WHERE TO CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN WITH KIDS
The air has finally turned a bit crisper. The leaves are beginning to change, and the best part of fall, for some, is Halloween. Buckhead residents and businesses go all out for this spooky holiday. Just drive through any of the neighborhoods, and you’re bound to see everything from whimsical yard displays to downright eerie haunts. To get the most out of this popular season, we’ve summoned the spirits to come up with some of the best places to celebrate Halloween, beyond just trick or treating.
To see Scarecrows
For a not-so-spooky, more whimsical approach to Halloween, head to the Atlanta Botanical Garden for its annual Scarecrows in the Garden festival that runs throughout the month of October. You’ll see more than 100 stuffed effigies handcrafted by local businesses, individuals, schools and organizations. Categories cover professional designers, as well as amateurs. Past scarecrows included Minions and other movie and book characters, animals and of course, the traditional stuffed guy in overalls with a pumpkin head.
Atlanta Botanical Garden
1345 Piedmont Ave. N.E.
Atlanta 30309
404.876.5859
atlantabg.org
To be Haunted
Visit a turn-of-thecentury carnival with ghoulish games, haunted mansions and terrifying trails at the Atlanta History Center on Oct. 21 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Then, if you dare, return on Oct. 30 between noon and 5:30 p.m. for Day of the Dead, a traditional Mexican festival. Guests will enjoy dancing, crafts and authentic Mexican food. Be sure to view the display of altars decorated with flowers that honor lost family and friends. Haunted Halloween is $8 for children and $15 for adults. Admission is free for Day of the Dead.
Atlanta History Center
130 West Paces Ferry Road N.W.
Atlanta 30305
404.814.4000
atlantahistorycenter.com
For Halloween Treats
Whether you are looking for pumpkins, gourds or a monster cookie for the school party, the Peachtree Road Farmers Market is the place to go. Grab a little dinner and listen to the live bands, or catch a chef’s demonstration while the kids romp on the playground. The market is every Wednesday from 4:30 to 8 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. to noon through Oct. 26.
Peachtree Road Farmers Market
2744 Peachtree Road N.W.
Atlanta 30305
404.365.1078
peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
To get a Costume
Sure, you can go to the nearby pop-up costume store for the same Pokémon getup all the kids in the neighborhood will be wearing, but Goodwill on Roswell Road is an affordable place where kids can get creative and come up with their own creations. You never know what you’ll find, and the treasure hunt is part of the fun.
Goodwill
3906 Roswell Road
Atlanta 30342
404.869.3112
goodwill.org
For Adults Only
Why should kids have all the fun during Halloween? Find a babysitter, and head out for an adult evening at the Center for Puppetry Arts and the much anticipated return of “The Ghastly Dreadfuls,” a ghostly jamboree that is part-puppet, part-stage show. It runs Oct. 12 to 29, and tickets are $25.
Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring Street N.W.
Atlanta 30309
404.873.3391
puppet.org
STORY: Sue Rodman
Sue Rodman is the mother of three boys and a Buckhead resident. She writes the award-winning family travel blog Field Trips with Sue.
