12 Spookiest Halloween Towns in America that Go All Out With the Festivities

Remember the days when you’d excitedly show off your costume and excitedly trick or treat all night long. Halloween might not be celebrated as widely as the Christmas holidays, but it’s still a pretty big deal in cities across the country. 

Get chased by clowns with chainsaws in haunted houses, or join a pumpkin carving or costume contest. For those who have a knack for the morbid, many destinations across the United States, big and small, go all out for Halloween. 

Here are 12 of the best Halloween towns to visit in the US to keep you on the edge of your seat.

1. Salem, Massachusetts

Often referred to as the “Halloween Capital of the World,” you may remember Salem as the site of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. During the trials, 19 innocent people lost their lives after being accused of being witches. Today, Salem’s Halloween celebrations attract more than half a million visitors and last all of October. 

You will find parades, festivals, and parties to attend that any true fan of Halloween must attend at least once. Notable attractions you will want to see include the House of the Seven Gables, the Witch House, and the World of Wizardry. Decorations start to come out in mid-September, and by October 1st, the whole town has gotten in on the fun. 

2. Eureka, Missouri

The city of Eureka hosts a Halloween celebration that you won’t want to miss. Eureka is located at the bottom of the Ozark Mountains, just about half an hour outside St. Louis. This picturesque small town fully embraces Halloween with its creatively designed scarecrows all over the town.

Scarecrows aren’t the only way that Eureeka likes to celebrate; they also host the Eureka Halloween Festival for the month of October. The festivities include many family-friendly activities like golf cart parades, scavenger hunts, train rides, and the Great GO! Halloween race for runners of all abilities. 

3. Sleepy Hollow, New York

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is not just a short story by Washington Irving but also a town in New York. The home of the 150-year-old legend lives on with lots of activities and decor hung throughout the town, and you never know where the headless horseman might appear. 

The festivities begin in mid-September and go through the end of October. Activities you can’t miss include the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, with more than 7,000 hand-carved pumpkins displayed at Van Cortlandt Manor. You can also get your fright on at the Sleepy Hollow Haunted Hayride, the Sleepy Hollow Street Fair, and walking tours through the cemetery. 

4. Independence, Kansas

The small town of Independence, Kansas takes its Halloween celebrations seriously, with the nine-day Neewollah festival. You might have noticed that Neewollah is Halloween spelled backward! 

This decades-old celebration of Halloween has attracted over 75,000 visitors in recent years, which makes it the biggest annual event in the state of Kansas. The event started in 1919 to provide local children with fun, positive activities instead of pulling pranks. 

The nine-day festival features performances from well-known bands and musicians, diverse and delicious food vendors, and an arts and crafts festival. You can participate in pumpkin and scarecrow decorating contests, a 5K/10K run, a chili cook-off, and a beauty pageant to crown Queen Neelah. 

5. Helens, Oregon

If the city of St. Helens, Oregon, looks familiar to you, it may be because this is where the Disney Halloween classic movie Halloweentown was filmed. St. Helens celebrates both the film and the holiday with decorations and activities, including the lighting of the Great Pumpkin in the town square. 

During the month-long celebration, characters from the movie have been known to walk the streets, and you can take haunted tours of historical buildings or ride on a spooky boat tour. They also host costume contests, pumpkin carving contests, and an outdoor showing of the movie that made them famous.

6. New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is not just for Mardi Gras; they also have a healthy helping of Halloween spirit. Costumes are welcome, and if you don’t have one, you can buy one at one of the many costume shops. Halloween in New Orleans starts at the beginning of October and lasts all month long. 

New Orleans has haunted houses, guided tours through cemeteries, parades, festivals, and voodoo shops to explore. The residents of New Orleans really get in on the Halloween spirit and go all out on decorating their homes and shops.

7. Anoka, Minnesota

Anoka, Minnesota is another destination fighting to claim the title of “Halloween capital of the world.” This town is believed to have been the first city in the United States to hold a community celebration for the holiday. 

Instead of pranks, the children and community were invited to parades and a bonfire. In 1937, 12-year-old Harold Blair took a proclamation to Washington, DC, naming Anoka the Halloween capital of the world. 

Halloween festivities in Anoka start at the end of September and go through October 31st. They have parades, house decorating, costume, pumpkin carving contests, and the crowning of Miss Anoka. Throughout the month, additional events such as the Orange Tie Ball and blood and food drives are held to support the local community as part of the celebration. 

8. Manitou Springs, Colorado

Manitou Springs, Colorado, celebrates Halloween in a fun, if rather macabre way with coffin races down Manitou Avenue. These races are held in remembrance of Manitou Springs resident Emma Crawford, who was buried at the top of Red Mountain in 1891 and washed down the mountain in a landslide in 1929. 

Coffin races with teams of four mourners are held each year after a parade and a Victorian-themed wake the night before the race. Prizes are awarded for categories such as “Best Emma,” “Best Entourage,” and “Best Coffin.” This free seasonal event just a few miles outside Colorado Springs attracts thousands of visitors yearly to watch the race. 

9. Romeo, Michigan

If you’re searching for a neighborhood that celebrates Halloween with extravagant decorations, similar to how others do for Christmas, head to Romeo, Michigan, the home of Terror on Tillson. The Tillson Street neighborhood excels in crafting elaborate displays for all to enjoy.

From October 1st to October 30th, you can walk or cycle through the neighborhood. Cars are not allowed for the whole month due to the large influx of trick-or-treaters—up to 2,000 within two hours, according to their Facebook page. 

Why limit yourself to a single haunted house when you can explore an entire spooky neighborhood?

10. Jerome, Arizona

Jerome, Arizona is known as a ghost town year-round, and it’s also known as one of the most haunted towns in the West. This historic copper mining town has century-old buildings, perfect for a good haunting. 

During October, the town decorates for its residents and many visitors with street art installations and typical holiday decor. You can expect ghost tours, costume parades, live music, pumpkin carving,  and the annual Halloween/Fireman’s Ball. 

11. Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

You might not typically think of a beach destination getting into the Halloween spirit, but Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, does it well. Each year, Rehoboth Beach hosts the free three-day Sea Witch Festival at the end of October, a family-friendly event where all are welcome. 

Join for a thrilling three-day spooktacular celebration with free events for the entire family! Enjoy live music, a children’s play area, shopping with local artisans, and a 5K run. This annual event includes a costume parade, a costumed dog parade, scavenger hunts, trick-or-treating, and a classic horror film festival.

12. Half Moon Bay, California

Half Moon Bay, California, famously known as the pumpkin capital of the world, hosts the Annual Art and Pumpkin Festival. Located just 35 minutes south of San Francisco, this California coastal town boasts fertile soil, yielding over 3,000 tons of pumpkins annually.

A variety of food vendors participate, with an abundance of pumpkin spice menu items complemented by pumpkin beer to wash them down, and there are numerous local craftsmen’s booths to explore.

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