Looking for the best place to showcase this year’s funky costume and load up on your guilty pleasure candies? Near and far, here are some of the best spots to trick-or-treat and celebrate Halloween.
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Yes, that’s right. Start off with Lake WinnepeSPOOKah, where the amusement park will feature family-friendly Halloween-themed rides, thrilling light shows, parades and more.
Then, consider checking out Cleveland’s annual Halloween Block Party on Halloween night, where live music sets up on three stages and there’s an overflow of food and candy. Or, head over to the Tennessee Valley Railroad’s Halloween Eerie Express, where a vintage train at Grand Junction will take you on a 1.5-hour round-trip ride to the Funhouse Station. During the journey, you’ll enjoy hot cider, mini golf, bags of candy, a petting zoo and more.
Raleigh, North Carolina
With creepy ghost tours that meander through downtown Raleigh, where spirits are said to haunt the city’s most iconic landmarks, who wouldn’t get in the mood for Halloween? The Peg-Legged Ghost Haunted House and Tour takes participants to the Holman house, an 18th century house said to be haunted. After the guided adventure, trick-or-treaters can gorge themselves with candy and warm up with spiced hot cider.
On Halloween day, the Trick-or-Treat event in the city’s North Hills area will play host to anyone with a cool costume and bag to fill with sweets. Shops and restaurants will have candy for the young ones and give away gift cards throughout the day.
The weekend prior to Halloween, Raleigh’s Farmers Market will host a Boos and Brews event on October 27, from 8 a.m. to noon, featuring face painting, pumpkin bowling, craft beer tasting, a kid’s costume contest, pumpkin carving and live music.
Colorado Springs, Colorado
The Halloween-themed activities here are endless.
Kick off Halloween in this bustling western town with the Western Museum of Mining’s Haunted Mines Haunted House. The decorated museum combines history with Halloween horror, taking visitors through dusty mine shafts, where they may or may not be chased by zombies and toyed by goblins.
A not-so-scary event takes place at the city’s North Cheyenne Canon Park, where a Halloween Costume Carnival takes place each year. Here, there is cookie decorating and a forested walking path through a “haunted” trail.
Additionally, there is a walking beer tour in Manitou Springs called Frights and Pints; a campfire, maze and hayride at Tri-Lakes Pumpkin Patch; a Halloween Dance at the Colorado Springs City Auditorium; a Halloween Bash or a Monster Mash; a Boo at the Zoo; a Ghouls and Stools Day, where dogs dress up in costumes at Bear Creek Dog Park; a Halloween Psychic Fair; a Harvest Festival, featuring a petting zoo; a Murder Mystery dinner; and so much more!
Some other hotspots:
New Boston, New Hampshire
Families of New Boston kick off the holiday’s spooky festivities with a Trunk or Treat event and costume party in its Town Hall. Here, residents and business owners park Halloween-decorated cars, handing out candy and prizes to trick-or-treaters. After, the participants can pick up more sweets inside the nearby Old Engine House, and for just $3, kids can enjoy dinner at the “Creepy Café.”
Apex, North Carolina
This quaint town offers a haunted train ride with the New Hope Valley Track or Treat events, the last two Saturdays of October. Kids in costumes board the Halloween-decorated Triangle Train, where they’ll meet a witch, palm reader and headless brakeman.
Williston, Vermont
For decades, this northeast town has celebrated Halloween with an annual Haunted Forest, where guides lead guests through a scene lit with over 1,000 jack-o-lanterns. Here, characters provide horror and humor.
So, there you have it. Whether it’s a jaunt in your neighborhood, a road trip to a new spot a few hours away, or a much-needed vacation, here are some of the best places to get into character, enjoy the fall season, and indulge your sweet tooth.
