Cape Coral’s Gator Mike’s Swaps Out Haunted Walk for New Kids’ Fall Festival

At Gator Mike's Family Fun Park in Cape Coral, a new autumn event started on Oct. 4, 2025. The park switched from its spooky 30-year Halloween walk to the Bones & Bales Fall Festival, which puts kids and families first.

"This is much better," said Chris Scuderi, owner of Gator Mike's, according to News-Press. "It's family-friendly."

Kids now wander through a hay maze with 12 skeleton scenes. The displays show bone figures playing in a rock band, bending under limbo sticks, and striking poses like wrestling star Hulk Hogan.

Children can pick pumpkins, watch circus shows, and get treats. Artists twist balloons into shapes while a DJ spins tunes all day.

The new event happened after they ended Frightmare on 78, which drew 12,000 people each year. Too many wild teens and tired workers pushed Scuderi to make the change.

"The haunt industry has become very commercialized," Scuderi said. "Everyone's trying to be Hollywood Horror Nights."

Back when it was called Haunted Hike, guests ran from aliens and clowns with chainsaws. Fog swirled while strobe lights flashed through the maze for three decades.

When the park closed Frightmare in 2024, they kept quiet about why. But word about the new festival spread fast online. "The response has been insane," Scuderi said. "On Facebook, we've got over a thousand people interested."

Visit Bones & Bales each weekend through October, from noon to 6 p.m., at 35 N.E. Pine Island Road. Adults pay $10, kids under 10 pay $5, and tickets include mini golf.