Americans have a long heritage with Halloween festivities rooted in our Puritan colonial origins, our agricultural background, and the 19th Century gothic literature of Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathanial Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and others. We have a love affair with horror, the supernatural, witches, ghosts, ghouls, vampires, and the macabre. We are fond of scary stories around the campfire, sleepy villages, barns, Jack-O-Lanterns, pumpkin patches, covered bridges, haunted houses, historic hotels, scare crows, corn mazes, owls, black cats, hayrides, cider mills, trick or treating, parades, costumes, and horror films.
This huge market demand has driven both large cities and small towns to ‘go all out’ with Halloween festivities. Below are what many consider the best Halloween festivities around the U.S. Granted there are many more. (Be advised that some activities are adult oriented and are not intended for children, do your own research ahead of time.)
Northeast
Salem, Massachusetts
Where American Halloween began with the 1692 Witch Trials. The town keeps up the heritage with one of the best Halloween destinations in the country. Activities include a witch museum, Witch’s Ball, ghost hunting tour, parades, seances, psychic readings, haunted houses, costume balls, trick or treating, and more.
New York City
The largest Halloween Parade in America, held in Greenwich Village with 2 million attendees. An adult oriented party that is the wildest, crazy, bizarre, freaky parade ever, with costumes, marching bands, artists, dancers, drag queens, floats, parties, and more.
Sleepy Hallow, New York
The town of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hallow” holds an annual Halloween festival. Activities include haunted hayrides, Gothic mansions, street fairs, farmers market, 10K run, parade, live music, Headless Horseman’s Ball, Jack-o-Lantern Blaze with 7,000 carved pumpkins, and more.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Big Halloween celebration with numerous activities. Trick or treating, parades, costume balls, haunted houses, ghost tours, Halloween Nights at an old state prison, kids’ activities, and more.
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hersheypark Dark Nights family friendly activities including, rides, music, events, haunted houses, scare zones, trick or treat trail, and more.
Southeast
Seaworld, Orlando
Howl-O-Scream family friendly events including rides, scare zones, haunted houses, shows, bars, food, kids’ events, and more.
Disney World, Orlando
Micky’s Halloween Party with rides, attractions, food, shows, parades, music, scare zones, haunted houses, trick or treat, dance parties, costume dress up, and more.
Universal Studios, Orlando
Horror Nights family friendly activities, events, haunted houses, scare zones, monsters, witches, zombies, vampires, music, parades, fireworks, trick or treating, kids’ activities, and more.
Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida
Howl-O-Scream family friendly events including haunted gardens, scare zones, shows, haunted houses, live music, theme bars, rides, kids’ events, and more
Asheville, North Carolina
Southern small artsy mountain town with southern laid-back charm. Family friendly Halloween activities, art, cider shops, haunted walking tour, haunted houses, kids’ events, and more.
Savannah, Georgia
America’s most haunted city with legendary ghosts along with authentic Southern charm. Family friendly Halloween activities with Gothic charm. Historic haunted houses and mansions, graveyards, trolley ghost tour, Nightmare Bar Crawl, city decorations, Horror film fest, Wag-O-Ween dog event, kids’ activities, and more.
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is one of the most haunted cities and is the biggest party town in America, meaning they really know how to have a Halloween party. Vampires Ball, voodoo shops, jazz bands, French Quarter, Zombie Run, haunted mansions, ghost hunting, Krewe Boo Parade, food, drinks, and much more.
Key West, Florida
Wild, loud, bizarre, crazy adult oriented 10-day Halloween events. Parades, body painting, live music, Halloween museum, horror walking tour, parties, and more.
Midwest
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago pulls out all of the stops to be one of the best Halloween destinations with multiple activities. Nights of 1,000 Jack-O-Lanterns at the botanic gardens, Lincoln Park Spooky Zoo, haunted houses, costume parties, Arts In the Dark Parade, and much more.
Romeo, Michigan
Terror on Tilson Street event with over-the-top decorated houses, people in costumes, and trick or treat which attracts 80,000 visitors. North of Detroit.
Anoka, Minnesota
Holds the Halloween Capital of the World Festival. Family friendly activities include multiple parades, haunted houses and mansions, haunted theater, vintage hotels, kids’ events, and more.
Cedar Pointe, Sandusky, Ohio
Family oriented Halloweekends with rides, trick or treating, scary trails, mazes, scare zones, haunted houses, music, nightlife, kids’ events, and more.
Lexington, Kentucky
Thriller Parade and Halloween Festival, zombie walk and dances, events.
Southwest
Phoenix, Arizona
Family oriented Halloween activities, Fear Corn Maze, Spooky Safari at Phoenix Zoo, pumpkin patches, night markets, evening desert hikes, and more.
Los Angeles, California
Big Halloween Festival with haunted houses, costume balls, celebrity mansions, haunted theaters, vintage hotels, family events, and more. The West Hollywood adult oriented Halloween Carnival is an iconic bash on Santa Monica Blvd.
Disneyland, Los Angeles
Family friendly Oogie Boogie Bash with Graveyard Jamboree, haunted mansions, scare zones, treat trails, shows, attractions, rides, food, costume dress up, Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween, Monsters After Dark, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more.
Universal Studios, Los Angeles
Horror Nights family friendly activities, events, haunted houses, scare zones, monsters, witches, zombies, vampires, music, parades, fireworks, trick or treating, kids’ activities, and more.
San Antonio, Texas
The Dia de los Muertes Festival with family friendly activities, such as parades, haunted houses, boat parade, street displays, River Walk, music, the Alamo and Spanish missions, and more
Austin, Texas
Halloween Fiesta with a variety of quirky events, haunted houses, Halloween Bash, ghost tours, and more.
Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, California
Family friendly Scary Farm activities, kids’ events, food, mazes, and more.
San Francisco, California
Multiple Halloween events ghost hunts, theme partiers, steeet lights, pub crawl, Haunted Haight Tour, and more.
Long Beach, California
Adult oriented Dark Harbor festival on the Queen Mary. One of the biggest Halloween events in the country. Haunted mazes, theme bars, live music, costume parties, food, drinks, and more.
Northwest
Denver, Colorado
Family oriented events, haunted hotels and houses, spooky tours, Glow in the Garden, family events, costume parties, and more.
Manitou Springs, Colorado
The quirky Emma Crawford Festival. Her coffin was washed away in a mountain landslide. The town holds a Halloween full costume Coffin Race in her memory. Other activities include ghost tours, historic hotels, Victorian architecture, and more.
Portland, Oregon
Offbeat Halloween activities, haunted bookstores, ghost tours, Freakybuttrue Peculiarium, cider, and more.
St. Helen’s, Oregon
Family friendly “Spirit of Halloween Festival” one month celebration with parades, haunted houses, haunted tours, oddities museum, pumpkin filled wonderland, costume contest, trick or treating, tarot readings, pumpkin carving, kids’ activities, and more.
Silverwood, Idaho
Scarywood Haunted Nights with scare zones, haunted houses, music, food, events, costumes, and more.
