Halloween is just a few days away. From the trick or treating to the pumpkin patches, fall is one of our favorite times of year! We’re highlighting some of our favorite spooktacular things to do during this season.
Howl-O-Ween
During the Halloween season it can sometimes be hard to find fright-free fun for the family. Great Wolf Lodge’s Howl-O-Ween has festive programming designed to get every member of the pumpkin pack to get in the Halloween spirit with a variety of seasonal activities. From Sept. 25 through Oct. 31, families can enjoy Trick-Or-Treat Trail, Monster Bash Dancy Party, Howl-O-Ween crafts and trivia and Boo Bingo. A new addition this year are sweet surprises from the original creator of the gummi bear, Haribo, including iconic Starmix and Goldbears treats. The Trick-Or-Treat Trail also includes non-candy, allergy-friendly treats, ensuring all guests can participate safely.
Our families love Great Wolf Lodge. Located near Los Angeles in Garden Grove, Great Wolf Lodge is a 105,000-square-foot indoor water park with 14 slides and four pools. From water cannons to water slides, each Great Wolf Lodge waterpark has something for everyone. Whether you’re coming up for the day to enjoy the expansive indoor water park, or staying a few nights with the family you’re guaranteed to have a howling good time.
Other highlights of Howl-O-Ween include:
Monster Bash Dance Party: Kids can get out their jitters before bedtime and enjoy Halloween songs that will make them move their funky bones.
Howl-O-Ween Arts & Crafts: Great Wolf Lodge is offering a collection of fall-themed arts and crafts projects like Howl-O-Ween buttons, coloring sheets, and pumpkin bookmark origami. New this year, guests can also enjoy limited-edition seasonal beads shaped like black stars to add to their bracelets & keychains.
Howl-O-Ween Mini-Events: Boo Bingo: Where five in a row is a bingo and yelling “boo” is the winning lingo. Howl-O-Ween Trivia will challenge families with their knowledge of Halloween myths, legends, lore, and traditions
Pizza Paired with the Pumpkin Patch
Whether you’re looking for a spot before or after the pumpkin patch or a cozy fall night in, California Pizza Kitchen has you covered. They have brought back their Jack-O-Lantern pizzas for only $5! This adorable pumpkin-shaped pizza is perfect for a scary good pizza party. They come in already baked or build-your-own and are available for dine-in, takeout or delivery. From spreading the sauce to sprinkling the cheese, our kids enjoyed making their own pizzas. We even cut the pepperoni to make a Jack-O-Lantern face.
Some of our favorites to include with the Jack-O-Lantern pizzas are the Original BBQ Chicken Pizza, Chopped Salad, and the Mini Butter Cake Flight. There are so many yummy options for our family to choose from at CPK.
FREE Festive Fun
Festive photo opportunities and character-themed treat stations, gather the friends and meet up for a FREE Halloween Fun at the Del Mar Highlands Town Center. Starting in the morning, there will be a Halloween Party at the Pop Jet for families from 10am-11am in the lower plaza by the Pop Jet Fountain. Later that afternoon, there will be a FREE family-friendly spook-tacular Halloween event on from 4-6 PM! Pick up your trick-or-treating maps and stomp over to Dino Discovery Zone, where a Paleontologist and their dinosaur sidekick will take you on a prehistoric adventure by the Pop Jet Fountain!
This year, there will be 5 new exciting Character Meet & Greet zones for even more Halloween fun! Don’t miss:
🍭 Candy Cane Kingdom – near Cinépolis 👻 Ghostly Grounds – between Panda Express & Ralphs
🦖 Dino Discovery Zone – at the Pop Jet Fountain ✨ The Enchanted Deck – at Sky Deck
🌴 Tropical Treasure Cove – near Handel’s Ice Cream
The event is FREE, but if you RSVP on Eventbrite you can enter for a chance to win 4 tickets to Cinepolis!
Swap the Sweets
From trunk or treats to class parties, the candy is piling up. Why not swap the sweets with a memory that will last beyond the wrappers. We love having the kids “trade” their candy in for an experience. Our kids love picking out a piece to paint at CeramiCafe and by giving the gift of a shared activity, grandma can take the kids to paint an item or you can create a piece together as a family. From jack-o-lanterns to Frankenstein mugsof their and more, the kids love finding a piece to make their own. Don’t forget to add the name and year on each piece. It is always fun to look back over the years at the items the kids create. Ceramic Cafe has two locations in San Diego.
Don’t worry if you can’t get there before Halloween, the Del Mar location will also be having a Wicked Party on November 13. There will be themed snacks, trivia and you can paint your favorite Oz-inspired pieces.
