Halloween, the wonderfully frightening holiday that takes place each year on the last day of October, is celebrated by children and adults alike. Dressing up in scary costumes and masks, trick-or-treating, or carving pumpkins, Halloween is an exciting time of year for all.
Halloween, also known as All Hallows’ Eve, originated from the Celtic pagan holiday of Samhain, which involved ritualistic ceremonies to connect to spirits.
Today, people all around the world take part in Halloween festivities, but the holiday is particularly popular in North America.
For this reason, I am going to show you some of the best places to celebrate Halloween in America, to help you plan an unforgettable, spooktacular trip.
Best Areas To Spend Halloween In America
With countless events happening all over the United States, it can be difficult to choose the best area of the US to suit you for Halloween. As there are so many choices, I've put together a list of the top options, to help make choosing a destination considerably easier.
Salem, Massachusetts (Best Area To Stay At Halloween For History)
Located just 40 minutes north of Boston, Salem is probably one of the first locations that springs to mind when thinking about Halloween or ghostly adventures. It is also undoubtedly the best area to stay at Halloween for history.
This is mostly down to the 1692 witch trials, where hundreds of people were accused, and several locals executed, for supposedly practicing witchcraft.
If you want to discover more about these notorious trials, then why not take a visit to the famed Witch House in Downtown Salem.
This building was once home to Judge Jonathan Corwin who, along with his family, would take part in the most famous Witch Hunt in American History. It is the only structure in Salem still standing that has direct ties to the witch trials.
Due to its history, Salem has plenty of year-round museums dedicated to the ghoulish and morbid, but at Halloween the city goes above and beyond to give visitors a scare. Salem has many different spooky tours for those of all ages.
One of these is the longest running tour in Salem, the Candlelit Ghostly Walking Tour. Take a guided journey through the historic city, visiting many haunted locations by candlelight and learning about the history of the buildings.
If you fancy something a little more chilled out, take a stroll down the streets of Salem and check out the many quirky souvenir shops the city is home to. Vintage clothes, candles, crystals, spell books, and other witchy objects are readily available throughout Salem.
After a day of exploring, why not end the night on a high note. If you want to make your trip totally unforgettable, the Halloween Ball at the Hawthorne is a must.
This incredible Halloween party, which takes place at the Hawthorne Hotel, sells out every year and is the biggest and best Salem has to offer. Each year there is a different theme and a costume contest for the best dressed.
Enjoy three floors of live music, DJs, food, dancing, and spectacular costumes. The party is only for over 21’s so please bare this in mind if you are travelling with children.
Whatever you decide to do on your trip to Salem, you are guaranteed to have an amazing, hair-raising time.
For a more in-depth look into the city, check out our article on the 10 best things to do in Salem.
Stay In Salem If:
• You want to learn more about the witch trials • You would love to attend the Halloween party at the Hawthorne Hotel • You want to shop for witchy goods
Best Hotel To Stay In Salem – The Merchant
Located in the heart of downtown Salem, this posh boutique hotel, set in an 18th-century redbrick building, offers large, luxurious guest rooms that still contain original woodwork.
Rooms are individually decorated and boast heated bathroom floors, gas fireplaces, tea and coffee makers, USB charging outlets, free Wi-Fi, and smart TV’s. The Merchant also has a stylish lounge with plush decor and a terrace for guests to relax on.
A daily breakfast is served, and hot coffee and snacks are available throughout the day. The location of the hotel is perfect for your Halloween trip, as witch trial sites, nightlife, and historical attractions are all only a short walk away.
New Orleans, Louisiana (Best Area To Stay At Halloween For Nightlife)
With tons of supposedly haunted places, New Orleans is known as one of the most haunted cities in the US. For this reason, along with many others, New Orleans is one of the best places to spend your Halloween.
The French Quarter is one of the city’s most historic neighbourhoods. It is famous for its energetic nightlife, jazz clubs, and colourful buildings with their attractive balconies, which makes it the best area to stay in Halloween for nightlife.
Start off with one of the many ghostly tours through the French Quarter, where you will discover some of the most haunted mansions the city has to offer, as well as other sites of paranormal activity and the LaLaurie Mansion.
