Halloween is without a doubt my favorite holiday. I look forward to October every month. Without fail, I binge watch Halloweentown I and II (sometimes Halloweentown High, but never Return to Halloweentown because this blog supports Kimberly J. Brown) and Hocus Pocus. Besides movies, there are also certain places that just exude the spirit of Halloween. Thus, I put together a list of places I’d like to spend Halloween in.
Interested? Keep reading.
Salem, Massachusetts
Why even pretend I don’t fall into the hype of Salem as a perfect Halloween travel destination? This is near the top of my travel bucket list in general, spending Halloween in Salem. From the Salem Witch Trials to it being the place where Hocus Pocus, one of my favorite movies ever, was filmed in, it only makes sense that I spend at least one Halloween here. Accommodations get super expensive and tourists from around the U.S. flood into town during this time, but I just know it’ll be worth it.
St. Helens, Oregon
Wait, where? You probably haven’t heard of this town. It is the location where another one of my favorite movies was filmed: Halloweentown. Plus, with some research I also read that Bella’s house from Twilight is also in this town. While my Twilight fan days are long gone, I can still appreciate how much of a fangirl I was and look forward to checking out all of the spots from both movies.
Boston, Massachusetts
I’ve actually been to Boston already! When I went it was in the early spring and it was wonderful. As I look back on that trip I think that it would be a great place to spend Halloween. The red bricks, cobblestone, it just exudes fall which to me often exudes Halloween as well. Thus, as for as Halloween travel destinations go, I have to include this cold Northeastern city.
Los Angeles, California
Unlike the other cities where it actually will look and feel like fall around Halloween, Los Angeles will still look like a nice spring destination. But being such a big city, Los Angeles has an abundance of haunted houses. And not just the lame ones I grew up around. I’m talking about the interactive ones where the actors jump out to scare you. If you can’t picture what I’m describing, check out of the many videos from The Ellen Show when Andy goes to haunted houses.
New Orleans, Louisiana
When I’ve seen photos of New Orleans around Halloween, to me it seemed like the fall version of Mardi Gras. Lots of skulls, face makeup and colors. New Orleans doesn’t have to just be a Mardi Gras or summer vacation. Besides, I think I’d be able to beat some of the crowds if I visit this destination for Halloween. Plus, it makes me think of Scooby Doo on Zombie Island, which although isn’t a Halloween movie is one of the scariest Scooby Doo films ever.
Sleepy Hollow, New York
I am actually from quite close to this city and I’ve been here. But honestly I didn’t know how much of a famous Halloween travel destination this was. Apparently the creator of the Headless Horseman tale originated here. Plus there’s a nice haunted house that’s over 300 years old. Sounds pretty awesome? Guess it proves that you don’t always have to travel far to find great travel destinations!
Stockholm, Sweden
Halloween is definitely more popular in the U.S. than in Europe. Hence why most of my picks are U.S. cities. But I came across this blog post discussing the Grona Lund Halloween theme park in Stockholm, Sweden and it immediately felt like a place suitable for this list. I’m sure I could find Halloween theme parks in several big U.S. cities, but spending Halloween in Scandinavia seems pretty awesome, doesn’t it?
Transylvania, Romania
What else would be a great Halloween destination in Europe if not for the vampire capital, Transylvania? From visiting castles, diving deep into Dracula lore to hitting up some parties, Transylvania seems like a great Halloween destination.
That’s All!
What are your top Halloween destinations?
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