31 Ways to Have a Howling Halloween

Here are 31 things that are sure to make this Halloween your favorite Halloween yet.

September 30, 2014

Emily Usher, Michele Huggins,

Halloween is a fun time for the whole family. Make the most of the month of October and venture around Charlotte to see some sights and have some frights. Here are 31 things that are sure to make this Halloween your favorite Halloween yet.

1. Enjoy spooky stories and s'mores.

Settle in around a bonfire to hear three spine-tingling tales while enjoying s'mores at Aw Shucks Farm in Monroe. Friday and Saturday nights in October. $15 for ages 13 and older; $13 for ages 4-12; free for ages 3 and under, includes general admission. awshuckscornmaze.com

2. Take a family bike ride to look at the neighborhood Halloween decorations.

This is a fun fall past time that gets the family moving and you can borrow some inspiration for next year.

3. Bake a pumpkin pie.

You need a reward for that bike ride, right?

4. Go pick a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch.

The list of pumpkin patches is long, but we've got your covered. Click here for the big list of area pumpkin patches.

5. Make a jack-o-lantern.

Make it scary, make it goofy, but make it together!

6. Read spooky stories.

Foster their love for books with special Halloween books. The Charlotte Library is a great resource for finding age-appropriate stories. cmlibrary.org.

7. Roast marshmallows and make s'mores over a fire in your backyard barbecue.

Click here to find out how to make the perfect s'more.

8. Take the little ones to Spinning Spiders and Creepy Crawlers.

Enjoy not-so-scary puppet shows, story time and crafts about spiders, bats, bees, scorpions and other critters that scurry about. Kids are encouraged to wear costumes. At the Charlotte Nature Museum, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. $8, includes admission. charlottenaturemuseum.org.

9. If they love "Despicable Me, " wow them with by creating Dave and Stuart Minion pumpkins.

Find easy-to-follow instructions here.

10. Watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!"

A Charlie Brown classic that the whole family can enjoy.

11. Make scary Halloween ghosts to hang in the yard.

All you need is a paper plate and some toilet paper and you have a haunting new friend to hang in the yard. View instructions here.

12. Stuff a scarecrow.

Even if you aren't on a farm, a scarecrow is a fall decoration that has been around forever.

13. Plan a Halloween costume party.

Invite your kids' friends and their parents for a Halloween party. Stream in spooky tunes and play silly games.

14. Find your way around a haunted corn maze.

Go at night with the tweens and teens in your family, or go by day with kids of all ages. Rural Hill has a big one on the north side of Charlotte near Huntersville, or check out Country Days Corn Maze in Indian Trail. ruralhill.net; countrydayscornmaze.com.

Pictured: Rural Hill

15. Eat candy corn.

It's only around once a year, so enjoy it while it's here!

16. Plan a trip to Scarowinds.

If you're all about a frightfully good time, Scarowinds doesn't disappoint with its mazes and scare zones, and all-to-real terrifying costumed actors, plus you can take a thrill ride on some of the Carowinds' best roller coasters. Open Fridays-Sunday through Nov. 1. Scarowinds has corn mazes, face painting, and lots more fun for the younger set during the day. scarowinds.com.

17. Visit a Halloween store and try on different costumes.

To help decide on the perfect costume, bring the whole family and make it a fashion show.

18. Spookify your yard with fake cobwebs and spooky lights.

Take a Saturday and get the family outside to make the yard as spooky as possible.

19. Attend the Spirits of Rosedale Tour.

Take a night tour through the house at Historic Rosedale Plantation and encounter living-history team that presents a family-friendly program and stories about spirits bound to the plantation. Ages 6 and older. Oct. 24-25 and 31. $15. historicrosedale.org.

20. Go to your local library on Halloween Day to hear some spooky ghost stories before you begin trick or treating!

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library will be working on literary skills combining their love of spooky stories. Appropriate for all ages. cmlibrary.org.

1. Check out kids' favorite TV channels and online gaming websites for Halloween specific games and shows.

CURIOUS GEORGE: A Halloween Boo Fest returns Oct. 27 to PBS. pbskids.org.

22. Make Strawberry Ghosts.

Simply dip strawberries in melted white chocolate chips, cool, and then use baking markers to make scary ghost faces. Sweet treats that aren't all bad. Find full instructions here.

23. Bob for apples at your Halloween party.

It is one of the most classic Halloween games that must live on forever.

24. Watch "Hocus Pocus" as a family.

Laugh and scream as a family at the three Salem witches.

25. Spend an afternoon with your child creating a trick-or-treat candy bag to use on Halloween.

Buy an inexpensive canvas tote bag and use fabric pens and paint, googly eyes and glitter to make the best bag on the block.

26. Play Pin the Wart on the Witch.

A pin-the-tail-on-donkey type game with a Halloween twist. A perfect Halloween Party game.

27. Buy and make Halloween cookies.

If you don't have the time to make them from scratch, buy the classic prepackaged Halloween cookies.

28. Find a cute costume for your pet.

Why should everyone get to dress up except the animal? Find something that speaks to their personality and be sure to take lots of pictures.

29. Walk the Schiele Trail of Treats.

Come in costume for an evening of treats, planetarium shows and hands-on activities. Bring your own flashlight to light your way along. Oct. 24, 6-8 p.m. Schiele Museum, Gastonia. $5-$7. schielemuseum.org.

30. Collect left over candy and give it to the homeless shelter and children's hospitals to give everyone a special Halloween.

Once Halloween is over, take left over candy and do something good with it.

31. Host a trunk-or-treat at your church or neighborhood community center.

Great for little kids who don't have the stamina to walk the neighborhood on Halloween night. Dress with your kids and wander to various car stations for treats in a safe environment.

Trunk Or Treat Halloween Potluck Dinner in Elizabeth, elizabethcommunity.com