The Salt Lake ValleyNightmare on 13th makes a national top five, Bluey's Big Play hits the Eccles, and Murray races pumpkins Friday
Plus bison dumplings in West Valley, a dry weekend for Dimple Dell, and the day Pioneer Park reopens.
Good morning, Salt Lake Valley.
Nightmare on 13th, the haunted house on 1300 South, just made a national list of the five haunts fans liked most this year, next to houses in Texas, Georgia, Missouri, and New York. Below: the cheap night to go, and the parking lots that tow.
The rain winds down today with a few isolated showers and a high near 56. Then it clears out: sunny Thursday near 62, 66 on Friday, and 67 on Saturday, with nights around 40.
📍 30 seconds in the valley⏱️ 9 min read
- 🎃Go to Nightmare on 13th on a weeknight
- 🐶Take the kids to Bluey's Big Play at the Eccles
- 🥟Order the bison mo:mo in West Valley
⭐ The Big One
Book it, nights sell out
Go to Nightmare on 13th on a weeknight
Nightmare on 13th was named one of America Haunts' five fan favorites of 2026 on Oct. 5. The other four are in Texas, Georgia, Missouri, and New York. The house at 300 West and 1300 South opened its season Sept. 18 and runs through Friday, Nov. 13.
The main house takes 25 to 40 minutes to walk, and this year's featured stretch is Horror Cinema, built to look like a 1920s movie theater. A combo ticket adds the Institute of Terror, an asylum house that takes another 15 to 20 minutes. New this year is 13th Manor, a 20-minute sit-down show where the actors work one room around you, and you can buy it without a haunted house ticket.
It takes 200 to 250 people to staff a season, with about 100 working any given night. The actors don't touch you.
Our take
We'd go Monday through Thursday. It's about $9 cheaper than a Saturday and closes at 10, so you're home at a normal hour. If someone in your group would rather not be chased, the Day Haunt walks the same main house with the show lights on and no actors, and kids get a trick-or-treat bag, a finger light, and three candy stations.⚠️ Heads up: Many nights sell out, so buy online before you drive over. Park on site or on the side streets, because the Lowe's and Walmart lots nearby tow. The houses use strobes, water mist, and a Tesla coil, which matters if anyone in your group has a pacemaker.
$$ Halloweendate nightBallpark neighborhood
📰 Around the Valley
Flooding closed Big Cottonwood Canyon overnight Sunday
Rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel sent water and debris across State Route 190 in Big Cottonwood Canyon Sunday, and in places it covered half the road. UDOT restricted uphill traffic first, then closed the downhill lanes at 10pm and sent drivers out over Guardsman Pass while crews cleared the road near Storm Mountain. The canyon reopened just before 2am Monday.
Pioneer Park reopens Nov. 13 with pickleball and room for food trucks
The rebuild of downtown's Pioneer Park that started in March is 80 to 90 percent done, and crews are laying sod and planting garden beds now. The park gets six pickleball courts, a basketball court, a new playground, an improved off-leash dog area, a covered pavilion, and space for eight food trucks. A new building holds restrooms and a ranger office for three rangers who'll also patrol the surrounding district.
📅 This Week
Worth it on the first dry night
Hear Kacey Musgraves at the Delta Center Thursday
Musgraves brings her Middle of Nowhere tour to Salt Lake Thursday night, with Gabriella Rose opening.
Our take
Thursday is the first fully sunny day in the forecast after four days of rain, so the walk from TRAX won't soak you.⚠️ Heads up: The Delta Center sells this one through SeatGeek, not Ticketmaster, so start there before you pay a reseller.
$$ concertsdowntown
Worth it for the rivalry
Watch Utah host BYU in volleyball Thursday
Utah volleyball plays BYU at the Huntsman Center Thursday night. The Utes are 12-4 and 4-1 in the Big 12 in Alyssa D'Errico's first season as coach.
Our take
Sit where you can see the service line. Utah has 11 sweeps already and served 12 aces against West Virginia last Thursday, and Kamryn Gibadlo hit three of her six aces at Kansas State during a 15-0 run.⚠️ Heads up: It's the only home match this week, because Utah plays at Iowa State on Saturday.
$ sportseast bench
Worth it under age 8 or so
Take the kids to Bluey's Big Play at the Eccles
The puppet stage show built from the TV series, made with Australia's Windmill Theatre Co., plays five times in Delta Hall at the Eccles Theater Friday through Sunday.
