WILLISTON, FL (352today.com) – The whistle cuts through the hush of the pines as the train pulls away from the station, steam and fire coiling into the night. Friday and Saturday nights from Sept. 27 through Oct. 27, and for one Sunday evening on Oct. 26, Kirby Family Farm swaps regular train rides for terror, turning its nonprofit educational grounds into a patchwork of haunted sets, theatrical scares and a historic train ride that serves as the spine of the experience.

The centerpiece is the Scary Train itself: an open-air coach ride helmed by the unnerving “Conductor Clydeen,” who ushers riders past spectral boxcars, abandoned circus remnants and into the dark fringe of Florida’s scrub.

A train depot with red lighting stands in an open field toward the left while a train begins to leave the station toward the right. In the background is a dark forest.
Kirby Family Farms hosts the annual Scary Train event with a spooky train ride through a dark and mysterious forest. Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today

Scattered across the farm are the event’s features. Guests can step cautiously through Clown Woods, where grin-painted figures lurk among the roots; lose their bearings in Trailer Park, a maze of rotting campers and overheard secrets; try to survive Rat Attack, a swampy subterranean environment of claustrophobic scares; and navigate Hearse Hunt, a funeral-themed labyrinth of antique coaches and undead lore. Danowski’s Dungeon brings old-school home-haunt nostalgia, and the Not-So-Funhouse flips the funhouse formula with tilted rooms and performers who turn playful distortion into creeping dread. Each portrayal is designed with story and atmosphere in mind–not just shocks.

A large display of letters with different colors reads, "CLOWN WOODS" in a horizontal line and two colorful "ENTER" signs in a vertical line in the center. Between the two vertical signs is an entrance to a dark forest with a clown pointing down above the entrance.
Kirby Family Farms is hosting Scary Train with their famous haunt, Clown Woods.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today
A wood wall, broken cars and two kids block the entrance of a trailer park haunted attraction. In the background is a forest with minimal lighting. In the front is a sign reading, "Scary Train Trailer Park."
Kirby Family Farms is hosting the annual Scary Train event with a recurring feature, the Trailer Park.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today
An orange sign with an angry rat and black words reading, "Rat Attack" stands in a grassy field with a dark forest behind it. An animatronic rat stands to the left of it with a white sign reading "fast pass here." Two green lights illuminate the sign and animatronic rat.
Kirby Family Farms is hosting Scary Train with a special feature of Rat Attack where guests must make their way through a forest and survive the rats.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today
White, black and gray hearses are lined up in a dark maze with minimal lighting. In the background is a dark forest. On the closest hearse, "ScaryTrain.com" is written in bold red letters.
A favorite feature of the Kirby Farms Scary Train event is the Hearse Hunt where vampires chase guests through a maze of hearses.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today
A ghostly skeleton with red eyes hangs from a ceiling with disheveled clothing. In the background is a warehouse setting.
Kirby Family Farms hosts the annual Scary Train event with spooky haunts filled with unique props.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today
Wood beams hold up a long rope bridge with multicolored lights illuminating the area. Wooden stairs stand to the left leading toward the top of the ropes.
Kirby Family Farms has fun features in the Scary Train event haunted attractions including a rope bridge guests have to crawl through to escape the trailer park.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today

Organizers say the emphasis is psychological rather than gory: tension, sound design and physical theater deliver many of the jolts, making the event accessible to a broader audience while still satisfying thrill-seekers. A large portion of the scare crew is made up of local volunteers and teens, which gives the event a community pulse behind every scream.

A neon green and magenta light-up mask emerges from a dark area. Eyes are barely visible beyond the green section.
Kirby Family Farms features a variety of scare actors in the different attractions the event has to offer.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today
A woman lays on a bed of nails with cinder blocks on top of her. Nearby a man is swinging a sledgehammer upward. Pieces of the cinder block are flying out off of a stage. In the background is a train depot with red lighting.
Kirby Family Farms hosted Rockabilly Roxie and her husband at the annual Scary Train event.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today
Two stage performers hand out concrete pieces to kids from a stage. Next to one of the performers is a bed of nails in the shape of a heart. In the background is a train depot.
Rockabilly Roxie and her husband hand concrete pieces to kids after Roxie had two cinder blocks smashed on top of her in a showstopping performance at the Kirby Family Farms Scary Train event.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today
Wood planks are scattered around forming a rope bridge and makeshift pirate ship. A pirate animatronic sits on top of the structure with a wheel making the helm of the ship. In the background, an open dark sky, bright moon through clouds and tree are visible.
Kirby Family Farms’ Scary Train event featured a plethora of animatronics and practical events.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today
A yellow skull is projected onto a wall of wood planks with cloth hanging from the rafters.
The Scary Train event at Kirby Family Farms utilized special effects to give a haunting experience.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today
A skeleton in a standard driving dress stands alone in a dark room with a green light illuminating it from inside of the helmet.
Kirby Family Farms hosted the annual Scary Train event with plenty of practical effects for scary fun.
Courtesy: Amber Battillo/352today

That community focus is central to Kirby Family Farm’s mission. The 501(c)(3) uses seasonal attractions to raise funds for educational programs and outreach that benefit at-risk and special-needs children. Ticket sales and donations through the Scary Train help finance hands-on learning and therapeutic activities on the farm – a reminder that the haunt’s purpose is as much about giving back as it is about giving chills.

Tickets are available online; advance general admission starts at $20, with Fast-Pass upgrades for quicker entry for sale for an extra $10. Gates open at 7 p.m., attractions open at 7:30 p.m. and the last train departure is at 9:30 p.m. Accessibility varies by attraction; while the train is wheelchair-accessible, some walk-through sets involve narrow or uneven terrain.

Whether you come for the vintage train, the inventive sets or to support a local non\profit, Kirby Family Farm’s Scary Train is a Central Florida haunt that mixes horror with heart–and runs on both.