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 โ 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 youโre like me, there are 100+ things youโd like to do this season, but thereโs 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 thereโs 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 โย Playclothes Vintage,ย The Mystic Museum, andย Halloween Town.
We dropped intoย Universal Studiosย to take inย The Wizarding World of Harry Potterย and enjoy the sights promotingย Halloween Horror Nights.
We strolled through theย Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, where we enjoyed nature and theย Dia de los Muertos Calaveras sculptures by Heritage X.
One of my favorite experiences was our trip toย Cinespia, where we joined hundreds of other moviegoers to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas in theย Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
When October hits, I usually get busy helping with events and costumes, leaving little time for Halloween experiences.
This year, Iโm 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, Iโm making time for two spooky movies at our localย art center cinemaย โย The Lost Boysย andย The Shining.
(I also just discovered that our downtown is having an outdoor movie night playing Hocus Pocus, so thatโs on the โmaybeโ list.)
I last visited our pumpkin patch a few years ago, and I miss it, so on the list it goes!
And, since Iโm 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-sidedย Frankenstein puzzle from Barnes & Noble, and Iโm 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 whatโs happening in your location, follow the Facebook pages for your downtown area, local attractions, and community organizations, and donโt forget to check the surrounding areas.
Then grab the 100+ Halloween Activities worksheet and the Halloween Bucket List fromย the Haunted Libraryย 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.