Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region

Halloween is still a pretty big deal for our two youngest. The global pandemic kept them from fully participating in 2020. So, while we were in France, we wanted to give them a great Halloween experience even though Trick-or-Treating wasn’t an option. Kevin found Walibi Rhône-Alpes where we were treated to just the right combination of Halloween creepiness and all-out amusement park fun.

Halloween Traditions

We arrived at the Generational Home on October 30th and were keenly aware that Halloween was the following day. Our family has a tradition of dressing up and trick-or-treating together. We also like to attend Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens, Williamsburg (a few hours from our home in NC) during the month of October. Being out of the country for the spooky season had us trying to improvise to create a similar experience for our girls. Kevin’s research had identified a nearby amusement park that advertised a Halloween experience and we decided to give it a try.

Soggy Weather

We had watched the weather forecast and purchased tickets for the day that was supposed to have the best weather. Unfortunately, the weather shifted and we woke to a downpour on the day we had tickets. Kevin and I had a serious discussion about just absorbing the cost and staying in where we could be warm and dry. We spent most of the morning discussing the pros and cons. We finally decided to take the risk and venture out, even if we ended up with a short, rainy day. A half hour later, we were all dressed in warm clothing and rain gear to keep us as dry as possible and walking out the door. We drove a little less than an hour from our Airbnb to Walibi Park.

The Littles had no idea where we were going until we arrived and they saw the roller coasters. We quickly realized that we weren’t the only wacky people venturing out on a nasty, rainy day. We were shocked to find the parking lot packed! It was flooded in several places, rendering complete sections useless, but visitors were still making their way from the parking lot in droves. We parked and made our way to the entrance, careful to avoid the deepest puddles on the way. We decided that the French were serious about their amusement park fun and more than willing to brave the cold, wet weather to have a good time!

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Decorations & Characters

Our family has enjoyed visiting our favorite amusement park in the US for over a decade during Halloween. It’s one of our favorite traditions. We were delighted to find that Walibi’s “WAAAlloween” event would give us the fun, eerie experience we were craving. The decor was on point and, in spite of the on and off rain showers, the characters were dressed, armed with umbrellas, and making the rounds to give everyone the creeps. Sophie, in particular, loves creepy characters! She came face-to-face with one while we sought refuge under the awning of a closed snack stand. A creepy figure cozied right up to her and stood there listening to us react. Realizing that we were Americans, she spoke to us in perfect English. Without breaking character, she informed Kevin and I that the snack stand was closed so we would need to eat our children instead. Sophie’s eyes got huge and we immediately decided we were in for some fun!

Rides & Attractions

Walibi Rhône-Alpes currently has a total of 5 roller coasters - Mystic, Timber, Woodstock Express, Generator, and La Cocinelle. They are also working on a new coaster - Mahuka - which will open in June of this year to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the park! Sophie was a bit too short for the largest coasters so we sent Ellie and Rachel off to ride Mystic, which turned out to be one of their all-time favorite coasters. (They always find it thrilling when the only thing keeping them safe is a lap bar, because it helps to amplify that weightless feeling you get when going down a hill or flipping upside down.)

Outside of the rollercoasters, we also found quite a few attractions throughout the park that were good for smaller kids. While Ellie and Rachel were busy on Mystic, I took Sophie on Airboat, a windmill type ride that spins horizontally while also turning each of 4 arms in looping circles that feel like they’re barely missing each other. Halfway through, the ride stops and then does the same thing in reverse. It was like nothing we’d ever experienced before.

We spent some time watching Mr. Mystic and a team of break dancing mummies perform a show and we marveled at several characters expertly walking through the crowds on very high stilts. We met back up with Ellie and Rachel and made our way to a haunted house. It was Sophie’s very first one and she wasn’t thrilled about the idea but she handled it like a champ. We were given 3D glasses before we entered and those, along with a couple other features, gave us one of the most robust sensory experiences we’ve ever had in a haunted house. We were very impressed with the adventure!

