Halloween Guide For a Wicked Good Time
Top family-friendly and spooky Halloween celebrations
The leaves are changing and there is a chill in the air, which means that Halloween is just around the corner. Celebrate the spookiest day of the year in the cities that do it best. Here is our guide to the top family-friendly and spooky All Hallow’s Eve celebrations in each destination.
Photo: @eastcoastkids4
NYC
New York City has one of the largest Halloween celebrations in the world.
Family-Friendly: Go trick or treating along the Upper East Side city streets and admire the festive décor on the city townhouses. If you’re lucky, you’ll knock on the door of a famous celebrity or iconic New Yorker.
Spooky: Pay a visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral graveyard, which dates back to 1697 and is said to be haunted by its occupants.
Stay: An iconic holiday deserves a stay at an iconic property. Book your stay at the Loews Regency New York Hotel with our Eat. Drink. Our Treat. package (no tricks we promise) and discover trick or treating like a true New Yorker. Start your sugar rush with treats located in the hotel lobby.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is known for its role in American history, and in turn, its haunted locations.
Family-Friendly: Families can enjoy mild spooky fun during celebrations like Boo at the Zoo at the Philadelphia Zoo, the Great Pumpkin Carve in Delaware County, and Scarecrows in the Village at Peddler’s Village.
Spooky: Pay a visit to the ghosts of inmates past at Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary, an immersive experience featuring five haunted houses in an abandoned 10-acre prison. The Baleroy Mansion, a 32-room estate in Chestnut Hill, was once named the “most haunted home in America.” The carpenter who built the home allegedly murdered his wife in the main house and guests have reported an elderly woman dressed in black with a cane still roaming the house.
Stay: Park & Stay at Loews Philadelphia Hotel.
Photo: @andyknola
New Orleans
New Orleans is one of America’s most historic and reportedly haunted and supernatural cities, making it the perfect place to celebrate Halloween.
Family-Friendly: The Krewe of Boo parade in the French Quarter features spectacular floats, extravagant costumes and plenty of candy for the kids.
Spooky: The LaLaurie Mansion is said to be haunted by souls that were brutally tortured there in the early 19th century. You can also get your scare on by checking out a ghost tour in the French Quarter or the 2-hour New Orleans Haunted Cemetery and City Night Tour.
Stay: Experience autumn in Big Easy style at Loews New Orleans Hotel with $50 in exclusive perks when you book a 2-night stay.
Photo: @unavidatequila
St. Louis
The Gateway City has plenty of Halloween festivities for all ages.
Family-Friendly: The Saint Louis Zoo hosts Boo at the Zoo, the perfect not-so-scary Halloween-celebration. Be spellbound by remarkable decorations throughout the Zoo including the Skeleton Soiree, Monster Mash, and Pirate Pointe along with new decorations including Haunted Harvest, Coachman's Junction, and a giant cauldron photo opportunity in Fragile Forest.
Spooky: If you are looking for real thrills check out the ghost tour at the Fabulous Fox Theater, where guides tell tales of ghost sightings and unexplained phenomena over the theater’s 88-year history. The Grandel Theatre’s Haunted Tours are not for the faint of heart. According to the St. Louis Paranormal Research Society, The Grandel Theatre is truly haunted. Explore areas of the 134-year-old theatre normally off-limits to the public, using the same high-tech investigation equipment used by professional ghost hunters and watch the pros conduct two spirit communication sessions in known paranormal hot spots for a truly bone-chilling experience.
Stay: Sip & Stay at Live! by Loews St. Louis and kickoff your downtown Halloween stay with two cocktails at check-in.
Orlando
Orlando is one of the top family-friendly sunshine destinations in the country, but for Halloween, this city known for world-famous theme parks goes all in.
Spooky: Cabana Bay Beach Resort is hosting a Halloween Horror Nights photo experience for all guests of the Universal Orlando Resort hotels – Universal Monsters Gallery of Legends. The Mummy, The Wolf Man and Dracula are part of one-of-a-kind photo ops throughout the experience. See for yourself daily from 2-10pm, now through Oct. 31. After you get all of your legendary photos, check out the Halloween-themed bars at Sunset Lounge located at Universal’s Endless Summer Dockside Inn and Suites, and Swizzle Lounge at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort.
Spookier: Universal Orlando Resort offers Halloween Horror Nights, one of the world’s premier Halloween events. Suited for adults, the haunted houses are inspired by the greatest horror stories of all time. We recommend not going alone, especially in the scare zones.
Stay: Looking to skip the theme park lines? Book your stay at Universal Orlando Resort hotels and enjoy early park admission to the theme parks. As another added benefit, when you stay at a Universal Orlando Resort Hotel, you will gain access to the priority entrance for Universal Halloween Horror Nights. The resorts are offering themed cocktails like The Mummy, The Wolf Man, and Dracula and a Late Night Bites menu available up to an hour after Halloween Horror Nights ends. There are even spooky room service menu items that can be ordered to your guest room at some of the resorts.
Photo: @barrybutler9
Chicago
Chicago is packed with haunted happenings that are both family-friendly and frightening.
Family-Friendly: Navy Pier hosts a pumpkin adventure for all ages, Pier Pumpkin Lights. This glowing fall spectacle of pumpkin pop-up installations makes for the perfect seasonal photo opportunity.
Spooky: Take a walk on the dark side with a Halloween ghost tour of Chicago, if you dare. From The Congress Plaza Hotel to Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago is filled with haunted sites and creepy stories. Choose from a variety of options available by foot, river or bus.
Stay: Park & Stay at Loews Chicago Hotel with easy access to all of the most popular attractions. The hotel’s rooftop bar, Streeterville Social is turning into the Streeterville Social Boostro featuring seasonal cocktails, spooky photo opportunities, haunted bites, and themed activations from tarot card readings to whiskey tastings. The Boostro will be open Thursday – Saturday from 4-9pm the entire month of October.
Whether you're looking to celebrate Halloween with fun festivities for the family or a thrilling experience that will leave you with goosebumps, these destinations provide the perfect ghouls' night out for all.
