Five Thrilling, Festive Halloween Celebrations

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Halloween is just a few days away, and if you’re looking for some ghoulish, out-of-the-ordinary fun this Saturday, check out these celebrations if they’re anywhere near you.

1 . Salem, MA: Forever known for its horrific witch hunts, there’s probably no where spookier to spend All Hallows’ Eve than Salem, Massachusetts. Extra trains run from Boston to Salem and back for this very special weekend, as the town hosts a full calendar of events. Some of them include ghost tours, haunted houses with witchy reenactments and a vampire masquerade ball in the evening.

2. Santa Barbara, CA: This coastal California town turns into one giant, all-night party every October 31. A record -number crowd turns up each year from all over the Golden State and then some. While its obviously targeting a younger crowd, its definitely one of those parties you must have to see to believe.

3. New York, NY: You might think a parade would sound ordinary or lame, but then obviously you’ve never been to New York City’s Village Halloween Parade. Marching north up Sixth Avenue from SoHo to Chelsea, thousands of wildly dressed-up New Yorkers watch and walk in the parade, along side dozens of floats carrying a reported 53 different music groups this year. While there are many things in New York that you have to do at least once, this is one tradition you might want to partake in year after year.

4. Long Beach, CA: Forget haunted houses; it’s all about haunted cruises now! The docked Queen Mary hosts the Halloween Terrorfest 2009 every weekend in October from 7 PM to midnight (and sometimes later) for $35 per head. Some of the spooky room names include the House of Hallucinations, the Manor of Mayhem, the Corridors of Carnage, and finally the Decks of the Doomed. Sounds lovely. If you’re brave enough to spend the night, the QM offers overnight packages that include a one-night stay, parking, two tickets to the party and a meal or two.

5. Tombstone, AZ: Probably the offbeat celebration on this list, Tombstone (a.k.a. “the town too tough to die”)  celebrates its famous ghost population and its troubled past at the O.K. Corral. There are parades and saloon parties, and even daily reenactments of that famous, gun-slinging showdown in 1881.

Do you have any special travel plans this Halloween?