Kid-Friendly Halloween Fun!

Kid-Friendly Halloween Fun

            Halloween is right around the corner and for years, it’s been a holiday that I’ve dreaded. Unfortunately, Halloween can be a little too scary for the youngsters (or a scaredy-cat like me!). If you are a bit too terrified of the normal Halloween festivities and need a place to go to celebrate Halloween without the witches, ghouls, and vampires, OR you have young children who aren’t keen on the Halloween terror, take a loot at our pumpkin-filled fun alternatives!

1. Head over to a pumpkin patch! Pumpkin patches are notorious for serving delicious pumpkin pie and picking out a pumpkin to take home is always such a treat! My favorite pumpkin patches this year are: the Tapia Brothers Farm Pumpkin Patch in Encino; Tina’s Pumpkin Patch in Sherman Oaks; and Forneris Farms Pumpkin Patch & Harvest Festival in Mission Hills. 
   
   
   
   
   
2. Check out the incredibly fun Harvest and Pumpkin Festivals! There are some great locations to join in on the fun! The Calabasas Pumpkin Festival is October 17^th and 18^th. This festival has delicious pumpkin pies, pumpkin carving, music, a foodcourt, and of course—a pumpkin patch! The Underwood Family Farm Harvest Festival in Moorpark is another super fun kid-friendly festival to check out! This festival is from October 3-31^st and is home to the Tomato Launcher and an Animal Center! Children will love the themed weekends of the festival and the activities that go along with it! This weekend is the Farm Country Weekend and the farm will be hosting a Giant Pumpkin Contest! 
   
3. Another less-frightening Halloween affair to check out are the Farmers Markets! The Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles will be hosting a Fall Festival October 17^th and 18^th! You can also check out the Santa Monica Farmers Market for more pumpkin fun every Wednesday leading up to Halloween! 
   
4. For the Disney lovers out there—check out Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disneyland select nights from October 7^th-31^st. This includes costume dress-up, trick-or-treating through Main Street, a Haunted Ceremony, and Halloween-themed Character Greetings! Tickets are tough to get because they sell out quickly, but it’s definitely worth a shot! 
   
5. Animal Lovers: Check out Boo @ the Zoo at the Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park! Choose your own adventure and get up-close with the “super-natural” powers of animals and how they adapt at night and use their senses to guide them! Touch scaly and crawly creatures at the Animals and You stations. Create black bat and spider-themed crafts on Saturdays and Sundays in October. And, my personal favorite event, watch the animals tasting their own delicious pumpkin treats! 
   

Children and scaredy-cats alike can finally enjoy Halloween for what it is—a pumpkin filled wonderland! Check out any of these places and enjoy what October in the SFV has to offer! Happy Halloween! Check back next week for a blog filled with terror and fright!