The Best Neighborhoods for Halloween Fun Across America

Yikes! It seems as if the Halloween season snuck up on us, so you better get out the masks and costumes, stock up on candy, and get ready for some frightful fun. In case you're looking for nearby happenings — for kids or adults — we've gathered a list of neighborhood outings to enjoy a spirited and safe celebration.

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This community is known to have one of the wackiest parades and festivals in the Southeast; you'll see some of the most inventive costumes ever when the spectacle kicks off on Oct. 19, as well as "over-the-top floats and Halloween-themed marching bands." With an iconic giant skull landmark on Moreland Avenue as the backdrop, Little Five Points is the perfect setting for Halloween hijinks.

Imagine getting your fitness on while trick-or-treating. The Denver MonsterDASH is a 5K, 10K, and two kids' runs around Sloan's Lake Park on Oct. 26. It includes a post-race festival with a costume contest, raffle, trick-or-treating, bounce castles, awards, and more.

With more than 20 hot-air balloons passing out more than 4,000 pounds of candy, kids and adults definitely can get their fill of sweets. This extravaganza will also feature a haunted trail, petting zoo, fireworks, and tethered balloon rides, all on Oct. 25-26 at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the spring-training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies.

Three words that best describe the celebration here? Quite. The. Spectacle. Hanover Avenue is a great place to be for Halloween. For blocks, there's candy, costumes, and decorations. Also, many of the residents sit in the yard or on the porch to give out candy, and some of the houses blast music. Reports are unsubstantiated, but there may even be dancing.

You'll find Beacon Hill downright boo-tiful at night on All Hallows Eve. During the Boston By Foot tour, hear stories that shed new light on this quiet residential neighborhood's murky history, which transforms itself for Halloween with elaborate decorations and bunches of trick-or-treaters.

Here's a chance to show off your costume and stroll along Duval Street to see it as you've never seen it before. A variety of revelers, vendors, and performers will be out in force at the street fair during Key West's famous (and sometimes infamous) Fantasy Fest celebration. The fair, which is Oct. 25-26, will feature Caribbean feasts, food trucks, whimsical crafts, and special treasures.

The Emerald City's Harvest Fest is a cherished event that draws costumed kids, adults, and even pets. Crowds will take part on Oct. 27 in the daring chili cook-off, march in the parade, and sample the hot cocoa and cider.

A breathtaking 7,000-plus illuminated jack-o'-lanterns will be on display this month as part of the brand new Museum of Pumpkin Art. This event is not to be missed — there will be synchronized lighting and an original soundtrack.

Grab your beads — and tickets — and head to the rotating balcony of the Bourbon Cowboy to get a view of the city's best costumes. The Halloween Balcony Party kicks off on Oct. 26, and revelers get a front-row view of all the antics without being a part of the madness. Looking for more fun in the Big Easy? Check out 26 Best Cheap Or Free Things To Do In New Orleans.

Some great things are happening in Charm City. The 20th Great Halloween Lantern Parade & Festival will bring families, neighbors, and artists together on Oct. 26 to celebrate and illuminate Patterson Park and its surrounding Baltimore communities.

The Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego's festive downtown neighborhood, will again host Zombie Crawl, one of the most noted, adult-oriented Halloween events in Southern California. This year, the celebration adds a second weekend for Mexican tradition Dia de Los Muertos USA (Day of the Dead). Events will take place on Oct. 25-26, Oct. 31, and Nov. 1-2. Tickets are available online.

Thousands of spectators from near and far will line this street to be amazed and enchanted by the community's Mystics of Mountain Brook Halloween parade. Families often buy more than $500 in candy to distribute during the event.

More than 2,000 children will gather on Oct. 26 for an afternoon of trick-or-treating in downtown Delray Beach. The beach town's Halloween parade will be followed by the annual Kidsfest and feature food, crafts, bounce houses, and live entertainment.

The Trick-or-Treat on Southport, hosted by the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce, is sure to offer kids and adults alike plenty of goodies, thanks to the local businesses that will open their doors to little (and big) ghouls and goblins from 4-8 p.m. on Oct. 28. There's going to be plenty to do: Whole Foods Market will sponsor a pop-up pumpkin patch, and there's even a pet parade and costume contest. The event spans Southport from Roscoe to Grace streets.

Old Salem Museums & Gardens on South Main Street will host its annual Halloween event, where children adorned in all kinds of ghoulish attire will be trick-or-treating at the doors of the street's historic buildings. The route will be blocked to car traffic between Salem Square and the Frank L. Horton Museum Center.

The Presidio Heights neighborhood seems to be a hot spot for trick-or-treating. Zillow has named San Francisco No. 1 for providing the most candy with the least amount of walking and fewest safety risks. And according to a local mommy blog, Washington Street between Presidio Avenue and Spruce Street is a prime area for candy seekers, in addition to seeing some very imaginative house decorations.