The LaLaurie Mansion was home to Delphine LaLaurie, a cruel, wealthy socialite, infamous for torturing and killing slaves in her house. The building is notorious for being one of the most haunted buildings in America.
For this reason, it is a popular stop on most of the ghost tours in the city.
If you’re not one to be taken in by tales of spirits and hauntings, maybe you’d be interested in the Voodoo history of New Orleans.
While roaming around the French Quarter you’ll notice a number of Voodoo shops, where you can purchase unique wares such as voodoo dolls, potions, or talismans.
If you’d like to learn a bit more about voodoo, why not take a trip to the small but fascinating New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum.
Here you can learn about voodoo rituals and view artifacts from Africa, Haiti, and old New Orleans. The museum also offers walking tours to the nearby St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.
This cemetery is the oldest and most famous one in New Orleans and is accessible only via guided, licensed tours.
With elevated tombstones and large crypts, this spectacular graveyard attracts thousands of visitors each year. Some come to tend the graves of loved ones, while others visit to leave offerings for the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.
New Orleans also has its share of haunted house attractions open just for the Halloween season.
With costumed actors hiding around corners waiting to give you a scare and multiple floors full of ghouls and demons, these haunted house experiences are perfect for those that want an extra thrill.
Stay In New Orleans If:
• You love nightlife • You want to learn more about New Orleans Voodoo history • You want to visit magnificent cemeteries • You want to stay in a supposedly haunted city
Best Hotel To Stay In New Orleans – Bourbon Orleans Hotel
Situated in the middle of the French Quarter, this 4-star hotel offers traditional rooms which overlook either the pretty courtyard or the French Quarter itself.
The stunning hotel features an on-site restaurant and outdoor pool, while each room has a flat-screen TV, iPod docks, free bottled water, tea/coffee makers, and free Wi-Fi. Some rooms also boast a balcony with outdoor seating.
The hotel restaurant offers Creole and American cuisine for breakfast and dinner and room service is also available. Of an evening, live jazz music can be enjoyed at the on-site bar. Other facilities include a gym and a fantastic, tranquil courtyard.
Buena Park, California (Best Area To Stay At Halloween With Children)
The Southern California town of Buena Park transforms into a town full of horrors in October, offering numerous Halloween experiences, including the largest and longest running Halloween event in the country.
Known as the entertainment capital of Southern California and just 5 minutes from Disneyland, Buena Park is a popular destination offering plenty to do and see.
One of the town's most well known Halloween events takes place at Knott’s Berry Farm.
Knott’s Berry Farm is a theme park which attracts millions of visitors per year. The park contains countless rides including roller coasters and water rides, and makes a great day out for those of all ages.
While this may be a wonderful attraction all year round, during the Halloween season the park converts itself into Knott's Scary Farm, the largest and most haunting Halloween experience in Southern California.
The fully transformed Knott’s Scary Farm features terrifying mazes, haunted houses, and sinister shows. Gruesome creatures prowl the 160-acres in chilling scare zones, ready to give you a fright.
With the park being so large, you could spend hours enjoying all the scares, and if all the excitement makes you peckish, why not treat yourself to a Knott’s Scary Farm Boo-fet dinner?
On the subject of food, just across the road from Knotts Berry Farm is The Cauldron Spirits and Brews. This witch themed bar, which features beamed ceilings, a large fireplace, and antique furniture, offers an immersive dining experience.
With brilliant, themed cocktails, local craft brews, and pub food with a spooky twist, this bar is the perfect spot to end the day on a high note.
Buena Park is also known as the best area to stay at Halloween with children. If you have young children with you who may find the scares of Knotts Scary Farm a bit too much, why not take them along to the fun filled, trick or treat event Cops N’ Goblins.
This annual event is held at the Buena Park Police Department on Halloween afternoon. Children are invited to trick or treat through the spookily decorated Police Department in a safe environment and can also enjoy face painting, a haunted maze, free candy, and much more.
Being in sunny California, if you prefer the warmer weather over chilly autumn days, Buena Park may be your ideal spot for a Halloween trip.
