9 Places to Go for Halloween That Are Filled with Thrills & Chills
Key West, FL
Fantasy Fest is an entire week of scandalous Halloween revelry in Key West, FL. Leave the kids with grandma because booze and nudity abounds during these legendary festivities. Participants are more likely to don body paint than costumes as most parties are clothing-optional affairs.
Each year over 70,000 people descend upon the island, partying day and night during street fairs, themed parties and concerts. The festival culminates on the Saturday before Halloween with a wild Mardi Gras street parade featuring glittering floats, costumed participants, and plenty of live music and dance along the way.
It’s a real Halloween for grown ups where you can truly let it all hang out!
Detroit, MI
Believe it or not, the suburbs of Detroit and Ann Arbor are filled with haunted Halloween attractions. An entire website, Fear Finder, has been set up to locate the scariest places to visit during the holiday. One such experience in Pontiac, MI, called Erebus, has a four-story haunted house that will rival anything you see at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights.
You can also get up-close and personal with creatures of the night at The Bat Zone, a bat sanctuary and education center. And, if you’re looking to party, Detroit hosts a Monster’s Ball where — aside from incredible costumes — you’ll enjoy performances from aerialists, illusionists, acrobats and fire dancers.
Looking to dive into the deep blue sea? These places have some of the best snorkeling in Florida, full of marine life and fun on-land activities!
Transylvania, Romania
Of course we can’t leave out one of the most notoriously creepy places in the world on a list of places to go for Halloween: Transylvania. Forever immortalized in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” novel, Transylvania has capitalized on the region’s fame with a number of Halloween-worthy attractions.
You can take a visit to Bran Castle, nicknamed Dracula’s Castle, which hosts its own Halloween party complete with spooky tours of the castle. Many local travel companies also offer Dracula-themed tours, including one where you can spend the night in Hunyad Castle, which is known as one of the most haunted places in Romania (and possibly all of Europe).
