Your New England Halloween Vacation

Halloween is possibly my favorite day of the year. I love to decorate and dress up and it’s exciting when other people share my love of the day. This year we aren't throwing our usual party, but instead going to a Witching Hour fundraiser with witches, magic, a 20's vibe, and absinthe. (You can see pics if you follow me on Instagram.) Should be a good time, especially since I get to dress up. It's gonna be a pretty laid-back holiday, where everyone else does the work and I focus on having fun and planning my birthday party instead.

While I was thinking about the cool ways to spend Halloween in the future, I decided to check out what there was to do in New England, because when I think spooky, it conjures up witches and Stephen King, both of which hail from the Northeastern states. Did you know there are crazy amounts of things to do the whole month of October? It’s true! Whether you want to be scared witless or just learn the history behind this fun holiday.

This photo of Lake Compounce is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Connecticut

The Haunted Graveyard at Lake Compounce is Southern New England’s largest Halloween attraction. It has evolved from Ernie and Carol Romegialli’s creative yard decorations 22 years ago. The decorations grew more elaborate and eventually outgrew their yard and they have been occupying a larger area ever since. Donations go towards their upkeep and diabetes research, which is pretty awesome if you ask me. They are open Friday through Sunday, October 4-27.

Witch’s Dungeon Halloween Classic Movies Museum - For just a $6 donation per person, you can visit the longest-running Halloween attraction in the country. Opened in 1966, you can view memorabilia from your favorite classic horror and sci-fi films and also watch them on the silver screen. Open Friday through Sunday until November 2.

photo credit

New Hampshire

Nightmare New England is 40 acres of non-stop scary-thrills, located in Litchfield, NH. Along the Merrimack River, the landscape plays its part in making the six themed areas even spookier. There’s so much to do in this “scream park” including zombie paintball, five haunted attractions, tarot card readings and even a restaurant. I wouldn’t expect normal fare, but this is a place that tries to scare you the moment you step out of your car. Nightmare New England wants to make Halloween a destination. Open selected days and weekends from September 19 - November 9.

Keene Pumpkin Festival - Laconia townsfolk plan all year to break the record for the most jack-o-lanterns in their downtown square. They have done it, too! 8 times! Enjoy food, fun and music during this one-night family-friendly celebration on October 19. The food and craft court sounds like a place I would be happy to lose myself in. Candy apples and handmade Halloween decorations are pretty high on my list of things that make me go “Yes please!”.

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Massachusetts

Salem – Where better to celebrate Halloween than witch-central? All October long you’ll find themed festivities and attractions including a carnival, haunted house, spooky tours and more.  Every day of the month you’ll find something going on. This is my kind of town.  Where else can you hit the farmers’ market during the day and then see the Crucibal at night and get your palm read and shop witchcraft shop in between? There might be some places, but I doubt many. And there are even fewer places where you can visit the actual places where witch trials took place. This is definitely on my list of must-see places.

Six Flags New England Fright Fest is fun for the whole family, with daytime and nighttime activities to please everyone. During the day, families will be able to fill their bags on the trick or treat trail and then get up close and personal with creepy crawlies like snakes and lizards. Once the sun goes down, the scares come out with a haunted house and scare zones. All rides stay open during Fright Fest, but beware, you might find yourself sitting next to a ghoul. Fright fest runs on weekends from September 21-November 3.

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Vermont

The Haunted Forest - A more family-friendly Halloween activity, the Haunted Forest takes visitors down a jack-o-lantern-lighted path to view a dozen different scenes presented by community theater performers. It’s just spooky enough for older ones and tame enough for little ones. The “performance” runs on various times October 24 - 26.

Looking for deals to get to and stay in the area? Check out these travel merchants:

• Airbnb - For a great deal on an apartment/condo/house, browse what's available from private renters through Airbnb. I've used them to book my lodgings in London and Paris this fall and I feel like I'm going to be really happy, and not just because I save a bunch of money.
• HomeAway - Not quite brave enough to deal directly with a homeowner? Then go bigger with HomeAway. They also have competitive pricing on private rentals and a really big selection anywhere you want to go.
• Hotels.com - If you want someone to clean up after you and overall feel a bit pampered, then you might be interested in the rebate deal going on at Hotels.com. Earn up to $100 cash back on stays from 3 to 12 nights.
• Expedia - Save big with a package deal where you bundle your airfare and lodging together. Using Expedia, you can save up to $525 when you book this way.
• CheapOair - Save more over their lowest rates with promo code FALL15, which will knock an extra $15 off on hotel and airfare rates.

If New England doesn’t sound in the (tarot) cards for you this year, FareCompare has some ideas for trips to scare you. You can also look back at my post on trips to theme parks that have special celebrations as well as other places around the world you might want to visit (including the Paris catacombs, which I will be venturing into in November). 

What are your favorite fall/Halloween activities?

What Do You Suggest...?

I have favorite products for my travels. You know I do. Of the review items I've chosen and those I've purchased or gotten as gifts, there are ones I come back to over and over again. Well, now I've made a whole page with said items, so you can easily find and shop them from Amazon. 

