October. My most favorite month.
I love the weather, the cooler temps, and all the Fall activities.
Beaches, sunshine, and barbeques get traded out for pumpkin patches, sweater weather, and savory soups, and I am here for it.
The sights, the smells, the tastes – I could live in this season.
My biggest challenge is how I can fit in everything I want to do. There are so many options!
At every turn, we see Halloween announcements. At every scroll, our social media feeds beg us to attend this event and that event. Yikes! It can be overwhelming.
If you’re like me, there are 100+ things you’d like to do this season, but there’s never enough time. And how does one even decide?
To better grasp all the options, I created a list of 100+ Halloween Activities.
The worksheet is arranged according to five categories:
Enchanting Eats
Sinister Sights
Charmed Creations
Sounds That Shiver
Eerie Experiences
I select five must-dos, one from each category, and add them to my Halloween Bucket List.
If there’s time for a second round I can do another list; otherwise, I can save the other 95+ activities for next year.
I started my Halloween activities in August with a visit to see our oldest son in Los Angeles.
We hit up my favorites in Burbank – Playclothes Vintage, The Mystic Museum, and Halloween Town.
We dropped into Universal Studios to take in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and enjoy the sights promoting Halloween Horror Nights.
We strolled through the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, where we enjoyed nature and the Dia de los Muertos Calaveras sculptures by Heritage X.
One of my favorite experiences was our trip to Cinespia, where we joined hundreds of other moviegoers to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
When October hits, I usually get busy helping with events and costumes, leaving little time for Halloween experiences.
This year, I’m making an effort to get out and enjoy the season, so I made the Halloween Bucket List to help me avoid being overwhelmed and ensure those opportunities get on the schedule.
So far, I’m making time for two spooky movies at our local art center cinema – The Lost Boys and The Shining.
(I also just discovered that our downtown is having an outdoor movie night playing Hocus Pocus, so that’s on the “maybe” list.)
I last visited our pumpkin patch a few years ago, and I miss it, so on the list it goes!
And, since I’m craving pumpkin bread, I plan to spend some time on next Sunday making a couple of loaves while I listen to a spooky playlist on Spotify. Afterward, I plan to carve a pumpkin or two.
I recently picked up this two-sided Frankenstein puzzle from Barnes & Noble, and I’m excited to spending a quiet evening conquering it.
I also look forward to getting in a hike at my favorite trail so I can enjoy the fall foliage.
To further fine-tune what’s happening in your location, follow the Facebook pages for your downtown area, local attractions, and community organizations, and don’t forget to check the surrounding areas.
Then grab the 100+ Halloween Activities worksheet and the Halloween Bucket List from the Haunted Library and start planning a spooktacular time.
Whatever you choose to experience this Halloween season, I hope it is as frightfully fun-filled as you imagined.
Until next time – stay spooky.
