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Fun for Kids of All Ages: Your Go-To Guide for Family-Friendly Halloween Festivities

Nothing says Halloween like smiling faces, cute costumes and lots and lots of candy. Add to that combination a little autumn in the High Country and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a truly family-friendly holiday celebration. There are so many ways to join in the fun this year. How will you choose?

Beech Mountain Town Trick-or-Treat — Friday: Hit the town in costume this year for the Halloween trick-or-treating DSC_0069festivities at the Beech Mountain Town Hall and the Buckeye Recreation Center. Trick-or-treating begins at 5 p.m. sharp at the town hall, 403 Beech Mountain Parkway. Ride the shuttle between stops or take your own vehicle. When they’ve collected all the candy they can eat, kids 12 and under can head on down to the Buckeye Rec Center for a haunted party featuring food, games, crafts, prizes and a haunted house. If you want to ride the shuttle while you are trick-or-treating, make a reservation at 828-387-3003.

Downtown Boone BOO! — Friday: Calling all pirates, princesses, and children of all ages! The Downtown Boone Development Association, Jones House Community Center, Town of Boone, and Watauga County Library are delighted to host the 15th annual Downtown Boone BOO! a family-friendly Halloween event on Friday from 4-6 p.m. The fun begins at the Watauga County Library at 4 p.m. with arts and crafts and a special magic show with Caleb Sigmon in the Evelyn Johnson meeting room. At 4:30 p.m., children “parade” from the library to the Jones House Community Center for more Halloween fun.

Once at the Jones House, families will enjoy a variety of exciting activities. Children may venture through the Jones House for a silly and spooky tour with lots of tricks and treats along the way. Members of the Appalachian State Basketball team will be on hand during the Boone BOO! to pass out candy and sign autographs. This is a great opportunity for your child to pick up a free poster and schedule of ASU’s 2015-2016 basketball season and meet their favorite player.

For added fun this year, the Fun in the Park activities will be held at the Jones House during the Boone BOO! Children can enjoy bounce houses, play games, win prizes, and adults will enjoy the free give-a-ways provided by the Town of Boone Public Works Department.

Due to the success and positive feedback from last year, King Street will be closed from Appalachian to Waters streets from 4:30-6 p.m. The street closure will assist with pedestrian safety and allow for safe and fun trick-or-treating for children and families. Also, we politely ask for our older Boone BOO! participates to be mindful and considerate of our younger participates when planning their costumes to help ensure a fun, family-friendly event for all.

We hope you can join us for an afternoon of Halloween fun in downtown Boone.

For more information please call 828-268-6280.

Halloween at the Y — Friday: Join the annual “Halloween at the Y” event at the Chapman Center of the Williams YMCA of Avery County, 436 Hospital Drive in Linville, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.  Enjoy this not-so-spooky free celebration that’s fun for all ages. Don’t miss the costume contest, face painting, a s’mores pit, inflatables, a haunted trail, trunk-or-treating, candy and putt-putt. Call 828-737-5500 for more information.

 Ghost Trail Halloween Festival at Tweetsie Railroad — Friday and Saturday: The train may be the signature attraction of the park’s Halloween festival, but there’s so much more to see when you’re at Tweetsie this time of year. The dark skies of the October nights play host to other festivities, like trick-or-treating for the kids, special Halloween performances, the Haunted House, the Tweetsie Palace Spooktacular, the Warp Tunnel and the Creepy Carnival. Tickets for admission to the Halloween Festival are on sale for $34 per person, and kids ages 2 and under get in for free. Although the first train ride leaves close to 8 p.m., you might want to be there when the gates open at 7:30 p.m. to beat the crowd and get a good spot in line for the first trip. Tickets will likely sell out early, so get yours now! You can get them online or call the toll-free ticket order line at 1-877-TWEETSIE. In the meantime, check out Tweetsie online for more information about the Ghost Train and the Halloween Festival season.

ASU Football at Kidd Brewer Stadium — Saturday: It’s Family Weekend at Appalachian State, and the Mountaineers will take on the Trojans of Troy University at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Halloween! Sport your favorite costume and head out to campus for a fun-filled afternoon of family, friends and football. Click here for tickets.

