Boney Island Review
Boney Island did not disappoint! I’ve been wanting to take the kids to a few Halloween or Fall-themed activities this year since normally we only really do a Pumpkin Patches each year. A friend of mine said she booked tickets to go to Boney Island and invited us to come with so I jumped at the chance. Boney Island is taking place at the Natural History Museum from Sept 28-Oct 31, 2023, and it costs between $20-25 per person. Originally we rescheduled our tickets from the beginning of October to the end of October because there was a USC football game going on the day we were planning on going. The company that organizes Boney Island sent out emails warning of the traffic that day and how parking would likely be very hard. With two young kids with zero patience, we figured it would be best to reschedule. So we went this past Sunday, and let me say, the kids absolutely loved it. It did take us a while to find parking because there was a concert happening at BMO stadium and their parking was in the same structure as Boney Island parking. We ended up parking in another USC parking lot and paid about $40. The Natural History Museum’s shared parking lot would have been $18. But like I said, my kids have no patience so we decided to just go with what was faster for us.
Boney Island was actually pretty small in terms of footprint but the amount of areas lit up with bones and fun Halloween-themed installations was vast. Part of it was very carnival themed, where you have human bones performing “tricks” and part of it is animal and dinosaur themed which the kids loved. Both my kids are currently obsessed with dinosaurs. They also had a magic show where a magician does some card tricks and bring adults and kids on stage, as well as a water show with green water moved to the beats of the music playing. Both shows ran often.
Although the event was very kid-friendly, young adults and adults will also enjoy it. It would be a great date night if looking for something different or more exciting than a dinner date. For the adults, there was a small bar that had beer and wine for sale. For food, they had three different food trucks with a variety of things for adults and kids as well as vegans/vegetarians. They also had a snack shack if you’re looking for small bites. Additionally, there were places selling light-up trinkets or general gifts.
Because it is small in footprint, you could potentially get in and out in an hour or less. We ran into some friends so we spent about 2 hours there. Although the footprint is small, it is still very stroller friendly or wagon-friendly. You can sometimes be riding over dirt or hay as well as concrete, so it might be best to have a stroller with larger wheels.
Overall, I would definitely recommend Boney Island for all people but definitely for those with kids. My kids had a blast and want to go back again. We loved everything about the event itself and the installations. The only thing we did not like was the parking situation, so try to go on a day that doesn’t have a concert or game closeby (USC Coliseum or BMO Stadium).