If you want to support me and this blog, this is a great way to do it. Even if you don't purchase one of the products on the page, but make another purchase through the links anyway, it still counts. I'll be adding to this page over time, but you'll be able to reach it by clicking on the Travel Items I ♥ link in the top bar.

Not seeing something you'd like to see? Drop a comment below or send me an email and let me know. I'll do my best to get them added.

Planning a Great Fall Staycation

I know there are a lot of fantastic budget-friendly vacation destinations for Fall, but sometimes that's just not in the cards. We don't always have the extra money to spend on a getaway, even though we desperately need/want one. It's times like these that I recommend a staycation, even if it just means you're a tourist in your city for a day. 

I love to see everything there is around me. Portland and the surrounding cities are so interesting and pretty, plus there's always something going on all year. I bet most of you have similar cities, even if you don't think so. A quick Google search will tell you differently. Here are some of my favorite activities:

Eric of the corn!

Visit a farm

This is one of my favorite ways to spend weekends during September and October when I'm not traveling. I love a corn maze and often hit up a local farm that has a pumpkin patch, maze, cider donuts and animals. I want to eat some fall foods, drink some cider, get lost in the corn. Sometimes we bring the dog to get some exercise and then pig out on whatever food they're serving. 

This last weekend we went to a farm we'd never been to before to take pictures, go on a hayride, and try their corn maze. It was the first maze we'd been to that didn't have some sort of signage, but it was 1 mile and we got lost and got our steps in, so I call that a win. Most farms have a lot of things to do for kids, so it's a relatively cheap way to spend the day and let them jump and run out all that extra energy.

Hint: If it's been raining, be prepared for mud. I always wear boots and bring a change of shoes for after trekking through the dirt/mud/puddles to head home in.

Head to a nearby city you haven't been to before

I'm a fan of just bundling up, packing a bag of snacks, and just driving off somewhere I've never been. Each new town has funky shops and restaurants and scenery. Spend the day exploring to feel like you're traveling and then go back home. It's a fairly cheap way to enjoy a day doing something different and being somewhere unfamiliar. If you bring a lunch, you can even forgo eating out, so you're basically just paying for gas.

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A post shared by Shereen Travels Cheap (@srayle) on Sep 14, 2018 at 8:01pm PDT

Hit up a local festival

Most people only think about festivals during the summer, but when fall rolls around, there are entirely different festivals, like apple tasting, pumpkin carving, harvest fests and more. Look for a calendar on local events and find any of the festivals that sound cool and interesting and then make a plan to go to them. Just some of the things happening around here: Cider Fest, Giant Pumpkin Regatta (yep, people use huge, hollowed out pumpkins as boats), Howloween at the Oregon Zoo, Killer Pumpkin Festival featuring pumpkin beers, and The Spirit of Halloweentown. It's easy to pack a whole weekend with these things, and it's way cheaper than a trip.

Go wine tasting

If you live in an area that has a lot of wines, or even just one really good winery, plan a tour and then try all the wines on offer that sound delicious. If you do this, make sure you have a sober ride home. Also, lots of wineries have great restaurants on-site, so you can make a whole day of it, and make sure you have something in your stomach to keep you from getting way too drunk. Some places, like Portland, have winery tours where a bus will take you winery hopping over the course of a day. It also means you don't have to worry about having a DD. (If you don't like wine, check out some breweries or distilleries.)

Hole up in a hotel somewhere

Sure, you may not be able to afford a full-on vacation, but that doesn't mean you can't book yourself into a nice hotel for a couple night, order room service, do things in a part of town you don't hang out in often. Keep your eye out for hotel deals or call one you've always wanted to stay in and see if they'll cut you a deal.

Host a "destination" potluck 

Call some friends, choose a vacation destination, like Italy, and ask them all to bring a dish from that country. You may not be able to go there, but you can spend a little on decor and food to immerse you in that destination. Your friends who also can't afford to go on a vacation will probably be super grateful and excited. Make it easy on them and post a list of regional dishes they can bring if they don't want to research. Then pop a couple bottles of wine, play some games or create a slideshow of tourist spots to scroll through on your TV and really make it feel like you're there!

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Just some of the reasons I love fall 🍁🍁🍁 . . . . #jetsetter #jetset #ilovetravel #tourist #tourism #tblogger #tbloggers #travelblog #travel #travelblogger #travelgirl #travelgram #instatravel #traveler #traveller #budgettravel #budgettraveler #ftblogger #ftb #vacationmode #travelgoals #womenwhotravel #traveladvice #traveltips #leafpeeping #peakfallinportland #discoverportland

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See the leaves turn

Right now, Portland is in peak season to see the changing leaves. Unleash your inner leaf-peeper and take a drive or just walk around a new neighborhood looking at the gorgeous colors. Make a point to take pictures and post them later on Facebook or Instagram to show everyone how pretty your city is dressed in reds, oranges, and yellows. Maybe you'll inspire other people to appreciate what's going on around them.

If you want more ideas on how to plan an awesome staycation, check out my Pinterest board. 

What's been your favorite staycation or staycation activity?