I love Halloween! It's probably because I was born in the fall, but who knows? The season is upon us, and if you'd like to do something special; here's some ideas on this week's fast five!
1. Sleepy Hollow, New York. New York folks love literature, and keep it alive today with possibly the highest concentration of literary agents in the world. Is it any surprise that they took Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleep Hollow" to heart? Irving lived in the Hudson Valley for most of his life and spent a lot of that time living in Tarrytown. When the village of North Tarrytown was incorporated as Sleepy Hollow, was anyone really surprised?
These people celebrate Halloween for over a month. There are blazing bridges, performances of not only Washington Irving's "Legend of Sleep Hollow" but also Edgar Allen Poe stories, parades, events, and some of those historic mansions in the area are really done up for the tours that time of year. You'll really get your creep on in an old fashioned way in Sleepy Hollow.
https://hudsonvalley.org/halloween-in-sleepy-hollow-country/
https://visitsleepyhollow.com/
https://www.travelandleisure.com/sleepy-hollow-new-york-travel-guide-12116617
https://adventuresinfamilyhood.com/halloween-sleepy-hollow-country.html
https://visitsleepyhollow.com/events/month/2026-10/
2. Croton on Hudson, New York. Just a hop skip from Sleepy Hollow, you'll find this gem. You'll see serpents, and windmills, and carousels, and they're all made of blazing pumpkins! It's called the Great Jack-o-Lantern Blaze and it's all over town. This town loves Halloween and fall and pumpkins.
This has become one of the areas biggest events. There is a charge to visit the blaze, but it's spectacular! The whole town gets into the game with special food at the restaurants, events, parades, and more for six weeks in the fall. They are paired closely with Sleepy Hollow, so if you go to one, you should really check out both!
https://hudsonvalley.org/events/blaze/
https://www.newyorkhauntedhouses.com/halloween-attractions/croton-on-hudson.html
https://westchestermagazine.com/things-to-do/great-jack-olantern-blaze-croton-pumpkin/
3. Telluride, Colorado. Welcome to the Telluride Horror Show! For six weeks this city celebrates all things horror and Halloween. The annual Horror Show is largely a film festival with, you guessed it, horror movies. Telluride is one of those places where the locals appreciate scary stuff. They have shows, haunted tours, lamplight cemetery tours, a Halloween Parade, parties, pub crawls and so much more.
There's so much to do that it keeps everyone busy for weeks, and draws thousands of visitors. There are a lot of historic locations in the city, and most of them hold haunted tours during this season. So, if you want to watch some scary stuff and visit some haunted places; this could be for you!
https://www.telluride.com/discover/blog/2025-halloween-happenings/
https://www.lodgingintelluride.com/blog/things-to-do-for-halloween-in-telluride
https://www.telluridehorrorshow.com/
https://www.telluridemuseum.org/2025/10/halloween-on-the-hill/
https://www.telluridekidsguide.com/Halloween_Guide.php
4. Anoka, Minnesota. Did you know that Anoka is the official Halloween Capital of the World? I didn't. I would have thought maybe Hell, Michigan or Salem, Massachusetts, but nope. Anoka, Minnesota. The question is why?
Many moons ago in the late 1800's, Anoka had a problem around Halloween. Local children were playing some awful pranks and setting things on fire. The people of this one of a kind town decided to go with it and so their festival was born. They have all kinds of events from pumpkin contests of various kinds to a giant bonfire. They have blazing jack-o-lanterns, corn mazes and of course; all things Halloween.
Since 1937, when one of the locals went to Washington DC to make Anoka the official Halloween Capital of the world, they have proudly held the title. Here's something I love. Like other Halloween towns I've been to, some of the stuff is there year round. But the biggest celebration is in the fall during September and October.
https://www.anokacountymn.gov/4377/Getting-to-Anoka-Halloween-Celebrations
https://www.travelandleisure.com/how-to-visit-anoka-minnesota-halloween-capital-11823260
https://www.spookylittlehalloween.com/blog/anoka-mn-halloween-capital-of-the-world
https://twincitiesfamily.com/anoka-halloween-capital-of-the-world/
5. New Orleans, Louisiana. Where do you go from the Halloween Capital of the World? New Orleans. This one goes without saying. They have cemeteries that are famous tourist attractions. They are proudly well known for Voo Doo. They party in the streets in the French Quarter. Halloween is natural there.
If you want a great adventure for Halloween, this is it. They have parties, parades, ghost tours, and all kinds of spooky stuff. In true New Orleans tradition; they overdo it for decor and liveliness. You won't sleep while you're visiting, as none of us ever do, but you will have a really good time at all the events throughout the season.
https://www.neworleans.com/events/holidays-seasonal/halloween/
https://www.frenchquarter.com/french-quarter-new-orleans-halloween/
There you have it. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I know it can be controversial, but I just like to have fun. Don't get too overthinking about it and just go and have a great time. I've given you some places that you can visit anytime during the fall and have a spooky time, so get out there and do something this fall!
If you'd like to see what I'm currently doing, check out my YouTube Channel, "Adventures for Anyone with Terri Dixon" That's me!
https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresforanyone2026
Okay now, Autumn and Halloween are waiting! What are you waiting for? Enjoy!
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