Most campgrounds in this part of Alabama start shutting the gates in October. Pool covered, office dark, see everybody in May.
Chesnut Bay Resort is open year round, and in 2026 that detail hits differently. Halloween lands on Saturday, October 31. The resort is open for it.
Four Halloween weekends. The last one runs straight through the actual holiday. That costume is getting its money's worth.
Quick Answer: Is Chesnut Bay Resort Open on Halloween?
Yes. Halloween 2026 falls on Saturday, October 31, and Chesnut Bay Resort in Leesburg, Alabama is open.
Four Halloween weekends run this season:
- Monster Mash Bash, October 9 to 11. The season opener.
- Monster Mash Bash, October 16 to 18. Face painting on Saturday the 17th.
- Monster Mash Bash, October 23 to 25. Round three, peak costume confidence.
- The Grand Howl-O-Ween Celebration, October 30 to November 1. The big one, running through Halloween itself.
š Monster Mash Bash: October 9 to 11, 16 to 18, and 23 to 25
Three weekends, same chaotic good energy.
Pumpkin decorating, which always starts with a vision and ends with glitter in places glitter should not be. The Magic Pumpkin Seed patch. Ghost Toss. A Mummy Wrap Race that burns through an unreasonable amount of toilet paper and is worth every roll.
Then a dance party and a costume contest, where at least one parent shows up in something they insist is "a deep cut" and then explains it to four separate people who did not ask.
Face painting lands on Saturday, October 17. Whatever gets painted on that face is staying there until bedtime. Possibly past bedtime.
Between the organized stuff, there is Weiss Lake doing its October thing, mini golf glowing under the tree canopy after dark, two miles of walking trails, and the specific joy of a golf cart with a skeleton riding shotgun.
š» The Grand Howl-O-Ween Celebration: October 30 to November 1
This is the weekend that makes the whole calendar work.
The Haunted Trail and the Haunted Wagon Ride run for anyone brave enough, which usually means the nine year old who talked a very big game in the car and is now holding a hand very tightly.
Park-wide trick-or-treating happens across the resort, so nobody is driving to a neighborhood, circling for parking, or doing the thing where half the group gets separated and communicates entirely through increasingly unhinged texts.
There is a Zombie Run for the people who want cardio with their holiday. A Site Decoration Contest for the households who have been quietly waiting all year to go absolutely feral with a fog machine. And daytime live music, so the adults get something too.
And because it is October 30 through November 1, Saturday is Halloween. Not Halloween-adjacent. Not "Halloween observed." The real one.
Why a Saturday Halloween Is a Bigger Deal Than It Sounds
A Saturday Halloween means no school night. No 7 p.m. hard stop. No parent doing math about bedtime while a kid negotiates for one more street.
It also does not come around often, and most seasonal campgrounds in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee are already closed by then. Families from Birmingham, Gadsden, Centre, Rome and Chattanooga who want a campground Halloween have a short list of options, and that list gets shorter as October goes.
Which is the polite way of saying the Howl-O-Ween weekend is the one that fills first.
Where Everybody Sleeps
Chesnut Bay has 36 fully furnished vacation homes on Weiss Lake, two to six bedrooms, sleeping six to 18 guests. A few things worth sorting before the group chat spirals:
- Big crews. Dock Holiday sleeps 18, The Southern Manor and Grits Carlton sleep 17. Enough room for the cousins and their opinions.
- Multiple families. Booking two homes beats cramming everyone into one. Groups taking more than one home can ask about the group discount.
- Little kids. A shorter walk back matters when a four year old peaks at 7:15 and the costume comes off in the middle of a trail.
- The dog, who also has a costume. Moonset Vista and La Hacienda are the pet friendly ones.
Rates run $165 to $595 a night in peak season and $130 to $500 off season. The Ways to Stay page sorts by lakefront, lakeview, pool view and pet friendly.
Active duty and retired military save 10% year round with code STAYHERE10 and a valid ID at check in.
FAQ
Is Chesnut Bay Resort open on Halloween? Yes. Halloween 2026 falls on Saturday, October 31, during the Grand Howl-O-Ween Celebration weekend, which runs October 30 through November 1. The resort is open year round.
When are the Halloween weekends at Chesnut Bay Resort in 2026? Monster Mash Bash runs October 9 to 11, October 16 to 18 and October 23 to 25. The Grand Howl-O-Ween Celebration runs October 30 through November 1.
Is there trick-or-treating at Chesnut Bay Resort? Yes. Park-wide trick-or-treating is part of the Grand Howl-O-Ween Celebration weekend.
What Halloween activities does Chesnut Bay Resort have? Programming has included pumpkin decorating, the Magic Pumpkin Seed patch, Ghost Toss, a Mummy Wrap Race, a dance party, costume contests, face painting, a Haunted Trail, a Haunted Wagon Ride, a Zombie Run, a Site Decoration Contest and daytime live music.
Where is Chesnut Bay Resort? Chesnut Bay Resort is in Leesburg, Alabama, on Weiss Lake in Cherokee County, roughly an hour northeast of Birmingham and within driving range of Gadsden, Rome, Georgia and Chattanooga.
Can families bring a dog for Halloween weekend? Some homes are pet friendly, including Moonset Vista and La Hacienda. The current pet policy and any fees should be confirmed at booking.
Do Halloween weekends cost extra at Chesnut Bay Resort? Themed weekend programming runs during the stay. Current rates and what is included can be confirmed with the resort.
Four Weekends. One Saturday Halloween.
The vacation homes at Chesnut Bay Resort in Leesburg, Alabama are worth comparing now rather than in three weeks, and (256) 526-7778 is the number for finding out what is still open on Howl-O-Ween weekend.
Halloween on a Saturday happens a few times a decade. Spending it somewhere that goes all in seems like the correct use of it.