This is Halloween, this is Halloween

"Boys and girls of every age

Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

Come with us and you will see

This - our town of Halloween!"

~Danny Elfman

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year! I love everything about Halloween ...

dressing up, trick or treating, haunted houses, being scared! It is all so fun and I have passed on my love of Halloween on to my children as well. And there are some great Halloween displays and haunted houses for kids of all ages. Here are some activities that range from the faint of heart, to down right scary!

BONEY ISLAND:

For those who have younger children or children that scare easy, Boney Island in Sherman Oaks is the perfect place to go! Located at:
4602 Morse Ave,
Sherman Oaks  91423
http://www.boneyisland.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/boneyisland/timeline
*Admission if FREE except if you want to go up the treehouse. That is an extra charge.

Boney Island is perfect for all ages and great for even the most timid, A fully animated Halloween display with lights, water and animatronics that takes place in a quiet little neighborhood in the front yard of Rick Polizzi. Name sound familiar? He is the animation producer on The Simpsons. Frustrated by the lack of kid-friendly Halloween attractions, he decided to build his own. In his front yard! 

It looks crowded & crazy, but it was very organized and we all had fun walking around and checking out all the different displays. The kids absolutely loved the Gravity Defying photo op!

It looks crowded & crazy, but it is really organized.
That line if only to go up in the treehouse, which is an extra cost

The Treehouse

Silly Photo Ops

Silly photo Ops

Gravity Defying Photo Op!

Gravity Defying Photo Op!

The Spiders were my favorite.

Singing Flowers

The Singing Garden

Light & water show

Heritage Square Halloween Mourning 

Tours:

3800 Homer St.

Los Angeles, 90031

   http://heritagesquare.org/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Heritage-Square-Museum-85673308104/

$20 Adults
$6 for children 6-12
Free for museum members & children under 6

Another family-friendly  event is the Heritage Square Museum Halloween Mourning Tour.

 
Offered one weekend only in the month of October (the weekend leading up to Halloween), the Heritage Square Museum becomes a replica turn of the century Victorian town, where event goers can learn about  death and the mourning rituals practiced during the Victorian era, and even take part in a mock funeral. Sunday is the more kid-friendly day as the kids can trick or treat at each historic house, pick out a free* pumpkin in the pumpkin patch (*included with a child admission), and join in period crafts & games on the lawn.
They even hold a photo contest and the photo with the most likes wins. My kids picture won and we received 2 tickets to the Heritage Square Lamplight Celebration, valued at $60. 
This is a very interesting and historic look back at how Halloween, death & mourning rituals took place at the turn of the century. 

Playing Whirl-O

                       a mock sceance                       a version of bobbing for apples   

                                                                          

                          

Now for those that like a little more scare in their Halloween!

These are 3 FREE haunted houses that I have been to. Just because they are free, don't let that fool you. They made us scream! 

The tamest of the three is probably 

The Backwoods Maze in Burbank

1912 N. Pepper St

Burbank, 91505

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBackwoodsMaze/?ref=stream

Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-backwoods-maze-burbank

http://themeparkadventure.com/backwoods-maze-2013-home-haunt/
open multiple nights throughout October

The family (The Gustafsons) who operates this maze in their own backyard are so nice! And don't let a backyard maze turn you off, this maze is full of special effects and props. The year we went, it was an alien themed maze. They only let a small group of people in at a time, which is great. It is totally free but there is a donation box where you can drop a few dollars in. 

This is just the front yard, while waiting to go in! 

                                    Brave Children waiting to go inside:

                                               ages: 13, 11 & 10

  

     Inside the Maze ....                                                              

The next maze is only open on Halloween night and it is in my neck of the woods ... Altadena.

Braeburn Haunted House

1640 Braeburn Rd.

Altadena, 91001

Open from 4-10 Oct. 31st only

This haunted house takes place in the front yard of a house in Altadena. It is only one night but it's a lot of fun! Each year it becomes more & more elaborate!

RUN!

Ok, so maybe I wouldn't mind too much getting chased by this guy with a chainsaw. 

Creepy baby!!! Eeek!                       Creep old person! Eeek! 

And the last (and scariest) haunted house is ...
Beware The Dark Realm
28621 SugarPine Way,
Santa Clarita,  91390
http://bewarethedarkrealm.com/Default.aspx
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/BewaretheDarkRealm

The Sively family in Santa Clarita has been doing haunted houses and special effects for over 40 years. And it shows! This is a free haunted house, but they collect canned goods for donation to the SCV Food Pantry.
The Dark Realm looks like a mid-evil castle, complete with a big wooden door, gargoyles, flickering torches, and ... a torture chamber!
Once you walk through those doors, it is hard to see which way to go in the dark. As you feel along the wall, you are startled by people around every corner. But don't expect them to help you if you are turned around. They don't talk! And beware of the creepy contortionist!
The Dark Realm has a 1-hour tour from 6:00-7:00 for the faint at heart & younger children. But after 7:00, be prepared to get scared!

HAPPY HAUNTING!!