Pumpkin and costume ride Minnesota Streetcar Museum
On Sunday the same line adds a Halloween car driven by Count Karl the Vampire Motorman. The trip lasts about 15 minutes, costumed kids get a treat, and the museum promises silly, not scary. Stack it with the pumpkin patch for a full Sunday.
Minneapolis, Minnesota: All Aboard Halloween Hangout
Pumpkin and costume ride Minnesota Streetcar Museum
A later choice for Sioux Falls families who miss mid-October: a sensory-friendly Halloween session with a calmer, quieter ride, candy and an ASL communicator on hand. The museum has posted fewer details for this one, so check the operator site.
Train rides in South Dakota this fall
The 1880 Train in Hill City is the Black Hills ride every South Dakota kid knows, but it lists no Halloween departure for 2026. Historic Prairie Village in Madison ran a pumpkin train on Saturday October 3, which is worth remembering for next fall. Our research lists no drive time from Rapid City to any out-of-state Halloween train.
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.
October Mornings on the Road From Sioux Falls
South Dakota late October highs are in the 40s and 50s F, and an early start for Boone's 10:00 AM departure means loading kids into the car in the dark and cold.
Iowa is similar, with late October nights in the 30s and 40s F, though Boone's Pumpkin Express is a morning ride. The Twin Cities run in the 40s and 50s F, and the Halloween Hangout on Oct 31 runs into the evening, so pack a warm layer to go under the costume.
Picking a Pumpkin, Not a Fright, for South Dakota Kids
None of these rides is haunted. Boone's Pumpkin Express is a morning train to a pumpkin patch, and the Minneapolis streetcar rides are short daytime trips. The Transylvania Trolley has a vampire at the controls, but the museum bills it as silly, and the Oct 31 Halloween Hangout is deliberately calm and quiet.
The hardest part for a small child is the drive, not the ride. If your preschooler has never been on a train, the streetcar is a good first taste: a small car, a short trip and a pumpkin at the end. Boone's ride is about 90 minutes, so bring a snack for the way back.
Rally starts his train day in our book by getting up early and packing a suitcase: turtle toy, green bone, yellow ball. That is about the right list for a South Dakota kid heading to Boone before sunrise, plus a blanket.
My mom dreamed Rally up, and our family's story tells how he became a book. For the backseat, try a few Rally coloring sheets.
Notes for South Dakota Families Driving to a Pumpkin Train
- Boone's Pumpkin Express is listed for Saturday Oct 17, 10:00 to 11:30 AM, but the railroad's site could not be re-checked on Oct 14 and an outside guide shows a different date. Check the operator site before you book a hotel.
- Boone has not posted prices or sold-out status in our research, so check the operator site before you drive.
- The Como-Harriet pumpkin patch runs only Oct 17 and 18 this year, not the following weekend, and there are no advance tickets.
- The Wild Rumpus Trick 'r Trolley on Oct 24 and 25 is sold out, so the Transylvania Trolley on Oct 18 is the Halloween streetcar to aim for.
- Pumpkins at the Como-Harriet patch are $7 while supplies last, so go earlier in the afternoon.
- Stroller rules are not posted in our research for any of these rides; check each operator site.
A train book for the ride
South Dakota has no Amtrak service, so a train trip of that kind means traveling to another state first; our guide to Amtrak routes for families lays out the options.
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
South Dakota Parents' Halloween Train Questions
Is there a Halloween train in South Dakota this year?
No ride is left. The 1880 Train in Hill City lists no Halloween departure, and Historic Prairie Village's pumpkin train in Madison ran only on October 3. The nearest rides for eastern South Dakota are Iowa's Boone & Scenic Valley Pumpkin Express, about 3 hours 30 minutes from Sioux Falls (check the operator site), and the Minnesota Streetcar Museum's Halloween streetcars in Minneapolis, about 3 hours 45 minutes away.
Does the 1880 Train in Hill City run a Halloween ride?
Not in 2026. The 1880 Train lists no Halloween departure this year, and South Dakota's other pumpkin train, at Prairie Village in Madison, already ran on October 3. Families looking for a costume or pumpkin ride will need to leave the state, and the closest ones in our research are in Boone, Iowa, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, both reached most easily from Sioux Falls.
What Halloween events for kids are there in Sioux Falls, South Dakota?
The Great Plains Zoo's ZooBoo runs Oct 15 through 18, with trick-or-treat stations and a Sunday Sensory Day; general prices are in the zoo's ticket shop. The Old Courthouse Museum holds its free-admission Halloween Party on Oct 31, with trick-or-treating in the galleries. There is no Halloween train in Sioux Falls this year; the closest is Boone, Iowa's Pumpkin Express, about 3 hours 30 minutes away (check the operator site).
