This year, the stars and even the moon have aligned to give us a Halloween on a Saturday under a Blue Moon. All of the ingredients to summon the best Halloween yet! Unfortunately, Covid19 has different plans for the city of L.A. Trick or Treating this year was banned and then reduced to “not recommended”. All large celebrations were cancelled. With Disneyland still closed, and our favorite Oogie Boogie Bash cancelled, I have conjured up a list of socially distant and safe ways to celebrate the spookiest time of year. All the toil and none of the trouble are guaranteed!

 

Tanaka Farms

Tanaka Farms is doing their annual pumpkin farm this year but with fantastic modifications. There are two options… Mid-week they offer a u-pick pumpkin patch experience. Upon arrival, you wait in a safe and distant area until you board a wagon. Only two groups per wagon makes for a safe and distant ride through acres of the picturesque pumpkin patch. The wagon stops through the barn yard for a look at the animals and then ends at the veggie patch where you can pick your own veggies to take home and then wander through the real pumpkin patch where you can pick your pumpkin right off the vine! You can pick as big of a pumpkin as you can carry! Everything is included in your u-pick admission! Masks are mandatory the entire time.

If you prefer to stay in your car, on weekends, Tanaka Farm offers a drive thru option were you remain in your car and drive through the farm and barnyard yourself. You remain in the car the entire time with sampling stops and one optional stop where you can pull over and pick your own pumpkin. Both options have timed entries and reservations in advance are necessary.

We did the u-pick option and LOVED it. The kids had fun picking veggies and visiting with the barnyard animals. The pigs are just the cutest! I will link the site here   make reservations ASAP! Times and dates are filling up fast. I can see this becoming a tradition for us. We will definitely be back next year!

Downtown Disney

Tanaka Farms is located about 45 min south of LA county, since we had made the drive down there, I thought a stop at Downtown Disney would be a nice way to get a much needed Disney fix. We hadn’t been there since the opening and was concerned for crowds and safety. We found that it was indeed crowded on this particular day but, it was quite easy to stay away from the crowds. We ate at a restaurant for the first time since March, without reservations and had no wait. After dinner, a nice walk through Downtown Disney to the esplanade was just what we needed. We skipped all shops and opted to dine at a restaurant that had outdoor seating. As with everything, you should do what you are comfortable with.

Hauntoween L.A.

Hauntoween is the love child of a “haunted house” and “pumpkin patch”. It’s a fully immersive experience created by Experiential Supply for the whole family. It is a massive drive through with tunnels and beautifully spooky and picturesque scenes. You stop through a grand pumpkin patch where one of the fantastic Hauntoween employees helps you pick and sanitizes your pumpkin then loads it in the trunk of the car for you. Finally you stop through the town of Hauntoween where you “trick or treat” door to door! Bring a candy bucket to hold your treats!

Hauntoween is $70 per vehicle and you will need advanced reservations. You remain in your car the entire time and if your windows are down, mask wearing is mandatory. The kids loved it and it felt great to shout “TRICK OR TREAT”, even through masks. I will link the website here. Make your reservations soon times are booking up fast!

Spadena House

Do you even live in LA if you don’t stop at the Spadena House for a Halloween photo op?? This is one is not to be missed and best of all, IT’S FREE. You can literally type in Spadena House in maps to get routed there. It’s a historic house built in 1920’s by Harry Oliver. He was an Art Director and so this house is reminiscent of a storybook witch house. The house was first occupied by the Spadena family hence where it got its name.

 

It is located right in Beverly Hills among perfectly manicured lawns. The details are truly unbelievable, you feel like you’re standing in a movie set and the Sanderson Sisters themselves can emerge from the home to sniff out children at any minute! It’s a great background for a memorable Halloween in 2020.

El Capitan – Concessions

After our Spadena house photo op, we made a quick 20 min drive down Sunset and on to Hollywood Blvd to the El Capitan Theatre to pick up some concessions and some beloved Disney treats! You make your selections ahead of time online and select a pick up window that’s convenient for you (I’ll link the site for ordering here). Upon arrival, you walk up the red carpet for a quick masked photo op while you wait for your snacks. The pretzels and cheese are perfectly warmed and the popcorn reminds you of just how long it’s been since you sat in a movie theatre, crunchy salty perfection. You can even pick up the holiday buckets and mugs you would come home with from a trip to Disneyland.

There will be new selections every weekend in October. Take them home and enjoy while watching Hocus Pocus on Disney Plus (like us!) orrrr, if you’re not ready to go home yet, and you’re up for some haunted history….

L.A. Magazine – Haunted DTLA tour

Take your concessions to go and drive into DTLA for a self-guided HAUNTED TOUR! LA magazine has put together a map complete with audio on historically haunted locations. Follow the map, pull over and park safely to enjoy your snacks while you listen to the chilling history of each building. Too scary for little kids? No problem! L.A. Mag has a text guide too so you can read and carefully omit the too scary parts! I will link the map and site here

 

I hope this list gives you options for celebrating Halloween in a safe but still SPOOKTACULAR way! As with anything do what you are comfortable doing and make sure you follow CDC guidelines.

If you have any questions about any of the places I’ve mentioned, ask me in comments! If I come across any other frighteningly festive ideas I will update this post!

Happy Haunting!