2009 Halloween Events
multiple locations:
Halloween at Country Inns and B&B's
Head to a place with safe Halloween trick-or-treating -- and maybe haunted hayrides, ghost stories, pumpkins, or other Halloween fun-- and enjoy delicious breakfasts too.
Halloween Train Rides
A bunch of tourist trains run Halloween themed trains in October; Pumpkin Patch Express trains, too, including Peanuts™ The Great Pumpkin Patch Express Train rides, with Peanuts cartoon characters. (The animated tv special "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is a Halloween classic.)
Have Fun at a Halloween Parade
Kids love parades - and even better is a parade where the spectators can dress up, too.
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| Six Flags Fright Fest |
Theme Parks Scare Up Halloween Events
Haunted houses, mazes, scary shows-- About's guide for Theme Parks covers the scene. Some events are seriously scary and for big kids only. Great Wolf Lodges: Howl-O-Ween
These lodges with indoor water parks are in the Poconos, Kansas City, Williamsburg, and more locations-- and Howl-O-Ween haunts all of them.
Hauntfinder - Halloween Events
Select a state to find haunted houses, haunted walks, mazes, etc. Some are "Very Scary"; some are suitable for youngsters.
GoCityKids
Covers family Halloween events in detail, in numerous cities.
Halloween Events by Area
Some little kids find haunted fun too scary! Be sure to assess the haunted happening. And check dates in case sites haven't updated for 2009!
New York City:
A great place to visit with kids, and always so much going on: so naturally, Halloween celebrations abound. Boo at the Bronx Zoo, parades, carnivals, haunted walks, Pumpkin Sails and spooky castles in Central Park... see lots of New York City Halloween Events.
New England:
Six Flags New England Frightfest
Day-time fun for little kids, including trick-or-treat; night-time gets scarier, watch out.
Lots More Halloween Events in New England
A round-up of Halloween events from About's Guide for New England for Visitors. Salem Massachusetts deserves special note.
Pennsylvania:
Sesame Place: Count Dracula's Halloween Spooktacular Party On weekends, come in costume; trick-or-treat in the theme park; decorate a pumpkin; go for a hayride; tour the Count's Castle. Also, check Events at the website to find out about an annual party, and "Sesame After Dark" with a Halloween theme. Sesame Place is located near Langhorne PA, 30 minutes from Philadelphia, 90 minutes from NYC. (Read more about Sesame Place.)
Skytop Lodge: Spook-Tacular Weekend
This huge Dutch Colonial stone lodge has 70 years of history, 5500 acres of forest, multiple family activities, and theme weekends. Halloween weekend includes treats, pumpkin-carving, Masquerade Ball, and Monster Mash party. (More about Skytop Lodge.)
Hershey PA: Hersheypark in the Dark and more
Three hours from NYC, 1.5 hours from Baltimore, Chocolate Town USA goes all out for Halloween, with Hersheypark in the Dark at the Hersheypark theme park, Hershey's Trick-or-Treat Adventure, and more; see Halloween in Hershey for details. Grownups can also try Celebrate Midnight With Poe, with entertainment and midnight reception - look for a repeat in 2009.
Shocktoberfest
This 30-acre haunted theme park --five minutes from Reading PA, and short drive from Philly-- is seriously scary, with attractions such as Prison of the Dead (a 50,000 sq. ft. indoor/outdoor experience) and Toxic Asylum 3D Extreme.
Norfolk VA:
Halloween -related events in Norfolk include: Virginia Children's Festival in October, with kids Costume Day Parade; night campout at the Norfolk Botanical Garden's Enchanted Forest.
Washington, DC:
For Halloween Events in DC, this roundup includes the seriously creepy but also plenty for families too: such as Boo at the Zoo, Discovery Theater's Pumpkin Party, a "Creepy Crawler" tour of the Washington National Cathedral, and more.
Florida:
Florida Halloween Events
About's guide for Florida for Visitors covers fun for all ages in many locations, including a huge street party in Tampa that draws more than 100,000 people.  Walt Disney World:
Mickey's Not-so-scary Halloween Party
This popular annual event in the Magic Kingdom is held on multiple nights in October. Features include: trick-or-treating, Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, costume parties, storytelling, live shows, and Halloween fireworks above the Cinderella Castle.
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Night: attend if you dare, in Orlando or Anaheim, on a bunch of nights throughout October, and on a few nights in November too. Definitely not for little kids!
Orlando's Halloween Events
About's Guide for Orlando has a round-up of local haunted houses, Boovilles, Zoo Boo Bash,
Low to No Cost Halloween Fun for Families", and more.
