Introduction
Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday! And I’m always on the lookout for new outdoor Halloween activities, especially now that I have a kid who’s old enough to share my enthusiasm! It’s so much fun to try and make holidays as magical as possible for your kids and getting to share in their excitement.
And for me, the outdoor aspect of these activities is crucial. Being outside during this time of year with the moody weather and changing leaves adds so much to the vibe of this holiday! So if you and your family are looking for more than just treats, here are seven spooky outdoor Halloween activities to try!
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1. Full moon/night Hike.
Hiking at night is a completely different sensory experience. And, from a kid’s perspective, it’s fun and exciting to try something you don’t normally get to do! Like take a walk in the the woods after dark, for example. Bonus if you do this on the night of a full moon. And the next one just happens to be on Halloween this year!
A night hike fits the bill for outdoor Halloween activities because it’s pretty easy to spook yourself outside in the woods at night! Make sure to look and listen for nocturnal animal activity that you wouldn’t normally get to witness during daylight hours.
2. Explore a cemetery.
Graveyards are the perfect location for outdoor Halloween activities! Rather than taking a hike in the woods or a walk through the neighborhood, mix up your routine and try a walk through an old cemetery! I mention old cemeteries specifically because it’s just a scientific fat that they’re spookier than new cemeteries 😉.
I love crumbling old tombstones scattered across the hillside that you can barely read and mature trees bursting with fall color. And just the general air of creepiness that generally pervades graveyards.
This is one of my favorite nontraditional outdoor Halloween activities to do with my family. There’s a great old cemetery near us where a lot of prominent citizens of our city are buried, so it can be kind of fun to learn some of the history and stories behind the people buried there if you have access to that information.
Some towns may even do a spooky or historic tour of the cemetery. We actually stumbled upon one of these once when we randomly showed up for a walk of our own.
Unfortunately we didn’t get to stay because our little guy was a bit too young for standing around and listening to a tour guide talk for an hour, but it’s definitely on my list of outdoor Halloween activities to do when my kids are older!
3. Play games outside after dark.
Getting to stay out and play after dark is still one of my favorite and most memorable experiences from childhood. And it’s also a great option if you’re looking for outdoor Halloween activities! All you have to do is customize your games a bit. Some options include ghost in the graveyard, hide and seek, and flashlight tag.
Light up your yard with some jack-o-lanterns or Halloween string lights to add to the effect. If you have some spooky costumes or masks, wear those while you play!
4. Go to a corn maze at night.
Going to a corn maze is already one of the beloved outdoor Halloween activities, so why not add a spooky twist and try it at night? There’s nothing like trying to navigate a creepy maze under the cover of darkness. If your kids are a bit older and really looking for a scare, try watching Children of the Corn before you go. (Not recommended for the faint of heart!)
5. Bat watching.
Since bats somehow became synonymous with vampires and Halloween, bat watching makes for another great nontraditional option for your list of outdoor Halloween activities. You could even combine this activity with number one on the list and search for these creatures in the sky during your night hike!
Or head out into your backyard at twilight and see if any are out for their breakfast of insects! If you really want to attract some bats to your yard, set up your own bat house! It’s super beneficial to have bats around, especially during the summer months when they devour thousands of mosquitoes!
6. Explore a haunted location.
Every town has at least one spot with some spooky tales circulating around it. There’s an old asylum near us that gives spooky tours where they recount stories of the past that occurred there. My kids are probably still a bit young for this, but I’d love to do it in the future!
There are also some ghost towns in the northern part of our state that I’ve always wanted to visit. The air of neglect and abandonment that linger as you explore these places would make for the perfect spooky excursion.
A ghost tour inside a building might be a bit much if you’re kids are really little, but wandering around an old ghost town might be one of the perfect outdoor Halloween activities for them!
7. Tell ghost stories around the fire.
This is one of the classic Halloween outdoor activities that has been carried on through the generations! Who doesn’t love a good spooky story around the fire? Gather some friends and family, then take turns recounting your scariest experiences and stories!
If you don’t have any of your own to tell, take turns reading some aloud from a book. This one has a great collection of spooky stories for kids from around the world! If you have younger kids and still want to do this activity, this Berenstain Bear book is one of our favorites!
Conclusion
If you’re in search of some scares, hopefully this gave you some inspiration for outdoor Halloween activities to do with your little ones. Now head out and make the most of spooky season! You’ll be sure to make some lasting family memories together along the way!
Looking for more Halloween activities for your family? Try our ideas for pumpkin decorating or brew up some nature potions!
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