Halloween Activities for Kids Roundup
There’s never a shortage of Halloween activities in West Michigan. What used to be a holiday for trick-or-treaters has grown into a mega fall celebration.
Today you can find everything from trunk or treats, dazzling decorated homes, chilling haunted mazes, and festivals to Halloween Parties. There are things to do for Halloween for everyone.
Halloween Light Shows & Decorated Houses
Ghosts, Goblins, and Ghouls Galore – Hit the Road and Let the Scary Fun Begin!
Thanks to some amazingly creative folks, we can be awestruck by the best-decorated Halloween houses and Halloween Light Shows near Grand Rapids.
As October 31 approaches, take an evening to drive around town and look for spooky Halloween houses.
Pro tip: Make a scavenger hunt before you head out. Include things like tombstones, mummies, cobwebs, and ghosts.
Trunk or Treating
Fill your candy sack at a trunk or treat Halloween event.
A trunk or treat event involves community members decorating vehicle trunks and handing out candy to kids in costume.
Basically, you trick or treat from trunk to trunk, or trunk or treat.
There are so many trunk-or-treat Halloween events in Grand Rapids that it’s impossible to hit them all. If you get lucky, you can find a couple close to each other at the same time and visit more than one in one outing. That’s how you really cash in on the Mom Tax!
Haunted Houses, Hayrides & Scary Attractions
If you want shivers, head to the local haunted attractions.
Scary Halloween activities pop up all over West Michigan just in time for Halloween. Take your pick: haunted houses, haunted hayrides, haunted mazes, and Zombie runs are just a few Halloween activities on offer.
Heads up: Read the descriptions and age limits carefully before signing up to be spooked. These places don’t give refunds for doing their job well!
Zoo Goes Boo & Animal Events
John Ball Zoo and other animal attractions in West Michigan love celebrating Halloween.
That’s great because we love walking around the zoo to see the spooky decorations in the animal enclosures and filling up our treat bags.
Nowadays, the zoo also hands out many non-food or healthier options. But don’t worry – they still have candy!
Pumpkin Patches
Area farmers are growing all sorts of pumpkins these days. Choose a regular jack-o-lantern style, or have fun with nubby pumpkin varieties.
White pumpkins, yellow pumpkins, or orange, they all make for splendid fall decor.
For the best selection, visit a pumpkin patch in early in October.
Corn Mazes
Corn mazes come in all shapes and sizes – and some come with prizes! Some mazes may be haunted but most are not.
Choose your maze based on distance, design, and location. Doing a maze after dark adds a whole new element to the game.
Trick-or-Treating
When is trick-or-treating this year?
Halloween is on a Tuesday in 2023. Some neighborhoods and downtown areas are opting to move their official trick-or-treat times to an alternate night.
The official trick-or-treating window for most areas is 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM. There are a few exceptions so be sure to check our big list to verify your area’s time.
Halloween Events for Kids
People love to celebrate Halloween in West Michigan.
How do we know? Just a glance at the number of pop-up Halloween events happening in greater Grand Rapids is a dead giveaway.
Halloween Parties for Adults
Let’s face it – dressing up in a rad costume is even more fun for adults. We can really get into it with wild makeup and hair and costumes that can really knock your socks off.
So don’t forget to set aside time for grown up celebrations.
Indoor Halloween Events
If you’re wondering whether your child’s costume will be warm enough this year or whether the rain will wash away your hopes for a fun Halloween, consider some of the following choices as alternatives to traditional outdoor trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.
Where to Buy Halloween Costumes
HalloweenCostumes.com
Baby costumes, pet costumes, yard decorations, toddler costumes, teen costumes, deluxe costumes, group costumes & more.
Amazon.com
Just about anything Halloween or costume related you could think of.
Spirit Halloween
3130 Alpine Ave NW, Walker, MI 49544
4100 28th St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512
Pop-up Halloween store with with all kinds of costumes, decorations and more.
Theatricks
2136 Plainfield Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
Costume store that does rentals, special effects makeup, props, and more.
Trisha Ann Nickels
But the whole point of Halloween is to freeze to earn your candy! ????????????❄️
Jessica
Brennan