What Are You Doing This Halloween?

When it comes to Halloween there's no lack of variety in the things that you could do. From trick or treating (with the kids) to touring Haunted House attractions, finding something NOT to do would be more of a challenge.

So, where could you go and what could you do on All Hallows Eve? Here are some intriguing, exciting, relaxing and in some cases, just plain creepy ideas on what's available.

Take the kids out Trick or Treating - This is a great way to be a kid again yourself. Follow along and enjoy the scenery. Check out the yards and decorations as you pass. You may even get some candy yourself!

Dress up your yard and yourself - Get into the spirit of the occasion and decorate your yard or entranceway. Dress up in a costume and hand out candy to trick-or-treaters and enjoy some of the inventive and adorable outfits they show up in.

Attend a costume party or host one yourself - Halloween is a growing business where adults are concerned. Get creative and put together a unique costume and attend a Halloween party. Better yet, plan to have one yourself.

Take a Haunted House tour - Many larger cities have several areas that are set up specifically as Haunted House tours. Designed to truly frighten and creep you out, you'd be amazed at the effort put into the whole setup and atmosphere of these places. It may become a yearly event that you won't want to miss out on.

Boo at the Zoo - If your city has a zoo and features this special evening event, gather up the kids and go check it out. Fun decorations, special activities and more are usually planned by the zoo personnel. It's a spootacular place to visit for both adults and kids, although certainly on the mild side.

All night horror flicks - Many theatres set up a special all-nighter of horror and mystery films. Usually they start at midnight and run through to morning, usually featuring three movies. A cult classic often shown is the Rocky Horror Picture Show, although this varies with the theatres. If you're prepared to stay awake, this is a great way to spend the evening with some friends.

Visit old cemeteries - What says "spooky" more than a dimly lit, creepy cemetery at night? Who knows what you'll see as you stroll past the various tombstones.

Pick a few neighborhoods and do a walking or driving tour - Take a look at how some people have spruced up their yard for Halloween night. This is a great way to get ideas on what you could do next year in your own yard. Just be careful if you drive by watching out for the children crossing the road.

Take a haunted hayride - Some farms provide haunted hayride tours on Halloween night. Driving past eerie, leafless trees, hearing the screech of an owl and rolling through moonlit fields, you may just see the unexpected. Often these are followed up by snacks and drinks at a bonfire back at the farm. What a cool way to spend the evening.

Have your own dusk to dawn movie fest - Get some friends together and rent 3 or 4 horror movies. Pop some popcorn, order a few pizzas, put out some cold drinks, get comfy and you're all set for a night of terror and suspense. Not sure what to rent? Check out this list of Haunted House Movies at http://www.halloweenhowl.c om/halloween-movies-haunted-houses.shtml

Get acquainted with some real ghosts - Almost every town or city has some local places that are haunted. Visit the library or buy a book that tells you where they are located. Then go check them out yourself. If you really want to get the bee-jeebers scared out of you, try to hook up with a paranormal investigative team for an evening. There's a lot of supernatural activity that happens on Halloween.

Curl up with a great horror or mystery novel - All by yourself this year? Rather than being scared stiff with a movie rental, how about curling up with a good mystery novel or suspense/horror book?

These are just a few ideas that will keep you occupied this Halloween. Use your imagination, plus talk with friends, family and co-workers and I'm sure you'll be able to come up with an even bigger list of things to do. Enjoy!

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(c) 2005. Rose Smith is the owner of HalloweenHowl.com a website filled with Halloween party ideas, costumes, decorations, games, graphics, crafts and more. It's Halloween fun for all ages! Come visit us at: http://www.halloweenhowl.com/

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In this May 4, 2007 file photo Timothy Geithner is seen in Montreal. President-elect Barack Obama is likely to name Timothy Geithner, president of the New York Federal Reserve, as Treasury Secretary in a time of intense economic turmoil as he rounds out the upper echelon of his Cabinet, a senior Democratic official familiar with the deliberations said Friday, Nov. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ian Barrett, File)AP - President-elect Barack Obama intends to name Timothy Geithner, president of the New York Federal Reserve, as his treasury secretary to confront the nation's intense economic turmoil, senior Democratic officials said Friday.



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Senate Majority Harry Reid of Nev., center, accompanied by fellow Democratic leaders, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008, to discuss the auto industry bailout. From left are, House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer of Md.,  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., Reid, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.,  Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and  Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)AP - Democratic leaders ordered Detroit's Big Three automakers Friday to submit what amounts to a detailed loan application to Congress so lawmakers can decide whether to give the beleaguered industry an emergency $25 billion lifeline.



U.S. President George W. Bush, left, with President Hu Jintao of China before their meeting at the APEC Summit in Lima, Peru Friday, Nov. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)AP - President George W. Bush, faced with a dwindling number of days in office, was using his final world summit to try to keep a virulent economic crisis from triggering a retreat into protectionism.