Trick-or-Treating at the Boone Mall — SaturdayGet the whole family together and sport your favorite costumes as you head to town for this annual event at the Boone Mall on Blowing Rock Road. From 5-7 p.m., take a stroll around the mall and stop off at each shop to find out what’s waiting for you this Halloween! Watauga County Parks and Recreation will feature its “Pumpkin House” and the ASU FSTOP Photography Club will be on hand to take pictures.

Trunk-or-Treating in Banner Elk — Saturday: The town and the Kiwanis Club of Banner Elk team up every year to bring you this safe, yet still exciting alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating. Community members will set up and decorate their cars at 4:30 p.m. at the Old Banner Elk School. Bring the kids and take a walk as you find treats and more from 5-8 p.m. at every car in the parking lot. Festivities will also include hayrides, a costume contest and a haunted house.

Gory Ballads and Haint Tales at Mountain Home Music with Sheila Kay Adams and Bobby McMillon — Saturday: On Halloween Night, two of the nation’s best-known ballad singers and storytellers will weave a frightful path through the dark and scary world of Appalachia myth and legend. Featuring life-long friends Robert Lynn “Bobby” McMillon and Sheila Kay Adams, this Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music concert marks the first time they have ever shared a Halloween show. This special spooky concert will be presented in the “stone tomb” – better known as the Blowing Rock School Auditorium – at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Tickets cost $18 in advance and $20 at the door. Student tickets are $10. Children 12 and younger are admitted free. Advance tickets may be purchased online at www.mountainhomemusic.com. Tickets may also be purchased at the Mast General Store (Boone and Valle Crucis), Fred’s Mercantile on Beech Mountain, Stick Boy Bread Company(345 Hardin St, Boone), and Pandora’s Mailbox and the Dulcimer Shop, both in the Martin House on Main Street in downtown Blowing Rock.

The Blowing Rock School Auditorium is located at 130 Sunset Drive, Blowing Rock, NC. Directions and more info can be found at the JSMHM website – www.mountainhomemusic.com.

Blowing Rock Halloween Festival — Saturday: Hosted by the town’s parks and recreation department, this annual festival offers fun for all ages on the spookiest night of the year. The fun begins with air walks in Memorial Park from 3-8 p.m. The recreation center will feature games and a funhouse for the kids from 3-5:30 p.m., and hayrides through town will leave from Memorial Park from 4-8 p.m. The whole town comes together for the Monster March parade, which leaves from the American Legion building at 5:45 p.m. (line up at 5:30 p.m.). Following the parade, trick-or-treating in downtown Blowing Rock starts at 6 p.m. (look for the orange and black balloons for places to stop). Sign up at the recreation center by 6:45 p.m. for the 7 p.m. costume contest. And don’t forget your flashlight! You’ll need it for the moonlight scavenger hunt at Broyhill Lake. Call the town at 828-295-5222 for more information.

Beary Scary Halloween Festival at Grandfather Mountain — Saturday: Go wild this year! Grandfather Mountain’s Beary Scary Halloween festival returns Saturday, Oct. 31, offering a full day of nature programs about creepy, crawly critters, Halloween-themed crafts, animal enrichments and trick-or-treating — all included with park admission. Plus, kids in costume enter the park for half price. Enjoy crafts in the nature museum, trick-or-treating with the animals, decorate pumpkins, check out some creepy crawlies, have your face painted and get up close and personal with a spooky prowler. Click here for more details.

Newland Trick-or-Treat Extravaganza — Saturday: Join the Halloween festivities in downtown Newland on Oct. 31 for the annual Trick-or-Treat Extravaganza sponsored by the Newland Business Association. Come out in full costume to join hundreds of your friends and neighbors. Get in on a little friendly competition in the downstairs library: the Best Dressed Pumpkin contest starts at 7:30 p.m. and is followed at 7:45 p.m. by the Best Costume Contest.

Trunk-or-Treat at Discovery Chevrolet — Saturday: Bring the whole family out to Discovery Chevrolet, formerly Mack Brown Chevrolet, at 2705 U.S. Highway 421 S. in Boone for a night of trunk-or-treating . Cars will be decorated and friendly folks will be passing out candy for the kids and oil change certificates for the parents. Everyone is welcome! Call 828-242-1570 for more information.