The Real Halloweentown

If you watched Disney Channel in the late 90s, you may remember the cult movie Halloweentown. It starred Debbie Reynolds and spawned three, just as cheesy, sequels (Halloweentown II, Return to Halloweentown and Halloweentown High). It's recently come to my attention that this was filmed in a real town, one that isn't too far from where I live. St. Helens, Oregon is a little town about 45 minutes away and each October they go all out to decorate the town like the movie. What?? How did I not know about this before? I'm still not sure how this passed me by the entire time I've lived here, but I was determined to see this awesome display of Halloween.

So, a few weeks ago, we got in the car and made our way to "Halloweentown" to check it out and get in on some of the activities they have to do. While it was not as amazing as it sounds, it was still worth the drive out. It could also be that we went in the evening, when they had different events happening in the afternoon.

Visitors are encouraged to dress in costume, either from the movies or your own choosing. The goal is to make the town as much like the monster-packed other dimensional town as possible. I didn't realize this until we got there, because they don't really have a website and their Facebook page is lacking. On the list of things to do was taking a pontoon boat ride to the nearby island. Unfortunately, there was no place to sign up and no info on where to do so and once we got there, I found a flyer that said one had to have made reservations online. I eventually found this website, which is less informative, that has a phone number to call.

Anyway, let's talk about what we did do and see on our visit:

The town square, which is right in front of the old City Hall building (now a museum) has a ton of decor and photo ops to help you commemorate and share your visit with your social networks. There are signs everywhere with the hashtag to use. Obviously, the giant jack-o-lantern in the square is the biggest draw, but we enjoyed everything on display. And check out City Hall! That's an eyeball keeping watch on the town.

All of the town's merchants get in on the fun by creating their own scarecrow which is displayed out front, so visitors can vote on which they think is the best. Many shop fronts also go a little further by making their windows Halloweeny. You'll see decor, props and even ghouls hanging out.

There are a ton of houses that go all out with their decorations. I was driving when we passed all of them, though, so I didn't get any pics. One house had a wraparound porch that was covered in life-size statues of horror icons, like Freddy, Beetlejuice and Michael Myers. 

We wandered the waterfront, where a lot of people were gathered to purchase a hot dog and cuddle up by the bonfire that was put on by the Fire Department. Halloween music was being piped into the area and it was a perfect way to check out the creative costumes on display.

After we had warmed up, we headed to The Klondike for dinner. When St. Helens was a port city on par with Portland, the Klondike was a hotel, with several floors full of awesome rooms, but as Portland began to take more and more of the business and fewer people stopped at St. Helens, the Klondike closed down rooms and eventually closed. After some time, a local decided this historic building was being wasted by sitting empty and they reopened it, using the old dining room as a new restaurant. 

The decor is warm and lovely, incorporating some of the old hotel doors. The building is said to be haunted, with employees seeing things move and hearing voices, which makes it the perfect Halloween dinner destination. Throughout October, you can book a reservation for a seance or a tarot reading to heighten the spooks.

Though we weren't there to see it, on weekend days, you may see things like a haunted car parade, a parade where the littles can show off their costumes, a fair, ghost stories, boat tours, haunted tours and pumpkin painting. 

Now, I wouldn't make a special trip across the country to check out Halloweentown, but if you're in Portland in October, the drive isn't that bad and it's fun to dress up, see where the movie was filmed and get a ton of pictures in the meantime. Everything takes place in the historic downtown area, which is very walkable. Pretty much parking is your only challenge.

Does your town do anything awesome for Halloween?

Stay Overnight in a Real Ghost Town

With Halloween coming, it's hard not to have your mind on ghosts and goblins. I had the opportunity to meet with some reps from Montana's visitor board this week and learned about a fantastic little ghost town that is very unique. One, they let you stay when the sun goes down. Two, if you visit when there's snow, you can only reach it by skiing or snowmobiling in. That's pretty cool, right?

Garnet, Montana used to be a thriving gold mining town and now it's the state's most intact ghost town that is said to come alive at night. Garnet, gold and quartz was found in the area, which is how the town got its name. It was a great place to live, especially for miners and their families, but once the gold started waning, so did its population. After the war, looters came in and stripped the town of anything that wasn't nailed down, and some things that were! The upkeep and preservation of this cute little historical town is now dependent on public donations/contributions and volunteers.

