15 Underrated and Festive Places to Celebrate Halloween in America

Los Angeles turns into a Halloween wonderland throughout late September and October with spooky events for everyone leading up to Halloween, whether you're interested in thrilling rides or haunted houses. Don't miss Los Angeles' Haunted Hay Ride, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Travelling with kids? Head to the Annual Halloween Party for Downtown L.A. Kids with bounce houses, puppet shows, and faux trick-or-treat-doors.

Home to haunted graveyards filled with fallen soldiers from the Civil War and stories from America's old frontier, Bristol offers travellers access to spooky activities. Visitors can go on an Appalachian Ghost Walk, a thrilling night tour throughout the town's oldest streets and take part in Bristol's annual family-friendly Pumpkin Palooza, which includes a spooky costume contest and pumpkin carving for all ages.

When it comes to Halloween, New Orleans is a city that few others can rival. The Krewe of Boo, the official New Orleans Halloween parade since its inception in 2007, features 3-D papier mâché and fibreglass props that mimic all of Halloween's spooky creatures to frighten and excite the crowds. Located steps from the festivities, travellers can stay at Hilton New Orleans Riverside and enjoy proximity to the parade, sip on themed cocktails at Public Belt like the Spell Caster, and Candy Apple Crush, and get insider tips from the hotel's resident Spookmaster concierge including local ghost tours and haunted houses.

This Halloween, venture to Fort Worth, TX, and go to Cutting Edge Haunted House for scares and screams. Visitors can become a ghost hunter and go on a 90-minute walking Stockyard's Ghost Tour though the historic Fort Worth Stockyard. Hear stories of paranormal activity and visit haunted places along the way, including Miss Molly's B & B – Fort Worth's oldest B&B and one of the city's most haunted properties.

The Finger Lakes region of central New York is known for interactive experiences, pumpkin patches, and spooky spots that travellers can book just in time for Halloween. At the Inns of Aurora, private groups of 14-20 guests are invited to partake in a thrilling three-hour guided murder mystery followed by a three-course dinner with beer and wine pairings and overnight accommodations.

Get spooked with a visit to the haunted southern city where the 2018 reboot of the famed iconic slasher film Halloween was filmed. Travellers can enjoy captivating tales of notorious ghosts while walking through Charleston's oldest graveyard after dark, go deep into the cells of the Old City Jail, and bike ride through the Holy City's downtown historic district where the actual movie filming took place. Guests staying at the only waterfront property in the city's downtown Historic District can embark on a spooky journey through the storied waters of the Charleston harbor with the HarbourView Inn's Harbor and Hauntings Package.

On Oct. 24, Chicago's "Halloween Gathering" features a parade filled with large-scale spectacle, tarot card readings, acrobatics, music, and DJ dance party along the Chicago Cultural Mile in the downtown Loop. Located directly across from Hilton Chicago, Millennium Park and Grant Park come alive with performances during the festival, as well as face painting, mask making workshops, ghost stories, and interactive activities for all ages.

Imagine a place where you can meet wizards, witches, the luminaries of great myths and legends, and superheroes all at the same time. Imagination becomes reality in Providence at the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular taking place Oct. 4 through Nov. 4. Guests can enjoy more than 5,000 intricately carved pumpkins that illustrate the most beloved characters from literary favourites, comic book classics, and even historical figures.

Halloween takes over Honolulu, from Waikiki Beach to the island's historic Chinatown Arts District. Visitors and kama'aina fill the streets in their best costumes to celebrate the spooky holiday. Head over to Chinatown for the not-to-miss annual Hallowbaloo Music + Arts Festival on Oct. 27. The island's largest celebration transforms the historic downtown into a party of music, craft beer, culinary delights, and local art. Be sure to make your way down to Kalakaua Avenue on Waikiki Beach for the costume parade before stopping at The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club for a special pride-filled Halloween pool party at the property's Swim Club.

Marietta, along the state's southeast corner bordering West Virginia, is an underrated Halloween hot spot with one of the area's most notoriously haunted hotels, the Lafayette Hotel. Guests can book the Ghost Hunters Package for a walking tour of historic and haunted downtown Marietta. Nearby is the Haunted Mansfield, home to the Ohio State Reformatory, where much of The Shawshank Redemption was filmed. Better yet, there is a whole trail dedicated to it.