‘Halloweeny’ Things to do in Northern Colorado – Derek’s Top Five

October is half over and Halloween is quickly approaching and hopefully you have done something "Halloweeny" by now. If not, then hopefully one of the following can help you out, and even if you have you can do more than one Halloween thing. Here they are in no particular order.

Pumpkins, the iconic symbol of fall and Halloween. The great part about living in NoCo is all of the farms, which in turn produce well, produce i.e. pumpkins! There are tons of great farms to go "pick" a pumpkin and usually they are cheap! Grab some pumpkins to make a jack-o-lantern or a delicious pie! You can find a couple of pumpkin farms on 392 just east of Windsor, on Highway 14 just west of Ault, more locations Here

2. Haunted Houses/Corn Mazes

Again, the great part about living in NoCo, the farms. I love that farmers can transform corn fields into the fun and confusion that is a corn maze. Most of the time that same corn maze will get "haunted" when the sun goes down. A couple of great examples of this are Fritzler's Corn Maize and Something From the Farm. If you have never experienced a corn maze I would highly recommend it, and remember, if you don't want to get lost just stick to the right!

I am going to lump Haunted House's in this because corn maze's and haunted house's are kind of the same. You can get your scare on at so many great places not just in NoCo but in Colorado in general. This link will take you a list of links for haunted houses, and you can click here to see my review of "Spider Mansion".

3. Ghost Tours

Take a trip down a spooky corridor or hallway that is actually haunted! There are plenty of locations in Old Town that are believed to be haunted and what better way than a tour with Haunted Fort Collins. If you feel a "shining" come over you, you may want to head to Estes Park and take the ghost tour at the historic Stanley Hotel. Or if tour guides are not really your thing you can find these "real" haunted houses all over Fort Collins, click here to see where they are located.

4.Trick or Treat

Time for something for the kids, even though you are never to old for candy. There are some great events for the kids to dress up and go around getting candy in a safe environment.  Halloween Hullabaloo Street Festival: The Marketplace at Centerra, northeast of U.S. Highway 34 and Interstate 25. Noon to 4 p.m. Includes face painting, balloon artists, treat pit, obstacle course, goodies, live entertainment, a children’s Not-So-Spooky Hay Maze, costume contest for the entire family and free individual and family photos. All events are free except for the hay maze, which costs $1.  Treatsylvania: The Farm, 600 N. Sherwood. St., Fort Collins. Includes a stroll through the “Not-So-Spooky” barn, knock on the doors at the trick-or-treat street, hayrides and cookies for everyone. Events geared for those ages 10 and younger; but people of any age welcome.

5. Zombie Fest

I would have to say that I am most excited about this. I have honestly been talking about this since the the 1st annual one ended. It is so much fun and there is so much to do! You have the Zombie Crawl, the Zombie Ball, Zombie prom, Teen Scream and Zombie Kidz, so much stuff for a zombie to do! Did I mention the best part? You dress up like a zombie, or your favorite Halloween ghoul, and converse with other fellow creatures! I am all about dressing up, especially as a zombie and last year I got first place in the costume contest( no, I am not bragging) so I have been thinking all year long on how to top that. Zombie Fest is this Saturday (Oct. 22nd) and you can get details about all of the events HERE.

ADDED BONUS: Halloween Party

If low key is more your thing or you just want to get all of your friends together and watch scary movies or play some games, just have a Halloween bash at your casa! The key to throwing a great Halloween party is make sure everybody dresses up! If people show up not wearing a costume you start grabbing random stuff in your house and make sure they have some sort of costume on. You can't have a Halloween party without costumes! Also make sure that if there are booze involved that there is NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!

Have a safe and happy Halloween :)