ST. LOUIS – Many families packed into Grant’s Farm during the first weekend of Halloween Nights. Some families said on social media that they were unable to get in because of the long wait times.

On Thursday, people lined up for spooky decorations and haunted tram rides at Grant’s Farm.

“Just come out here every year, and now we have little ones, so we’re just trying to get them to enjoy the festivities as well,” said Wesley Harris.

Many people showed up early Thursday for Halloween Nights. It is the first year back in person, and everyone is thrilled to be there.

“So many people excited, they all came at once on Saturday night, and traffic backed up getting in, so we’ve reacted and made some adjustments and changes to ensure that doesn’t happen going forward,” said Doug Stagner, president of Grant’s Farm.

Stagner said last weekend brought in more crowds than they could handle, but they’ve made changes to help everything run smoothly.

“We will improve the check-in process when people come in. As I mentioned, we’re going to have police officers out directing traffic and just making sure everyone gets in,” he said. “We’re proactively communicating through email to people that have reservations, letting them know the process and how it works.”

Stagner said he recommends buying tickets online ahead of time.

“We actually got here too early and had to go drive around the block a couple of times, and then we got in probably five minutes, no problem at all,” Harris said. “We got here pretty early. About 10 minutes before six.”

Stagner said once you get inside, there is a lot to see.

“One of the cool things is going through the deer park at night and seeing the animals at night,” he said. “That’s something new most people don’t get to do. We’ve got characters and actors out in place. We’ve got a fun kids’ magic show and a cool dance party.”