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Taking the Kids -- and taking full advantage of Halloween season

By Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on

Got your Wonder Woman and Batman costumes ready?

They are especially popular this year, according to PartyCity.com.

You don't need to wait till Halloween to use them either, not when theme parks, resorts and haunted attractions have already kicked off special Halloween events, from more-funny-than-scary day festivities for younger kids to nightly fright fests for brave tweens, teens and adults.

Take the older kids to stay in a "haunted” innand the younger ones to one of the 13 Great Wolf Lodges around the country to celebrate Howl-O-Weenwith a Trick-or-Treat Trail, Spooktacular story time, Monster Bash dance party and, of course, their indoor water parks.

There are 1,500 to 2,000 haunted attractions in the United States, according to the Haunted Attraction Association, many kicking off right after Labor Day and staying open through November.

"We've seen steady growth behind parks investing in new thrills for Halloween to extend their operating season," said Cameron Jacobs, a spokesman for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, adding that many parks offer younger, family-friendly activities during the day with trick-or-treating and familiar characters dressed up with haunts at night.

 

At Disneyland, for example, Halloween Time is one of the park's most popular events starting in mid-September and lasting until Oct. 31 with special Halloween-themed attractions like Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, kid-friendly Mickey’s Halloween Party (which requires a separate ticket), the "Halloween Screams' fireworks, and, new this year, the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow riding through the park during Mickey's Halloween Party. (In Orlando at Walt Disney World, There is an equally popular Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party, ending with the "Hallowishes" orange-and-green fireworks.)

Teach the kids a little history along with the spooky fun. In Albany, N.Y., for example, there is a free "Capitol Hauntings of the New York State Capitol. See what happens in Colonial Williamsburg on Halloween weekend as sea witches wreak havoc on the colonial capital, or take a ghost walk with guides who tell stories of spirits who supposedly still live in the historic city. Mystic Seaport in Connecticut features Nautical Nightmares a progressive play where the audience is lead around in small groups to different locations where scenes of the story are played out. Hear about the lawless 1800s history of Southern Texas at Fort Inge's annual Haunted Historical Hayride, Oct. 22.

"Boo" events for younger children at zoos and aquariums also are increasingly popular with most of the 232 members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums doing something for Halloween, said Rob Vernon, AZA spokesman. In Washington, D.C., for example, at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo there will be more than 40 treat stations, animal demonstrations and keeper chats.

At locations across the country, including the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and the Meadowlands in New Jersey there's the RISE of the Jack o’Lanterns with thousands of professionally hand-carved illuminated jack o' lanterns lining a walking trail and all set to music. Check out our 2016 Taking the Kids Fall Getaways Guide.

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