Hopefully you live in a neighborhood where your costumed children can walk down the sidewalk, hand in hand, calling out “Trick-or-Treat” and filling their bags with goodies. But if you live in an area where neighbors are few and far between, or where you don’t know the people around you, trick-or-treating alternatives are probably in order.
Costume Campout
Invite your child’s friends over for a
spooky costume campout in the backyard.
Late October in the Valley offers perfect temperatures
for a night outdoors. Pitch a tent or
two, roast marshmallows and gather around
for ghost stories. For older children, ask each
guest to bring their favorite ghoulish tale to
tell. If you’re feeling especially creative, turn
the backyard into a graveyard by placing
cardboard headstones and fake spider webs
around the tents.
Fall Carnival
Get together with several other parents to
create a fall festival. Each family could create
a “booth” with food, activities, games and
small prizes for winners. Children arrive in
costume and enjoy face painting, ring toss,
basketball toss, balloon darts — orange and
black, of course, knock down the (plastic)
pumpkins, make-a-bracelet or keychain, etc.
The more families involved, the less work for
each family. Shops like Party City have great
options for Halloween music, decorations,
costumes and prizes.
Scary Movie Night
Invite friends over for a night of candy,
popcorn and ghosts and goblins on
film. Choose age-appropriate movies with
Halloween or spooky themes. For the littlest
ones, Charlie Brown, Garfield and other not-so-scary movies will provide Halloween fun
minus the nightmares.
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| Cover girl Cecelia Kent at Best Nursery. Photo by Mike Culpepper |
If you would rather leave the planning to someone else, several Valley events offer up plenty of ghoulish fun.
Pumpkin Patch
Take a hayride through the pumpkin patch at Best
Nursery and pick out the perfect pumpkins to carve for
your porch. October 1- November 16. Info: 706-327-1515
Marengo Creek Farms
At picturesque Marengo Creek Farms take a hayride,
picnic, visit with the livestock and meander through the
pumpkin patch and hay maze. Sat. 10 a.m - 5 p.m. ET,
Sun. 12:30 - 5 p.m. ET. Every weekend in Oct.
Info: 334-448-6050 or
marengocreekfarms.com
Pirates of the Chattahoochee
Port Columbus will hold a treasure hunt, pirate story
time, indoor scavenger hunt, kids’ pirate costume contest
and boat rides. Oct. 20 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Oct. 21
from 12 – 5 p.m. Info: 706-327-9798
1850 Fall Harvest
For an old-fashioned celebration, take the family on
a quick trip to Historic Westville for hay stacking, corn
shelling, interpretative games and plenty of fun and food
on October 27 in Lumpkin, Ga. Info: 888-733-1850
Spooktacular
On October 28 at 6 p.m. the Columbus Business
Improvement District will host a Halloween festival,
providing a safe environment for children to show off their
costumes and enjoy lots of holiday activities including
trick-or-treating. Children and their parents can come to
the 800 Block of Broadway for an evening of Halloween
fun.
Day of the Dead
On November 1, The Columbus Museum will host a
traditional celebration of the Day of the Dead. Children
and their parents can drop in anytime between 3 and
7 p.m. to participate in art activities and learn about this
Spanish tradition. Info: 706-748-2562 ext. 36.
Halloween Candy and Prize Giveaway
Extreme Workout Center along with neighboring businesses
will host a giveaway for children and their families.
Kids and parents can come in their costumes for candy,
prizes and a raffle from 7 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 31.
Info: 706-565-0703