Our take
Saturday's 11am show has an ASL interpreter, and ArtTix suggests Orchestra Left, rows D through H, for those seats. The VIP packages, the ones with the photo next to a costumed Bluey, are already sold out.⚠️ Heads up: Everyone 2 and up needs a paid ticket, so a toddler on your lap still counts once they've had a second birthday.
$$ kidstheaterdowntown
Best $3 of the week
Race a pumpkin in Murray Park Friday
Murray Parks and Recreation lines up decorated pumpkin racers on the west side of the Park Center Friday evening, with prizes for the winners.
Our take
Building the racer at the kitchen table Thursday night is half the fun, and it keeps the entry at $3. If nobody at your house has the patience for axles, the city sells a kit, but you have to pick it up at the Park Center by Wednesday.⚠️ Heads up: Friday is sunny and near 66, but it drops toward 40 once the sun goes down, a little before 7. Bring jackets for the walk back to the car.
$ kidsHalloweenMurray
🏟️ The Scoreboard
Utah football is 5-0 after a 41-24 win over Kansas
Wayshawn Parker ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns, the last one a 90-yard run, and Devon Dampier threw for three more. Kansas got within 27-24 in the third quarter before the Utes pulled away.
Real Salt Lake is home tonight after an MLS loss in Philadelphia
RSL took 20 corner kicks to Philadelphia's 3 Saturday and still lost 2-1, with its only goal coming in stoppage time. It was the Union's 13th straight game without a loss.
🍴 Eat & Drink
Worth the drive west
Order the bison mo:mo at Nepali Chulo
Nepali Chulo is a family-run Nepali and Indian kitchen on 5600 West in West Valley City. Its steamed mo:mo dumplings come filled with chicken or bison, and the Nepali Chulo thali puts a full meal on one tray.
Our take
Get one order of each mo:mo so the table can taste chicken against bison, then split the thali. Regulars keep bringing up the mango pudding, so leave room.⚠️ Heads up: The hours posted online don't match each other, and one listing says it's closed Tuesdays. Call 801-987-8404 before you drive over.
$$ dinnerfamilieswest side
🌲 Get Outside
Worth a sunny Saturday
Walk Dimple Dell once the rain clears
Dimple Dell Regional Park is a 630-acre strip of natural land running east to west through Sandy's neighborhoods, with more than 15 miles of trail shared by hikers, bikers, and horseback riders.
Our take
Start at the Wrangler trailhead. Of the park's three main trailheads, it's the only one with parking, restrooms, and a drinking fountain. The Mount Jordan trailhead on the east end has parking and nothing else.⚠️ Heads up: Horses use these trails, so keep the dog on a leash and give riders room to pass.
free hikingdogsSandy
🎟️ Also Happening
Sing along to Labyrinth at Kingsbury Hall
A live band plays the 1986 film's soundtrack under the screen tonight, Wednesday, at 7:30pm in Salt Lake City, and costumes are welcome.
Catch Our Town at Hale Centre Theatre
Thornton Wilder's play runs on the Beehive stage in Sandy through Saturday, Oct 24.
Hear Rise Against and Alkaline Trio at The Union
The two Chicago bands play Sunday, Oct 18, at 6:30pm in Salt Lake City.
📰 Valley News
Intermountain plans a nine-story cancer center in Murray
Intermountain Health wants to build a nine-story cancer center tower, about 150 feet tall, on a parking lot northeast of the main hospital at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray. The plan adds about 539,000 square feet, a four-level, 665-stall parking garage along State Street, and a pedestrian bridge between the two. The project cleared Murray's planning commission this month.
The U plans a $26 million upgrade to the west side of Rice-Eccles
The University of Utah is planning a renovation of the West Tower at Rice-Eccles Stadium. It would refresh the suites on the fourth and fifth levels, add six suites and a club on the sixth level, and build a new club at field level. The first phase has a $26 million construction budget, and more phases could follow.
Draper puts up a marker for the Widowmaker hill climb
Draper's Historic Preservation Commission installed a historical marker near the base of the Widowmaker at Salt Lake County's Flight Park, the steep hill at the south end of the valley where motorcycle riders raced to the top from 1964 to 1988. The Bee's Motorcycle Club ran the climbs, and one year drew about 600 riders. The marker lists past champions, including Mel Kimball Sr. and Mel Kimball Jr.
The Debate
💙 Good Neighbor
Nominate the person who helped this week
If a neighbor did something specific that made your week easier, reply with their name, city, and what they did. We may feature them in a future issue.
Nominate a neighbor →If you only do one thing, put $3 on a pumpkin racer in Murray Friday night. If you can get a sitter, buy a weeknight ticket to Nightmare on 13th.
Reply and tell us which haunted house in the valley actually got you.
— The Salt Lake Valley crew
Got a tip, a new opening, or an event? Just reply, we read everything.
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Read past issues · Refer a neighbor · Advertise with us