10 Festive Halloween Attractions & Activities
Disclaimer: We are not paid to promote any restaurant, hotel, activity, product, or attraction. All opinions are subjective and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
6. Gardner Village
Location: West Jordan Utah (Salt Lake City area)
Gardner Village is a fantastic little dining and shopping village just 20 minutes outside of Salt Lake City. The attractive fall weather, festive Halloween decor, fun seasonal events, and beautiful fall foliage, make a trip to Gardner Village a wonderful choice for the fall and Halloween season. This charming village features over 20 boutique shops and old-fashioned brick lined streets. Witchfest runs from late Sept through the end of October, and includes a whole lineup of festive fun. A few must-do’s include the Witch’s 5k fun run, Witchapalooza Dinner Theater, and Witch’s Night Out.
More Halloween fun in the Salt Lake City area: Frightmares (a seasonal haunted theme park), a variety of pumpkin patches, The Haunted Forest in American Fork, and Boo at the Zoo at Utah’s Hogle Zoo.
7. Bengston’s Pumpkin Farm & Fall fest
Location: Homer Glen, Illinois
Bengtson’s Pumpkin Farm is one of the best pumpkin patches I’ve ever come across. I’ve visited many times being a Chicago local for more than 25 years. Anytime I head visit the Chicago metro during the fall season, I need to come back here for nostalgia sake – and it’s still exactly the same! This seasonal festival includes a diverse range of fun fall activities including hayrides to a pick your own pumpkin patch, a corn maze, pig races, gem mining, a mini haunted house, a pumpkin chucker, and of course, plenty of seasonal treats. It’s a full day out with plenty of activities to enjoy. The beautiful fall weather and pretty fall foliage make the event all the more attractive for the fall. The old-fashioned vibe that we just do not find that much anymore makes Bengstons a must-visit for anyone looking for fall fun in the Chicago suburbs!
More info and pics from Bengston’s Farm
More Halloween fun in the Chicago suburbs: Month of Horror at Hollywood Blvd. Cinema (a wonderful dine in themed theater), Boo at the Zoo (Brookfield), plenty of haunted houses, and tours of the haunted Old Joliet prison.
8. Hocus Pocus movie filming sites self-guided tour
Location: Salem & Marblehead, Massachusetts
Hocus Pocus, the 90’s Halloween classic about a trio of 17th century witches who are accidentally brought back to life into the 20th century, is a true Halloween classic. And if you haven’t viewed this Halloween favorite yet, get to it! It will likely be your new favorite Halloween tradition. In fact, there will probably never be a more festive Halloween film that brings back so many great 90’s memories.
Many of the scenes from this film shot in various locations throughout Salem. And because it was filmed around the gorgeous fall foliage season, the film really retains the ultimate fall/Halloween feel. In Salem, you can take a self guided tour of these sites. The 2 most famous are that of the Dennison’s house and Allison’s mansion – if you haven’t seen the film yet, watch it and you will know the significance of these 2 sites. Although you can view these houses anytime, it’s so much more festive around Halloween. Oh, and be sure to check out the realistic wax figurine of Winifred in the Count Orlok Nightmare Gallery.
More pics of the Hocus Pocus filming locations (Note: Max and Dani’s house from the movie is a private residence. Feel free to drive by and take photos from your vehicle – do not venture onto the private property).
More Halloween fun in Salem: As mentioned earlier, Salem is a guaranteed winner for Halloween fun. There are more than enough options to please every Halloween lover, both young and old. Check Salem’s Haunted Happenings lineup for more ideas.
9. Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery
Location: Salem, Massachusetts
One of the top things to do in Salem for Halloween (although it is open year-round) is Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery, a creative wax museum which is home to all your favorite horror movie villains like Freddy Krueger, Jason, and Pennywise. It’s well worth the small price tag anytime of the year, more so if your visit to Salem takes place during the month of October. Strolling this creepy wax museum is a must for horror film buffs – that’s for sure!
Around Halloween, they offer a truly terrifying haunted house experience – imagine walking through a creepy wax museum while people jump out and scare you! Special horror movie guests are known to make special appearances throughout October – the kid who plays Andy in Child’s Play 1 and 2 (Alex Vincent) made an appearance in 2016.
10. Fall Foliage Hikes
Location: Just about everywhere!
Nothing really says fall has arrived until the gorgeous colors of the season start to pop up everywhere. Fortunately, most of us can get out there and explore colorful trails in our area no matter where we live – with the exception of a few places like Southern California, Southern Florida, and Southern Arizona. Even some parts of northern Arizona see a brilliant foliage season!
In fact, the pretty picture above was taken on the Inner Basin trail in Flagstaff, a high altitude city (7000 ft) in Northern Arizona. Other great hikes in this area to look into if planning a fall visit to the area include the Aspen Nature Loop and Veit Springs. Also, fall is a great time to visit the Grand Canyon as its’ less crowded and the temps are more attractive. If you stay in Flagstaff (just an hour and a half away) you can take advantage of these gorgeous trails. It’s hard to believe that these golden aspens lie just 2 hours north of Phoenix, an area associated with cacti, brutally hot weather, and obviously not a hint of fall.
Nothing really tops a free day out in nature taking in the breathtaking colors of the season while also enjoying the cool, crisp temperatures. Of course, New England sees the most gorgeous leaf peeping season in the country. Some of my favorite trails include Minuteman Bikeway, Devil’s Hopyard State Park, and Blue Hills Reservation. Western North Carolina is also a hotbed of fall color. Asheville, North Carolina is a gorgeous small mountain town home to local art galleries, foodie restaurants, and the famous Biltmore estate. Most importantly, it is located less than an hour from the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and hundreds of incredible waterfalls!
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