Is there a Halloween train near Rapid City, South Dakota?
No, but Rapid City kids have the public library's Halloween Story Time on Saturday Oct 31, 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM downtown, with a spooky story, trick-or-treating and a food craft; no price is posted. The 1880 Train in Hill City lists no Halloween departure this year. Our research has no drive time from Rapid City to any out-of-state ride, and the nearest ones are far closer to Sioux Falls.
Was there a pumpkin train in Madison, South Dakota this fall?
Yes, but it is over for 2026. Historic Prairie Village in Madison ran its Pumpkin Train on Saturday October 3, from 11 AM to 4 PM, at $5 for kids 12 and under and $2 for adults. There is no later date this year. For a ride still ahead, the closest choices are in Minneapolis and Boone, Iowa, each a long drive from Madison.
Where can Aberdeen, South Dakota kids ride a Halloween train?
Not in Aberdeen, but there are two local picks. The Haunted Forest Matinee at Wylie Park on Saturday Oct 24, 1:00 to 3:00 PM, is meant for younger children and includes trick-or-treating with the characters. The library's Trick-or-Treat at the Haunted Library is Friday Oct 30, 3:00 to 5:00 PM. Neither posts a price. For a train, the nearest are in Minneapolis and Boone, Iowa.
Are there Halloween train rides near Brookings, South Dakota?
Brookings has no Halloween train this year. Brookings families are in the same corner of the state as Sioux Falls, which is about 3 hours 45 minutes from the Minnesota Streetcar Museum's Halloween rides and about 3 hours 30 minutes from Boone, Iowa. Our research has no Brookings drive time, so compare the two routes on a map, and confirm Boone's date on the operator site before choosing.
What can Watertown, South Dakota families do for a pumpkin train?
Watertown has no Halloween train this year. The closest pumpkin rides in our research are in Minneapolis, where the Minnesota Streetcar Museum's Como-Harriet line runs to a pumpkin patch on Oct 17 and 18 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM, and in Boone, Iowa, listed for Oct 17 (check the operator site). We do not have a Watertown drive time, so check your map.
Is Boone's Pumpkin Express worth the drive from Sioux Falls?
For a train-loving preschooler, it can be, if Saturday Oct 17 holds up. It is about 3 hours 30 minutes each way for a real train ride of about 90 minutes to the railroad's pumpkin patch, where each child picks a pumpkin. The railroad's site could not be re-checked on October 14, so check the operator site before committing to the drive or a Friday hotel.
Is the Como-Harriet streetcar pumpkin ride worth it from Sioux Falls?
It is the safer pick this weekend. The drive is about 3 hours 45 minutes, and streetcars run from Lake Harriet to a pumpkin patch from 1:00 to 4:00 PM on Oct 17 and 18, with pumpkins $7 while they last. Fares are the regular streetcar rate and no tickets are sold in advance, so a late start from Sioux Falls still works.
Is the Transylvania Trolley in Minneapolis worth the trip from South Dakota?
On its own, probably not; paired with the pumpkin patch on Sunday Oct 18, yes. Count Karl the Vampire Motorman drives a Halloween streetcar for about 15 minutes, riders in costume get a treat, and the museum calls it silly, not scary. It runs 1:00 to 4:00 PM at regular fares, with no advance tickets. The Trick 'r Trolley later in the month is sold out.
What is the All Aboard Halloween Hangout, and is it worth driving from Sioux Falls?
It is a sensory-friendly Halloween session from the Minnesota Streetcar Museum on Saturday Oct 31, 4:00 to 7:00 PM, with a calmer, quieter ride, Halloween candy and an ASL communicator. For a child who struggles with crowds and noise, it may be worth the 3 hours 45 minutes. Regular fares apply, but the amount is not posted, so check the operator site.
Can South Dakota kids wear costumes on the Boone pumpkin train?
Yes. The Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad says costumes are encouraged but not required on the Pumpkin Express. In Minneapolis, the Transylvania Trolley hands a treat to riders who come in costume. Late October is cold in both places, so put the costume over warm layers rather than instead of them.
Which pumpkin train near South Dakota suits a toddler best?
The Minneapolis streetcar rides are the easiest with a toddler. They are short and daytime, the Transylvania Trolley lasts about 15 minutes, and the Oct 31 Halloween Hangout is a calmer, quieter session. Boone's Pumpkin Express is also gentle but lasts about 90 minutes. Stroller rules are not posted in our research for any of them, so check the operator 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?
Shop the kids tee
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