Stay in an off-the-grid cabin ,where you can really get the feeling of living in Garnet. You may hear a raucous party in the saloon or the Miners Union Hall, which was also used as a dance hall. Visitors have been said to hear footsteps. Entrance fees are just $3 per person and you can stay in a cabin overnight for a mere $19 per night, so it's really budget-friendly, potentially creepy, plus totally fun and educational.

When you aren't exploring the town's rich history, taking amazing pictures or listening for ghosts, you have the option of nearby fishing, including ice fishing in the winter, hiking, hunting and mountain biking. Make sure you have the proper permits for the recreation that requires it.

June brings with it warmer weather and Garnet Appreciation Day. The third Saturday of the month is reserved for visitors to come explore the town, enjoy live music and interact with Garnet's "inhabitants" who want you to understand what life was like a hundred years ago. In addition to the interpretative aspect, get lunch, try your hand at gold panning, cool off with homemade ice cream, get in on some games and more. Commemorate your visit with a trip to the Visitors Center and a purchase from their gift shop.

Garnet makes a great side trip to your visit to Glacier National Park and Missoula, which I'll be talking about more soon. It's even made it on the Travel + Leisure list of America's Coolest Ghost Towns. Have you ever had a paranormal experience, in a ghost town or anywhere else? Tell us about it!

Want to know more? Check out Garnet, Montana online: website | Facebook | YouTube | Flickr

Photo credits: Garnet Ghost Town | Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I'm just excited about Montana's budget options.

Super Useful Travel Posts

Happy Friday, all! Apparently, it's a week of learning what not to do when you travel, as that seems to be the theme to today's SUTP (with the exception of a few). Sometimes knowing what not to do is more helpful than knowing the opposite. Be kind, courteous and enjoy your trips that you're properly prepared for. I hope you enjoy my round-up of links this week.

Have you taken a look at your passport lately? If it is damaged, you may not be able to get on the plane. This woman on her honeymoon ended up paying thousands to replace her passport to actually go on her trip with her new husband. Huffington Post shows you what to look for before heading to the airport.

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And speaking of honeymoons, they can be expensive. After dropping all your savings on the ultimate wedding, it's unlikely you'll have money leftover for that trip of a lifetime (unless you register for your honeymoon like I did). If you're looking to take a memorable and luxurious-feeling trip after your nuptials, maybe head to one of these 7 destinations that feel more expensive than they are.

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Because they aren't at home, some people think it's okay to act like a-holes when they are traveling, especially when they're in a hotel and don't have any courtesy for others who want to relax, too. Please remember that you aren't the only one away from home and trying to cut loose. You still need to be aware that other people exist, and are pretty close to you and your screaming kids or loud music. Travel + Leisure takes a look at annoying hotel habits. {I've encountered some of these people in rentals as well.}

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I'm always looking for interesting places to eat, and there's no more interesting place than a commune living in what they hoped would be a future utopia. In the middle of the Arizona desert, you can find such a place with a homemade buffet spread and open arms to visitors. Trade work for food or put down cold hard cash. Both work for this community. Eater gives you more details.

I wrote something to help you all travel better for the fall and winter. I know you have issues with packing light, even in the summer, so my new partnership with Travel-Wise is allowing me to give even more travel tips to you and a whole new audience. Usually, I don't include my own posts in this segment, but I'm kind of excited about this new website and want to share.

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Do you love wine? Do you seek out some of the best regions for tasting when you travel? If so, check out this post on Gogobot that shines a light on six unexpected, but seriously good wine regions. You'll find a more budget-friendly trip and enjoy wines that you never heard of before.

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Now there's a new way for thieves to steal your identity. Boo, right? When you travel, you need a boarding pass. What do you do with them after you've gotten on the plane? Do you toss them out like many people do? I always keep mine, but only because I like souvenirs from my travel and use them for photo shoots for this blog. Techlicious looks at why we should really use e-tickets as much as possible. We used them this last trip and it was super easy. You just need to keep your phone charged enough to bring up the airline app at security and the gate.

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What are your travel pet peeves? I can't stand it when people are so busy texting or looking at their phone that they run right into you. What about those people who just stop in the middle of the walkway, like they have no idea where they are or how they got there? And am I the only one that wants to smack an iPad out of someone's hand that is using it to take pictures? I know it takes great pictures, but you're annoying iPadder. Use your phone. Travel + Leisure reveals the top 5 travel pet peeves of 2015. Do you have others? Tell us in the comments.

That's all I got for this week. If you found something cool, interesting or just plain entertaining that is travel-related, leave a link in the comments, so we can all check it out.