Southeast US:
Halloween Events in the Southeast states includes a Ghost Train festival in North Carolina, ghosts and legends in Colonial Williamsburg, and much more. New Orleans
Check out Boo at the Zoo, Ghostly Galavant through through the St. Louis Cemetery and more, in this city famous for atmosphere.
Bryson City, North Carolina:
The Great Pumpkin Patch Express
Get on board the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, meet the Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and other characters from the classic Peanuts™ comic strip, select a pumpkin, enjoy hayrides, bouncy house, trick or treating, and more, during several weekends in October.
Texas:
Texas Halloween Events
Boos and Zoos and other special events. In San Antonio, families with young kids can do a low-cost Zoo Boo at the San Antonio Zoo, with trick or treat, entertainment, costume contest, games.
Houston, Texas
Halloween events include Boo on the Boardwalk!, Zoo Boo, Broomstick Adventures 3-hour driving tour of haunted Houston, and McDonald's Halloween Mansion at the Children's Museum.
Southwest US:
A round-up of Southwest US Hauntings: ghost tours, haunted places, and more.
Wisconsin:
A whole haunted state! Check out Haunted Wisconsin, and don't be scared by the macabre welcome page, which is geared to teens and truly-scary events; you can also look for "family" and gentler fun.
Ohio:
Cedar Point Amusement Park --"roller coaster capital of the world" -- in Sandusky Ohio is a top draw for families during summer, and gets lively in Halloween season too. "HalloWeekends" run from mid-September, with Fright Zone, haunted houses for little kids, resort packages, Halloween shows, pumpkin carving, costume contests. Look for Fright Nights on Fridays; a number of coasters and rides are open (weather permitting.)
California:
Legoland, California
 The 128-acre Legoland in Carslbad has Brick-or-Trick Party Nights throughout October, with a trick-or-treat trail, costume contests, Howler Contests, live entertainment, Halloween-themed LEGO models like this witch made out of 54,000 LEGO bricks.
Disneyland Halloween
Disneyland gets a Halloween makeover with lots of decorations, especially at the "Haunted Mansion Holiday": the classic Haunted Mansion attraction gets taken over by Jack Skellington and other characters from Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. (In the past this has continued through the Holiday Season.) See lots of Disneyland Halloween photos.
Also at Disneyland, Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party is a special party on several nights (-- you'll need a special ticket for this event.)
Universal Studios Hollywood- Halloween Horror Night:
Attend if you dare, in Orlando or Anaheim, on a bunch of nights throughout October, and on a few nights in November too. Definitely not for little kids!
Unversal Studios Hollywood: CityWalk Spook-tacular Trick-or-Treat
(2007 info) For younger kids, Universal CityWalk teamed up with L.A.Parent magazine to put on a fun afternoon of trick-or-treating, costume contests, live entertainment, and appearances by characters such as the Mummy. There's no entrance fee for CityWalk. Knott's Berry Farm Halloween Haunt
Knott's Berry Farm in Southern California (150 acres of rides and attractions) has lots of horror every year. Another place that's probably not for little kids!
Vancouver BC:
The popular Stanley Park Halloween Ghost Train runs nightly from October 10 to Nov. 1 2009. Also in Vancouver: Fright Nights at the Playland amusement park. Washington State:
Halloween in Seattle-Tacoma
Black Cat Ball, haunted forest, and more -- from About's Guide for Northwest Travel.
Hawaii:
Halloween in Lahaina, Maui
The biggest Halloween celebration in Hawaii, including a Children's Costume Parade. Over 25,000 people attend, onLahaina's Front Street!
London England:
London is a terrific city to visit with kids, and if you go at Halloween there's extra fun: ghost walk, Creepy Family Cruise, London Dungeon... and a bonus: off-season airfares and rates for hotels. Check out London Halloween Events.
France
Halloween in France? Well, some of the earliest Halloween traditions started in Europe. Though seen as primarily an American holiday, recently Halloween celebrations are becoming more popular in France. About's Guide for France Travel covers the scene. I second this idea: delicious creations at chocolateries.
Halloween in Scandinavia
All about local Halloween traditions and celebrations in Scandinavia, information on public holidays and where to go for Halloween.
Mexico:
Day of the Dead Festivities: forget October 31; November 1 and 2 are the big days in Mexico, and despite the somber name "Dias de los Muertos", these dates -- the Christian Holy Days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day-- are a colorful celebration full of flowers, candy, chocolates, and traditions.
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Every year brings more Halloween events: Boos at Zoos, Haunted Houses, creepy fun staged everywhere from science museums to corn mazes. In theme parks, Disney has "not so scary" parties; Universal Studios gets seriously spooky; Legoland, Sesame Place, Hersheypark all have their fun... read on, below.