“Hear my call as I ring the knell, this is the time for magic and spells, thou not afraid of the witchy spell, might I interest you in a green potion or a pumpkin spice caramel”
Fatima Naqvi
No matter how much of a weak-hearted person you are, Halloween is that time of the year that will make you come out of your shell, don a costume, and go out trick or treating. Autumn brings with it orange-paged invitations that it mails out to the unearthly and the earthly alike and on October 31st both walk amongst each other. These days, more and more people tend to frequent the USA Halloween towns, to truly immerse themselves in the experience.
The United States of America has no shortage of towns and cities that go the extra mile to celebrate Halloween. From family-friendly costume parades to chilling ghost tours to Jack-o-Lantern shows, these USA Halloween towns, offer tons of reasons for people to visit them. Therefore, we decided to introduce to you the top 10 best USA Halloween towns, where you can spend the coming spooky season. So put on your eerie-sistible costumes and grab your broomsticks, because we are going on a eek-tatsic Halloween adventure.
USA Halloween towns – A Quick Glance
10 Best USA Halloween Towns to Spend the Spooky Season in
1. Anoka, Minnesota
The scariest of the scariest among the USA Halloween Towns is Anoka, which is dubbed as the Halloween capital of the world. The town is a sight to behold during the Halloween season. Anoka held the country’s first-ever Halloween parade in the year 1920, and the tradition continues to this very day. For nearly 100 years, the town has been setting the standard for small-town Halloween celebrations.
The events span for the whole month of October and include, scavenger hunts, fun runs, pumpkin contests, movie nights, historical tours, flea markets, and much more. Anoka even houses its own Halloween shop that is open to the public on select days throughout the year.
2. St. Helens, Oregon
St. Helens is a small town in Oregon, located less than an hour from Portland. It became a part of USA Halloween Towns when Disney Channel chose it as a filming location for its classic movie, Holloweentown in 1988. Ever since then, the town has become quite famous among Halloween and Disney enthusiasts who tend to frequent it during the spooky season.
The town holds a multi-week celebration of Halloween which features train ride tours of Halloween decorations, haunted house tours, The Great Big Halloween Exhibit, Boat rides across the river to see the impressive pumpkin carvings as well as a Halloween parade. St. Helens is also home to the Museum of Peculiarities and Oddities which is surely worth the visit.
3. Sleepy Hollow, New York
One of the best USA Halloween Towns, that will surely get you in the Halloween spirit is the quaint, riverside town of Sleepy, Hollow. The town is located about a 30-mile drive north of Manhattan and comes to life, when the green leaves turn to yellow, and the breeze casts a wintery spell. Sleepy Hollow is best known as the setting of Washington Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Despite being two centuries since the tale was written, the town is still abuzz with the tale.
When you visit the supernatural town of Sleepy Hollow you can tour the historic 90-acre Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and visit Irving’s grave. You can also tour the writer’s estate all the while learning about his life and legacy. The town also holds live re-enactments of his spooky story, which will surely give you the heebie-jeebies.
You can also take part in a Halloween parade, ghost tours, street fairs, haunted hayrides, and check out the farmer’s market. Also don’t forget to check out the Jack-o-Lantern ablaze which features 7,000 artistically carved pumpkins, lightning the starless night sky.
4. Salem, Massachusetts
Mentioning USA Halloween Towns and not talking about Salem, would be an atrocity of epic proportions. Dubbed as USA’s Witchy City, Salem is the site of the infamous witch trials that happened in 1692. Some say that the spirits of those killed during the trials still roam the soil of Salem, unwilling to cross over. When October 31st rolls around, costumed people swarm the streets of the town to celebrate Halloween.
For those looking for a thrill, the town offers ghost tours and haunted house tours. For the fainter of heart, a historic house tour and countless gift shops await. The town also harbors a graveyard paying tribute to the witch trial victims, and a Salem Witch Museum.
5. Orlando, Florida
One of the best USA Halloween towns for kids is definitely Orlando. However, that doesn’t mean that adults can’t enjoy themselves. Orlando offers many theme parks that also don their Halloween costume in celebration of the day. The Universal Orlando Resort holds an annual Halloween Horror Nights, that will send you screaming the other way. To enter Halloween Horror Nights, you require a special event ticket, and the holders of the tickets get to choose from 10 different haunted houses which also include The Last of Us themed attractions and well as Stranger Things attractions.
For a more family-friendly Halloween amusement, you can visit Disney World which holds a Hocus Pocus “villain spectacular, a Halloween parade, trick or treating, and Halloween-themed fireworks.
6. New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans’s haunted history and lively party scene make it the most frequented of all USA Halloween towns. On October 31st, locals and tourists alike don their special Halloween costumes and gather on the streets for a night of celebration Many costume and voodoo shops in the town also hold their own events. Travelers are allowed to take part in the tours of the cemeteries and historic houses throughout New Orleans and learn why it is dubbed the most haunted city in America along the way.
7. Dallas, Texas
One of the most thrilling among the USA Halloween towns is Dallas. It is an ideal town for all the thrill seekers out there who want to turn up the spookiness to the highest level. Dalla’s collection of intense haunted houses makes it one of the creepiest and spookiest towns in the USA Halloween towns list. Among these houses, two of the scariest ones are Boneyard and Slaughterhouse. For those wanting to keep the undead an arm’s length away, Dallas hosts carnival-like events at its zoo that include various Halloween-themed activities including trick or treating.
8. Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles is the kind of place that celebrates every festivity to the core and that includes Halloween. Festivities in Los Angeles last throughout October and include scary movie screenings, as well as tours of Hollywood Forever Cemetery and other historic cemeteries. You can also witness the spooktacular illuminated night show under the Cali autumn sky by going to the ultimate Halloween event in Calabasas, Night of the Jack.
9. Independence, Kansas
Independence made it to our list of best USA Halloween towns due to its weeklong celebration of Neewollah, which is Halloween spelled backward, adding more allure to the spooky day. The festivities are chock full of family-friendly events that include a carnival in downtown Independence, an arts and crafts show, a marching band competition as well as street parades.
10. Las Vegas, Nevada
A city known for its glitz and glamour, it’s no surprise that Las Vegas goes all out when it comes to Halloween. During the spooky month, the hotels lining the strip don creepy decorations, scaring passersby. Being one of the most extravagant among the USA Halloween towns, Las Vegas hosts plenty of outrageous (in a good way) events and on-theme shows. These events include and are not limited to the official Saw and Blair Witch escape rooms as well as Blackout Dining in the Dark. Rumor has it that the city will also host a Zombie burlesque show along with plenty of consume contests coming Halloween.
Touring the Best USA Halloween Towns
To book your Halloween tour to one of the USA Halloween Towns mentioned above just head on to bookings.com and see what they have to offer.
Visiting 5 Real-Life Haunted Houses: A Potent Recipe for a Heart Attack
If you want to add more thrill and spook to this Halloween season, visit the 5 most Haunted Houses that the Land of Liberty harbors, trust us they will spook the bejesus out of you. Did we mention you can stay overnight in some of them? To know more, read our article