Canadian Minister of National Defense Peter MacKay, center, shakes hands with his Australian counterpart Joel Fitzgibbon, as U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates walks past at the conclusion of a news conference on Friday Nov. 21, 2008, in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, Canada. The three are taking part in discussions of International Security Assistance Force's (ISAF) Regional Command South, which is comprised of forces from Canada, Australia, Denmark, Estonia, Netherlands, Romania, United Kingdom, and the United States. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Mike Dembeck)AP - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday he would like to add significant U.S. forces to the war in Afghanistan before national elections scheduled for next year, and that grim depictions of backsliding in the seven-year-old war are "far too pessimistic."



Joerg Schoenbohm, Brandeburg state Interior Minister and current chairman of the German Interior Ministers Conference, center, opens the final day of the ministers meeting in Potsdam, Germany, on Friday, Nov. 21, 2008. At left is German Federal Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble. German security officials said Friday they will drop their attempt to pursue a ban of the Church of Scientology after finding insufficient evidence of unconstitutional activity.  (AP Photo/Bernd Settnik Pool)AP - Germany is dropping its pursuit of a ban on Scientology after finding insufficient evidence of illegal activity, security officials said Friday.



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Annika Sorenstam, of Sweden, waves to the crowd as she walks towards the 18th green during the second round of the LPGA ADT Championship at the Trump International Golf Club Friday, Nov. 21, 2008 in West Palm Beach, Fla.  Sorenstam failed to make the cut in the last tournament of her storied career. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)AP - Standing in the center of a sun-drenched 18th green, as waves of cheers rippled from a packed gallery, Annika Sorenstam hugged caddie Terry McNamara and took the flag from his hand.



Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke (R) nods as he listens to President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Timothy Geithner before addressing the Economic Club of New York in this October 15, 2008 file photo. (Lucas Jackson/Files/Reuters)Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama on Friday moved toward nominating Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary and charging the respected head of the New York Federal Reserve with helping pull the United States out of an economic nosedive.



Pedestrians walk past a Citibank branch in Singapore November 18, 2008. (Vivek Prakash/Reuters)Reuters - Citigroup Inc has begun talks with the U.S. government as its plummeting share price raises doubts about the bank's ability to survive, a person familiar with the matter said.



Leaders of the U.S. automotive industry testify at a hearing held by the House Financial Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington November 19, 2008. From left are General Motors CEO Richard Wagoner, Chrysler Chairman and CEO Robert Nardelli and Ford president and CEO Alan Mulally. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)Reuters - Detroit automakers began work on turnaround plans demanded by Congress in return for $25 billion in aid as General Motors Corp said it would cut production more and give up two of its controversial corporate jets.



General Motors World Headquarters is seen along the Detroit River in Detroit, Michigan, September 17, 2008. (Rebecca Cook/Reuters)Reuters - The board of directors of embattled U.S. automaker General Motors Corp is considering "all options" including bankruptcy, according to a report on the Wall Street Journal's website late on Friday.



Traders work in close quarters on the main trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange early in the trading session in New York City, November 21, 2008. (Mike Segar/Reuters)Reuters - U.S. stocks stormed higher in a late rally on Friday to cap another volatile week as investors welcomed reports that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his point person to combat the U.S. economic crisis, instilling confidence about the administration's ability to take action.



Rashid Rauf (R), a Pakistani-British man suspected of involvement in an al Qaeda plot to blow up transatlantic airliners, enters the courtroom during his appearance in the civil court in Rawalpindi in this file photo from January 5, 2007. (Faisal Mahmood/Reuters)Reuters - Pakistani television channels reported that Rashid Rauf, a British Islamist militant with al Qaeda links, was killed along with an Egyptian militant by a U.S. missile strike in the North Waziristan tribal region of Pakistan Saturday.



A British military vehicle drives past an Afghan man in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province October 20, 2008. (Abdul Qodus/Reuters)Reuters - The Pentagon is considering a plan to send more than 20,000 troops to Afghanistan over the next 12 to 18 months to help safeguard elections and quell rising Taliban violence, officials said on Friday.



Reuters - U.S. banking regulators seized California banks Downey Savings and Loan and PFF Bank & Trust late Friday as the housing crisis claimed two more victims from the financial crisis.

Protesters demonstrate against the arrival of US President George W. Bush in Lima. Leaders from Pacific rim nations are set to meet to chart ways to boost trade despite turmoil in the global economy, as aspiring powers China and Russia bid farewell to Bush.(AFP/Sengo Perez)AFP - Leaders of the Pacific rim are set to meet to chart ways to boost trade despite turmoil in the global economy, as aspiring powers China and Russia bid farewell to US President George W. Bush.



An everything-must-go sign in Coral Gables, Florida. The economic team of US president-elect Barack Obama came into view as fears mounted on the global financial crisis and more mass job cuts loomed worldwide(AFP/Getty Images/Joe Raedle)AFP - The economic team of US president-elect Barack Obama came into view as fears mounted on the global financial crisis and more mass job cuts loomed worldwide.




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