Are the kids clamoring for more than just a sackful of candy this Halloween? Quench the craving by carving out some time for special events, from ghostly gatherings to paranormal parades. Take a bite out of the following suggestions for the Halloween season.
Halloween Night on Callanwolde Mountain
Callanwolde Fine Arts Center invites costumed kids to trick-or-treat throughout the grounds of the historic estate. They can stop long enough to lock together some Lego bricks at the building tables, enter a costume contest for prizes and listen to live storytelling. A DJ will spin dance tunes so kids and adults can shake their bones. The Callanwolde Concert Band and Atlanta Braves organist Matthew Kaminski team up for a hair-raising set list. Expect renditions of creepy compositions including slections from “Night on Bald Mountain,” “Fright Night” and scary Danny Elfman music. Adult food and drinks available too.
6-9 p.m. Fri., Oct. 28. $4 advance online; $5 at the door. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-872-5338, callanwolde.org/halloween-night-on-callanwolde-mountain-2.
Haints & Saints Parade
Although the Little Five Points Halloween Parade sometimes teeters toward PG-13, this one proves to be more of a family affair. That’s a good thing, since many kids can’t resist parade pageantry. Inject some Halloween spirit, and you’ve got a gruesome twosome that’s likely to please. Thank the folks behind artsy gift shop HomeGrown Decatur for first bringing this event to life back in 2011. Now an annual tradition, gussied-up vehicles, not to mention costumed walkers, gather at Decatur Post Office and march down West Ponce de Leon Avenue toward Decatur Square. Expect classic cars, hearses and lavishly decorated floats. Once the parade wraps in the Square, live bands whoop it up in the bandstand. Wasted Potential Brass Band, Black Sheep Ensemble, Common Ground Collective and Mercury Orkestar bring the noise.
4 p.m. Oct. 30. The starting point is Decatur Post Office, 520 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. 404-373-1147, decaturhalloweenparade.com.
Brick-or-Treat
Legoland Discovery Center Atlanta, the mini theme park located inside Phipps Plaza, celebrates Halloween with Brick-or-Treat each weekend in October. The staff encourages kids to don their seasonal best and trick-or-treat throughout the attraction. Several activities link tots together with interaction. There will be “find the pumpkins” scavenger hunts in Miniland. Children flex their Lego building muscles by creating pumpkins to add to the attraction’s Lego pumpkin patch. On Oct. 29 and 30, a costume contest takes place both days at noon and 3 p.m. Some lucky, winning and well-costumed kid will receive an annual pass as the top prize. All participants score a certificate for entering and there will be second- and third-place prizes too. Legoland Discovery Center Atlanta recommends purchasing tickets in advance to guarantee entry.
10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays in October; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays in October. Tickets start at $12.50 plus tax online. Ticket prices will be higher earlier in the day. Legoland Discovery Center Atlanta, Phipps Plaza, 3500 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-848-9252, legolanddiscoverycenter.com/atlanta.
Chamblee Halloween Spooktacular
This annual Halloween event overtakes Keswick Park, filling it with kid-friendly activities. Some sling brushes and paint pumpkins while others toss beanbags while playing corn hole games. Young ones can get spooked in the fun house or opt for more benign fare such as hay and pony rides. Try your luck by participating in the cupcake walk or guarantee yourself a full belly by visiting food vendors. Before the event officially begins, runners get a head start with the Elaine Clark Center Hustle for Hope. A 5K steps off at 10 a.m., and a 1.5-mile fun run follows at 10:10 a.m. For tiny trotters there's a Diaper Dash at 11 a.m. and a Toddler Trot at 11:15 a.m. Proceeds from the race benefit the Frank Clark Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Elaine Clark Center.
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 29. Free. 5K road race and 1.5 mile fun run: $15-$35. Keswick Park, 3496 Keswick Drive, Chamblee. chambleega.com/index.aspx?NID=187.
Tour of Southern Ghosts
ART Station puts together this immersive storytelling experience of the spectral kind. The 45-minute tour, which starts every 10 minutes, finds guests trekking along a lantern-lined path located in Stone Mountain Park’s Antebellum Plantation section. A half-dozen yarn spinners decked out in period dress each set up shop along the trail. Stop and hear scary stories about southern ghosts. The stories prove just spooky enough to tickle young imaginations and funny bones, but certainly aren’t the stuff nightmares are made of.
Thurs.-Sun., Oct. 14-30. 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays, 7-9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. $17; $8 ages 12 and younger. $12 advance adult tickets available at ART Station, 770-469-1105, artstation.org. In addition to the tour tickets park admission is $15 per car; $40 annual permit. Stone Mountain Park, 1000 Robert E. Lee Blvd., Stone Mountain. 800-401-2407, stonemountainpark.com.
Howl on the Green
The city of Duluth rolls its figurative pumpkin fest out of the gate beginning at 6 p.m. Oct. 28. Kids trick-or-treat along Main Street as participating businesses hand out candy from 6-7 p.m. The Duluth Town Green serves as the hub of activity. Costume contests, food trucks, inflatables, games, a haunted hayride and more set the festive tone. Once darkness shrouds the evening, performers take to the Festival Center stage. Don’t be surprised to see werewolves break-dancing on the ground and an aerialist spinning above. Fire dancers and other costumed entertainers provide additional Halloween eye candy.
6-10 p.m. Oct. 28. Free. Duluth Town Green, 3578 W. Lawrenceville St., Duluth. www.facebook.com/cityofduluth.
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