By: Celia Pope and Sarah Cain

While we may not be able to have a normal Halloween this year, with trick-or-treating and fun parties with your closest friends, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to be bored, at home watching YouTube videos. Instead, go have some fun with your family outside, where it’s fun but still safe. You can even go and meet up at a friend’s house, or go out and about doing activities for some Halloween season excitement, all while making sure you are staying safe and distanced! 

If you still are up for some fun outdoor activities, some ideas for such could include Phillip’s Farm with their haunted farm and Halloween day activities, or going to The Matthews House, which involves outdoor and distanced trick or treating for anyone to enjoy. 

However, if going somewhere with tons of activities isn’t something you want to do, there are still a lot of super fun things to do with family or a few distanced friends right in the comfort of your own home. For example, have a pumpkin carving contest and see who can do the best, or have a fun outdoor movie night with popcorn and candy while you dive into a scary movie. You can even wear costumes to get into the Halloween spirit, or you could gather up some friends or neighbors to see who can come up with the best costumes for this year’s Halloween!    

Out and About Activities

Phillip’s Farm

Local business Phillip’s Farm has all year-round outdoor activities for everyone of all ages to enjoy, and unique to this year, celebrate Halloween. Although this place is tons of fun, anyone who comes to enjoy the night needs to make sure to be safe and cautious with being around so many people. (While scoping out the area, we saw hundreds of people there and realized that it was a bit of a danger with so many around.) If you plan on going to Phillip’s Farm this Halloween, make sure you are wearing a mask at all times and stay at least 6 feet apart from others at all times (as well as all other COVID precautions). According to Phillip’s Farm owner, Melissa Phillips, “We will be cleaning and sanitizing often throughout the night, and will have pre-ordered tickets to avoid lines. However, if you choose to buy a ticket at the farm, we will have lines marked six feet so that you can socially distance from others in line. We will also have employees walking around and enforcing the distancing policies.” Admission tickets will cost $12 for adults and children and $10 for seniors and military personnel. The Haunted Farm portion of the farm that is offered every Halloween will be open from 7:30pm to 11:30pm. 

Popular Attractions:

-Corn box (children can play in shelled corn)

-Cow-train (Train pulled through the corn maze)

-Ball Pen

-Bounce Pillows (giant pillows about ½ the size of a football field to jump on)

-Corn Maze

For more information go to:

Home

The Matthews House

On Halloween night from 4:30 – 7:30 pm you can find a socially distanced safe way to continue your trick or-treating fun this year. It costs $5 to get into The Matthews House, and it will take place outside unlike under normal circumstances where you would walk around the spooky environment that has been created here. Come dressed up if you would like, and don’t miss the Halloween night trick or-treating that is so beloved by so many people.

(Address: The Matthews House in Cary

 317 W Chatham St 

Cary, NC 27511)

For more information go to:

www.eventbrite.com/e/trick-or-treat-at-the-matthews-house-tickets-122250296929 

At Home Activities

Movie Night

Movies on Halloween have always been a fun Halloween for many people. If you can’t go out and about this year, try cozying up with your family and enjoying a Halloween classic. Need some ideas? Here are some of the most top rated family Halloween movies in the US this year:

-Casper (PG) (Netflix)

-Nightmare Before Christmas (PG) (Hulu and Amazon Prime)

-Hocus Pocus (PG) (Disney+ (Limited Time))

-Halloweentown (PG) (Amazon Prime)

-Hotel Transylvania (PG) (Hulu and HBO Max)

-Ghostbusters (PG) (IMDB and Amazon Prime)

-Coraline (PG) (Hulu)

-It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (NR) (Amazon Prime and Hulu)

-The Haunting (PG-13) (Netflix)

Pumpkin Carving

It is always a fun idea to carve a pumpkin into fun, unique, and creative designs! Not only can this be a fun family activity, but you can also do it with friends (distanced of course)! If you are on the competitive side of things, you can make it into a pumpkin carving contest within the family or even the neighborhood!

Costume Contest

This one is pretty self-explanatory: gather up the neighborhood and create different categories for a costume contest! Some examples can include Most Creative, Scariest, Funniest, Best Homemade, etc. Don’t be afraid to get creative with it!

This year’s Halloween is not going to be the same as it usually is (along with most things this year), but that doesn’t mean that we can’t still have fun! Not only is going out to places like the Matthews House and Phillip’s Farm a good way to support local and small businesses, it’s a great way to enjoy a night out, a rare treat these days. There are also other ways that you can enjoy time with your family at home. You can have a movie night, carve a pumpkin, and more; the possibilities are endless! These days, it can be difficult to find enjoyment when there are still so many things we can’t do, so embrace this opportunity to have some fun, and have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!