Stay In Buena Park If:
• You are travelling with children • You want to visit theme parks like Knott's Scary Farm • You want to be near Disneyland • You want a warm Halloween trip
Best Hotel To Stay In Buena Park - Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel
Located a short distance from Knott’s Berry Farm Amusement Park, this hotel contains 320 rooms and offers a variety of holiday packages which include admission to the park.
The hotel boasts a lovely view over the city of Buena Park and every spacious room is equipped with a TV, coffee maker, air conditioning, and free Wi-Fi .
A stay at the hotel includes free access to leisure activities, including an outdoor pool, a hot tub, fitness centre, and sports courts. There is also a children’s activity area.
The on-site restaurant, Amber Waves Restaurant and Bar, serves American cuisine all day long and gets a daily visit from the character Snoopy. Although not a Halloween theme, the hotel also features a colourful, Snoopy based wing that is popular with kids.
Sleepy Hollow, New York (Best Area To Stay Near New York City At Halloween)
Twenty-five miles north of New York City, perched on the banks of the Hudson River, lies the village of Sleepy Hollow. A historic town, it is unquestionably the best area to stay near New York City at Halloween.
The village is known as the setting for the story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by American author Washington Irving, in which a headless horseman roams the village seeking his lost head.
Sleepy Hollow was once North Tarrytown but was renamed to capitalise on the literary classic by Irving, who actually lived in Tarrytown.
Sleepy Hollow is considered by some to be one of the most haunted places in the world, so for this reason, it can be an ideal place to spend your Halloween.
There is so much fun to be had in Sleepy Hollow around the Halloween season and there really is something for everyone. For starters, Sleepy Hollow has its fair share of chilling Halloween tours, one of these being the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Lantern Tour.
This lantern-lit tour takes you to the famous cemetery, where you will see the resting place of some of the most impressive residents buried in the grounds, including William Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie.
The author of the legendary Headless Horseman tale is also buried in this cemetery.
If you’re brave enough, why not try out a haunted hayride? Scaring folk for the last 10 years, the Haunted Hayride is a well-established tradition in Sleepy Hollow.
Climb aboard your hay wagon and experience a hair-raising ride into the dark woods, where you will be surrounded by the sound of screams and the unmistakable hoofbeat of the Horseman’s stallion.
Due to its frightening and graphic content, the hayride in Sleepy Hollow is not recommended for children, so you might want to give this a miss if you’re travelling with very young individuals or if you scare easily.
Lastly, a Halloween stay in Sleepy Hollow would not be complete without a stop at the biggest Halloween event the area has to offer, the extremely popular, Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze.
Although not technically in Sleepy Hollow, the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze takes place at Van Cortlandt Manor, which is around a 20-minute drive away in the village of Croton-on-Hudson.
Here, visitors can take a self-guided walk through the grounds of the manor and view the breath-taking display of over 7,000 illuminated pumpkins, all designed and intricately carved on site.
The event also holds tents that sell all kinds of wonderful autumnal delights, such as candy apples, hot cocoa or cider, pumpkin spice treats, and even pumpkin beer. The enchanting, Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is truly unmissable.
Stay In Sleepy Hollow If:
• You want to try out a haunted hayride • You enjoy scary tales like The Headless Horseman • You’d like to be close to New York City
Best Hotel To Stay In Sleepy Hollow – Castle Hotel & Spa
Located in Tarrytown, less than two miles away from Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, is the luxurious Castle Hotel and Spa. With its high ceilings, stone walls, and original features, this Norman style castle is truly magnificent.
The historic hotel boasts views of the Hudson River and spacious, elegant rooms, which offer free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, plush bathrobes, coffeemakers, and humidifiers.
There are also luxurious suites available which contain 4-poster beds, marble bathrooms, and wood-burning fireplaces.
The Castle and Spa Hotel provides in-house spa services, including relaxing massages and facials, along with an outdoor pool complex with a hot tub. A complimentary continental breakfast is served in The Garden Room and there is a sophisticated on-site restaurant.
Conclusion
Halloween is an exciting time for both children and adults, and many towns in the USA go above and beyond to entertain and thrill. The locations I’ve mentioned are some of the best places to celebrate Halloween in America, full of the scarily, wonderful attractions.
Whether you decide to visit one of these towns or another of your choosing, you’re guaranteed to have a ghoulishly good time at Halloween in the USA.
