19 Best Halloween Towns That Go All out for the Spooky Holiday
Find the best fright nights, pumpkin patches and costume contests near you.
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Halloween season is for picking pumpkins, hanging all of your best decorations, horror movie marathons and selecting the perfect costume. And when it comes to the thrills of Halloween night, you simply can’t leave the night’s activities up to chance. Sure, you can go trick-or-treating in your neighborhood, but our list of Halloween towns that are known for throwing the biggest and spookiest holiday bashes might just change your mind.
We have listed small towns across the U.S. that specialize in one thing: Halloween. From cities where movies like Halloweentown and The Shining were filmed to places that have their own history of ghost sightings, you’ll find no shortage of things to do in these locations to celebrate Halloween. We even included places that are known for some of the best haunted houses, costume contests, trunk-or-treat events and corn mazes, so you’re sure to find the perfect place to spend the holiday.
St. Helens, Oregon
Anyone familiar with the Disney classic Halloweentown will want to make their way to St. Helens, Oregon where the movie was actually filmed. Each year since the movie's release, the town has hosted Halloween activities for the duration of October, including costume contests, celebrity appearances and more.
Sleepy Hollow, New York
The town of Sleepy Hollow may be known for the tale of the Headless Horseman, but it truly has something for everyone on Halloween. Kids will love the haunted hayride and Halloween parade, while adults can indulge in an autumn farmers market, live music and street fairs.
Telluride, Colorado
From being the first American city to release a horror movie to its extravagant Halloween celebrations, Telluride is a little-known Halloween gem. The town dedicates three full days in October to playing horror films at multiple theaters throughout the city during the Telluride Horror Show and ghost sightings have been reported at the Telluride Historical Museum.
Ceredo and Kenova, West Virginia
Both of these West Virginia towns come together each year to throw an epic Halloween bash dubbed Autumnfest. The festivities include viewing the Pumpkin House, which features a display of nearly 3,000 hand–carved and lighted pumpkins, a pageant, bake-off, arts and crafts show, concert series, parade and more.
Anoka, Minnesota
Boldly deeming itself the Halloween capital of the world, Anoka, Minnesota knows a thing or two about scary. In fact, the town hosts a 103-year-old annual festival in October full of a calendar of events from a pumpkin weigh-off to a Halloween paint night to prove it.
Salem, Massachusetts
Beyond its creepy lore related to the Salem witch trials, the town in Massachusetts lends the perfect backdrop for Halloween festivities. Broom and hat decorating, haunted houses and tours of the sites where some of Disney's Hocus Pocus was filmed are just a few of the things you and your crew can get into.
Dearborn, Michigan
Just outside of Detroit sits the town of Dearborn, which is home to Hallowe’en in Greenfield Village. An extravaganza of Halloween fun, the celebration takes place over several evenings in October and is filled with fall treats, horse-drawn carriage rides, "Frankenstein" screening, corn husk crafts and over 50 costumed characters.
Croton-on-Hudson, New York
Over 7,000 illuminated jack o’ lanterns make a must-see Instagram moment and a major reason to make a trip to Croton-on-Hudson for Halloween. The town hosts The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze beginning on September 13 and ending November 17. It includes a VIP tavern, pumpkin versions of your favorite movie monsters, a Pumpkin Planetarium and a working carousel.
Estes Park, Colorado
Though Colorado is known for the beautiful landscape and Rocky Mountain State Park, you'll want to visit the town of Estes Park during Halloween for an entirely different reason. Not only is it home to the Stanley Hotel, where Steven King's The Shining was filmed, but it also lends itself to several ghost stories you'll want to uncover.
St. Augustine, Florida
Regarded as the nation's oldest city, St. Augustine, Florida is full of history and no shortage of Halloween fun. This includes annual haunted history tours, crop maze, Dracula ballet, Halloween bash, costume ball and more.
Independence, Kansas
This town is so good at Halloween it changed its name. In Independence, Kansas, you can experience Neewollah celebrations that consist of nine days of parades, concerts, arts and craft shows and practically everything else you love about spooky season.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Mardi Gras gets most of the attention when it comes to celebrations in New Orleans, but you may be surprised to know the Louisiana city pulls out all the stops for Halloween as well. The Krewe of Boo parade, multiple costume shops, businesses decorated throughout the French Quarter and Ghost in the Oaks fundraiser are just a few reasons to make your trip.
Savannah, Georgia
Ghost tours, pub crawls and haunted houses are just a few of the attractions that draw people to Savannah, Georgia during October. The city makes it a point to pull out all of its eerie lore for the holiday.
Kirwin, Wyoming
Known to be a ghost town, Kirwin is the perfect place to explore creepy history and create a spooky thrill. Take a private tour of its abandoned remains by foot or snag a ride on an ATV.
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Laconia, New Hampshire
Beginning at the end of September, Laconia kicks off its spooky offerings. It starts out with the Haunted Winnipesaukee Ghost Story Cruise, which is around for the entire month of October and delivers chilling tales of haunted history while you dine on desserts. The NH Pumpkin Festival is also a major attraction and includes live music, extravagant pumpkin displays, The Great New England Craft & Artisan Show and Pumpkin Fest Story Times all held in downtown Laconia.
Tombstone, Arizona
The name itself may be enough to intrigue, but Tombstone actually has Halloween programming from October 19 through October 31. The Thirteen Frights of Halloween highlight ghost tours, ghost stories and creepy history to go with it.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Kids and adults alike will have a chilling good time visiting Cincinnati for Halloween. From events at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, like Jack O’Lantern Glow , to Kings Island Amusement Park's Halloween Haunt, the entire family can get in on the fun.
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Deadwood, South Dakota
The annual Deadweird celebration is how the town of Deadwood spends Halloween. Two full days of fun include the annual Monster Ball with prizes, dancing and costume contest for the adults as well as trunk or treat, KidWeird, which includes candy giveaways, games and haunted house for children.
Salt Lake City, Utah
With an attraction voted one of the best haunted houses in the nation, Salt Lake City makes a pretty good case for visiting during Halloween. If haunted houses aren't your thing, the city also throws the Giant Pumpkin Palooza and Zombie Walk, Halloween movie series and a Halloween-themed drum show among other activities.
Cameron (she/her) is a staff writer for Good Housekeeping, where she covers everything from holidays to food. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she received a B.A. in magazine journalism. In her spare-time she can be found scrolling TikTok for the latest cleaning hacks and restaurant openings, binge-watching seasons of Project Runway or online shopping.
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