Are you searching for some fang-tastic activities to lift your family’s spirits this Halloween? Instead of trick-or-treating, hosting a party, or attending a trunk-or-treat gathering, choose outdoor activities sure to excite all of the boys and ghouls.
Halloween, during a pandemic, doesn’t have to be scary. Try something a little different this Halloween and spend your time outside in the crisp fall air. A socially distanced Halloween will have the entire family shivering with excitement.
Howl-o-ween Outdoor Activities
This year, the skies will serve up something worth howling over. When you think of the perfect Halloween, most likely, you imagine walking through nighttime pumpkin patches or trick-or-treating beneath a giant harvest moon. As often as full moons appear in Halloween imagery, full moons aren’t a common Halloween occurrence. This year, Mother Nature has a spooky surprise for everyone. In 2020, October will have two full moons. The first full moon, the Harvest Moon, happens on October 1, and the second full moon, the Halloween Hunter’s Blue Moon, occurs on October 31. The last Halloween full moon was in 1944, so this year’s Halloween moon is all that more special. What’s even creepier? The Halloween Hunter’s Blue Moon will be visible to ghouls and goblins in every time zone.
So what does this moonlight phenomenon mean for people celebrating Halloween outside? It means that the sky should be bright enough to illuminate any outdoor activity. If you love the water, trade your broomsticks for paddles, and see if your area has any Halloween full moon paddle events going on. Check out Austin’s socially distanced Halloween paddle event: Rowing Dock’s Fab-BOO-Lous full moon paddle.
Does water make you melt? Why not organize a moonlight hike with your family or host a socially distanced moonlight scavenger hunt? Better yet — attend a full moon activity near your home. State parks, like Indiana Dunes State Park, host full moon hikes, and this year’s Indiana Dunes State Park Halloween full-moon hike is sure to be spooktacular! If you prefer a little tech-in-your-step, check out some geocaching Halloween activities. Geocaching is a favorite activity at many state, national, and regional parks. Perhaps you will find a Halloween-themed, full moon geocache, like French Regional Park’s Geocaching Under the Full Moon, happening near you.
Socially distanced Halloween camping
Not ready to winterize your RV yet? Think about the fun you could have if you put together a family-sized full-moon Halloween campout. Start by decorating your campsite, dressing up your rig, and holding a jack-o-lantern carving contest at your picnic table. When your pumpkins are ready, illuminate your creations with glow sticks or battery-operated candles so the entire campground can enjoy your designs when they walk by your campsite. Once the sun goes down, roast mummy hotdogs over your campfire and get creative with your candy to see who can make the tastiest Halloween candy s’ mores. For brave campers, end the night by telling local ghost stories. Your family will have so much fun camping that they won’t even realize they’ve had a socially distanced Halloween.
State Park Halloween activities
Let’s creep it real. Some of you might want a little bit of social interaction this Halloween. That’s why several state parks have altered their traditional Halloween activities to align with their state’s recommendations for a safe, socially distanced Halloween. Whether you want a ranger-led activity or a park-wide Halloween campout, there’s a possibility that a Halloween-themed event might be happening at one of your local state parks.
If you live in Michigan, you’re in luck! State and private campgrounds across the state host Halloween-themed events all month. If you aren’t afraid of the Headless Horseman running through your campground at night, take your RV to Sleepy Hollow State Park during its Ichabod Crane Days. Missouri also has Halloween-themed events for registered campers. St. Francois State Park puts on several Halloween activities for campers throughout October, and the Halloween Hootenanny at Washington State Park is chock-full of Halloween activities for people of all ages. For those of you who want a little bit of Halloween every weekend leading up to October 31? Check out your favorite state parks’ calendars of events. You might be thrilled and chilled at the opportunities happening across your state.
Whatever you decide to do for your socially distanced Halloween, don’t forget to properly thank your Halloween hosts, “Fangs for the memories!” And if you don’t have a rig of your own, rent an RV on Outdoorsy.