After a good scare and a late lunch, both of the Littles tried out On Air, a ride that goes up in the air based on how much you’re peddling. It was fun to watch them have to work to get their glider up in the air, plus it was a great way to help get some of their excess energy out. We also found a really cute horse ride - La Chevauchée - that was set on a rail vs. a carousel. Sophie was able to stand in line and board the ride completely by herself. (She loved this independence and the ride so much that she went on it 3 times!) The horse “trots” all the way around so riders get a realistic rocking motion as it moves along the track. There are no buckles or harnesses; the ride operator simply trusts the kids to behave safely and appropriately. We had never seen this level of trust by ride operators before and were pleased to find that each rider was being respectful and following instructions. It was refreshing and helped add to the enjoyment of our day!

Once it had gotten dark, we let Ellie and Rachel venture off to wait in the long line for Hurricane. This swing ride takes riders 49.7 meters up in the air to make the 2 minute experience even more thrilling. It got their adrenaline pumping for sure, but on a wet, chilly evening the tall ride also had them freezing by the end! While they enjoyed a thrill, Kevin and I took Sophie to find some other rides to enjoy. We sat in the back of  an old fashioned car on Melody Road while she served as our “Uber” and drove us around. She also tried out Le Petit Vapeur, a small drop tower ride which had her giggling. We tried to go, as a family, to another haunted house, but the line had closed as we were nearing the end of the day. Instead, we decided to finish up our ride experiences with a family ride on the carousel.

Food & Fireworks

We had a late lunch at the Golden Burger where I got a fish sandwich and everyone else got burgers. The food was really good quality and reasonably priced compared to US parks and even compared to other places in France. There were multiple seating areas, both inside and outside, where customers could take their food and sit comfortably. We chose a heated, indoor space that offered a welcome refuge from the rain. Both the restaurant and the adjacent playground were themed in an American Old West motif. Sophie, in particular, really loved exploring and playing for a little while before and after our meal. There are several restaurants, sandwich stations, and even kiosks in the park to give visitors a variety of dining options.

After several more rides, we returned to the same restaurant for some ice cream, knowing we could enjoy it while we warmed ourselves. At close to 9pm, we found a place to watch fireworks. When they went off, they were just across a small pond from our viewing area so they seemed to explode right over the top of us. They played music from various cultures and it was both beautiful and relaxing to watch.

When the show was over, we headed back to the car using all 3 phones’ flashlights to pick our way carefully through the puddles and mud. Before climbing back into our rental car, we had to take off our muddy shoes. Since Ellie was the only one with true rain boots, she journeyed back and forth, taking our dirty shoes and bringing us our backup pairs. She then had to run some bottled water over her boots and put them in the back, trying to track as little mud as possible into the rental car.

Back at the Airbnb, we were all hungry and exhausted. We had a quick dinner of reheated broccoli cheddar soup and gnocchi and took turns getting warm showers. Soon, we were all off to bed for a very restful night’s sleep. After walking around 4.5 miles in the cold (and off and on drizzle), our beds and blankets were quite comfy!

Takeaways

At this point, we were almost ⅔ of the way through our 3 month tour of France and this was our 4th amusement park. We had visited Puy du Fou in September for an unforgettable experience with amazing shows and immersive walk-throughs. We had also been to both Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park in October to enjoy Halloween at Disneyland Paris. We feel as though we are experienced enough to make the declaration that French amusement parks are a lot of fun! Puy du Fou and Walibi are less frequented by American tourists who aren’t aware of these more regional parks. We found the French to be quite respectful. We encountered no “line-jumping,” rude teenagers, or selfish adults, just a lot of people having a wonderful time. Even the Disney parks seemed to be more laid-back than our normal high-stress and crowded trips to the parks in Orlando.

We are so glad that we decided to venture out in the ugly weather to enjoy this super fun park! Their Halloween decorations and characters, along with some truly creative touches in their haunted house, gave us just the spooky vibe we were hoping to have. We were also reminded that “everything always works out!” This is our family motto for a reason and this rainy day turned out to be anything but a wash-out. We highly recommend Walibi Park if you’re in the area! What’s your favorite amusement park or thrill ride? We’d love to hear from you!