For family-friendlier festivities in The Big Easy, head to State Street, where the decorations are amazing and the houses are historic. Be sure to see Louellen Berger's legendary decorations at St. Charles and State streets; her yard showcases skeletons designed to represent various public figures and celebrities.

A former prison in the City of Brotherly Love draws crowds from near and far, and will likely be pretty busy on Halloween. During Eastern State Penitentiary's Terror Behind the Walls, visitors, if they dare, can explore the abandoned prison via six haunted attractions, where zombie guards, maniacal surgeons, and other ghouls pop out from around each space. Less scary daytime tours and an after-dark VIP tour are also available.

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Muster the courage to see if you can face the ghosts and goblins at The Haunting of Parsonsfield Seminary. Located on 9-acres, this three-floor historic building has 42 rooms that aim to shake up its brave guests during the last two weekends in October.

Zillow ranked this sprawling residential area as the top neighborhood in the city for Halloween fun. In addition to amazingly beautiful and large homes — which likely offer full-size candy bars (score!) — there are guided tours of the Winchester Mystery House, an eccentric, architecturally striking Victorian mansion said to be haunted.

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There's no shortage of Halloween haunts to frequent in Sin City. But if you're simply interested in just taking it all in, one of the most interesting events is a parade with a costume contest along the Strip on Oct. 31. Or check out Sin City Halloween, an Oct. 26 Dia de Los Muertos-themed event that will include a parade, ghoulish-looking cars, food and drink, live entertainment, and La Catrina, Dia de Los Muertos' iconic figure.

Tudor Place, an elegant National Historic Landmark house and garden in this D.C. neighborhood, will host Trick or Treat at Tudor Place, featuring costumes, pumpkin-decorating, face painting and outdoor games. Families can also stroll through the North Garden's paths to find hidden treats. Tickets are required.

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The houses that line this road, near the Hattiesburg Zoo, are decked out in Halloween-themed décor. Residents say this area of town is a popular place for trick-or-treating, and Southern Living magazine agrees.

One of the older neighborhoods in Little Rock and one of the most affluent, The Heights has been a popular trick-or-treat spot for decades. Just be sure to visit the houses with the lights.

This neighborhood, ranked as one of the best trick-or-treating neighborhoods in the city, is known for having generous candy bowls and spooky house decorations. Residents go all out and dress up to scare their candy-seeking visitors.

According to neighborhood experts, this Oahu city's west-side neighborhood is one of the No. 1 spots for trick-or-treaters, thanks to plenty of young families and smooth sidewalks.

The downtown area is a prime area for trick-or-treaters, and often on the short list of best Austin neighborhoods in which to roam for candy. It's small and surprisingly quiet for how close it is to the city, and there are more families and older couples that are likely to be handing out premium treats. Watch out for the sugar high!

This city, known mostly for its beer and baseball, is also a hotbed of trick-or-treat tomfoolery. The fifth-largest city in the Midwest is very generous on Halloween, according to Zillow, which ranks it No. 9 in its "Best Cities to Trick-or-Treat" list. In its ranking of best neighborhoods within the city to get your candy gathering game on, Zillow ranks the urban, park-laden Kops Park as the best.

On Oct. 12 and 19, All Hallows' Eve will feature a Punch and Judy puppet show retelling "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by the bonfire, pumpkin-carving, and strange characters in costume roaming the village. There will be plenty of old-fashioned entertainment for all ages, including fortune-telling, crafts, games, and more.

Another section of San Francisco that is popular among children and adults is Sea Cliff, along the Golden Gate National Recreation Area Coastal Trail near Lands End. On Halloween, crowds of children and families ring the doorbells of the opulent homes, including some owned by celebrities and other notable names. Current and former residents include photographer Ansel Adams, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, and Metallica rock guitarist Kirk Hammett.

If you'd rather gander at spookily decorated homes, the Swiss Avenue Historic District in Old East Dallas might be what you're looking for. The district has homes with varied architectural styles such as Mediterranean, Spanish, Georgian, and Craftsman. On Halloween, onlookers gather by the thousands to see the ghoulish and sometimes ghastly decorated dwellings.

Phoenix was recently ranked No. 12 by Zillow as the best place for trick-or-treating, and Maryvale is said to be the city's top neighborhood thanks to its perfect combo of houses that are closer together, best median income, and number of kids younger than 10. Website Romper named it No. 6 in 2017 due to the same factors, plus low crime.

Portland is another top-of-the-list Zillow city for trick-or-treaters. If you're looking for a beautiful neighborhood that is parent-friendly, one Reddit user suggests Alameda Ridge: "A fantastic couple was serving fancy cheeses and wine to the adults."

This neighborhood is known for excellent trick-or-treating, with reports of wide sidewalks and candy aplenty. There are also hundreds of carved pumpkins along the route, and private parties take place throughout the area.

Hey, Cheyenne trick-or-treaters, the Sun Valley community may have the goods you seek. Residents voted that the neighborhood has craveable candy and cool decorations.