Children's Halloween Activities in Seattle
- Seattle's array of Halloween activities will please all ages.Christina Kennedy/Pixland/Getty Images
Seattle offers a spooky and delightful array of Halloween activities for the young and the young-at-heart. Whether your idea of the holiday spirit is a trip to a nearby farm, complete with pumpkins and autumnal mazes, or a ghoulishly thrilling haunted house, there's something for all ages and tastes. Many activities take place well before Halloween night, so put together some costumes for the kids, and start to plan your All Hallow's Eve amusements. - Since 1992, Bainbridge Gardens has offered a Pumpkin Walk featuring over 300 glowing jack-o'-lanterns. The farm is located just a ferry ride away from downtown Seattle. The event typically takes place during one of the weekends in middle to late October, leading up to Halloween. In addition to the pumpkin trail, children can enjoy wandering through a harvest maze, jumping in a bounce house, costume capes and tails in the breeze and playing classic carnival games. Admission is free, though donations are requested for attractions. Proceeds go towards the Bainbridge Island Boys and Girls Club. For the artistically minded, you can contribute your own jack-o'-lantern to the walk by bringing it on the first night of festivities.
- Bastyr University offers a walk along "Haunted Trails" through the woods adjoining the campus. The event runs, rain or shine, on weekend evenings leading up to Halloween night. The walk is appropriate for children ages 8 and older, including teens. Younger guests can enjoy a special age-appropriate carnival. Older children see ghosts and goblins during a tour of the haunted woods. They can also weave through a 2400 square-foot maze complete with misty effects or explore a haunted cemetery, a "Circus of Horrors" filled with evil clowns or "Medusa's Passage," full of nasty serpents. Younger children can explore the "Great Pumpkin's Trick-or-Treating Adventure," where familiar characters like Buzz Lightyear, Tinkerbell and Spongebob Squarepants greet the trick-or-treaters. A carnival, open to all ages, offers storytelling, crafts and Halloween-themed games. The "Red Dragon Alchemist's Shoppe" sells spooky goods, like glow sticks and monster balloons.
- The "Run Scared 5K" is a costumed fun run or walk event to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It typically takes place on Halloween Day in Seward Park, beginning early in the morning, well in advance of all the afternoon's trick-or-treating preparations. Attendants may walk or run and are welcome to bring along strollers or leashed dogs or simply watch the parade. There are contests for best costumes, both for people and pets, door prizes and refreshments and massages at the finish line.
