Enjoy the less frightening side of this beautiful time of year.
There are enough Halloween-related events and opportunities going on this month that listing them all in one post would be impractical. Nobody wants to wade through a novel, so we decided to split the list in two. If you like the thrill of being scared out of your mind, we advise you to check out our Scary Halloween Roundup. If you love the Halloween season but aren’t a huge fan of being terrified, here’s the roundup for you:
Zoo Boo – As long as the bears and tigers stay on the other side of the fences, there’s nothing particularly scary about Zoo Boo. From 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. every Friday and Saturday between now and Halloween, you and your kids can enjoy Zoo Boo for FREE after you pay the normal zoo admission price. The little ones are encouraged to dress up in costumes and bring goodie bags for trick-or-treat through the Zoo grounds.
Children’s Museum Creepy Carnival – This one could be a crossover between our two lists, as the Children’s Museum is offering their annual haunted house. This one can be scary, but they offer lights-on hours for a more kid-friendly experience. Tickets to the haunted house are $7 at the door, but you can buy them in advance at participating Marsh Supermarkets for $6.
Hops of the Dead Halloween Arcade Party – If you are over the age of 21, you’re probably too old to trick-or-treat. However, you’re never too old for the fun of an arcade. From 7:00 p.m. Friday October 31 through midnight, you can enjoy a FREE arcade party at Indiana City Brewing. Costumes are strongly encouraged as you enjoy fresh pours of craft beer while playing a bunch of arcade games set to FREE play.
TRICK OR TREATING OPPORTUNITIES
Safe Night Halloween Trunk or Treat – The Indiana State Fairgrounds are holding their annual trick-or-treat session on Halloween night. From 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday, October 31, kids aged 12 and under can trick or treat for FREE. Just remember that kids must be accompanied by an adult.
Mall Trick 0r Treat: We know that at least a couple of the Simon Mall locations in town are holding safe trick-or-treating at participating stores. We have heard from Greenwood Park Mall and Washington Square Mall at this point. It looks like the trick-or-treat hours are from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and the malls kindly request that any kids aged 13 or older not wear masks if they participate.
ONCE HALLOWEEN IS OVER:
If you get to the end of Halloween and you have a ton of extra candy left over, you don’t have to throw it in the drawer and hand out stale candy next year. Cheapsters are all about saving money, but there’s an even better idea out there. Plenty of local dentists are participating in the Halloween Candy Buy Back program. You can check out the the list of participating offices near you by entering your zip code at the linked website. The idea is that for every pound of candy you give the dental office, they will pay you money in return (generally $1 per pound). The dentists then send that collected candy to our troops overseas. It’s a way to make a buck or two off the candy you didn’t use this Halloween, plus it benefits a good cause.
Charlotte on the Cheap is a member of 