11 Halloween-Themed Date Ideas To Try This Weekend

A lot of small cities and towns have Halloween parades, so even if you’re in a bigger city, you can venture to another neighborhood and see one — or even participate. And, I can vouch for this idea: I did it a few years ago, and a games area for kids even needed volunteers, so after the parade, my date and I ended up helping out.

“Smaller towns often have Halloween parades,” Safran says. “Look up a smaller town and their Halloween traditions, and you might be able to find one.”

There are all types of haunted houses, and some are scarier than others, of course. Plus, many escape rooms have scary themes this time of year.

“One really fun idea is going to a haunted house or Halloween-themed escape room,” Thomas Edwards, founder of The Professional Wingman, tells Bustle. “They remind me of back in the day, when you used to bring your date to a scary movie so they can get scared and closer to you.” He also says that both haunted houses and Halloween-themed escape rooms are the type of interactive experiences you won’t have access to any other time of the year.

“You’re guaranteed to remember them,” Edwards says.

Yes, you can buy a pumpkin at a local store, but it’s much more fun to find a pumpkin patch and go to it with your date. Many pumpkin patches have fall festivals at them, too, so you can also go on hayrides, sip hot apple cider, you name it. Plus, some allow you to carve your pumpkins on-site, so that’s an added benefit.

“This is a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle in the city, and then spend some quality time creating something together,” Bennett says.

Even if you don’t get a chance to go to a pumpkin patch or fall festival with your date, that doesn’t mean you can’t carve pumpkins together. You can either do so at one of your places, or meet at a public space, like the park.

“One of my favorite fall memories is carving pumpkins and decorating for fall and Halloween,” Bennett says. “Carve some pumpkins together and make your place all ready for fall.”

With fall comes fall-inspired beer and cider flavors, and going to sample some with your date makes for a fun Halloween-related activity.

“You can usually take a tour of the facility and then sample some of the offerings — which means lots of sharing and plenty of things to talk about with your date,” Kat Haselkorn, a matchmaker who runs the dating blog Unemployed Kat, tells Bustle.

Farmers’ markets tend to get all spruced up in Halloween décor in October, especially right before Halloween. You and your date can either attend your favorite farmers’ market(s) or go to a few different ones and create your very own farmers’ market crawl.

“Farmers’ markets are full of harvest foods, crafts, and more,” Bennett says. “It could be a fun way to spend some time together and shop for some fall produce, too.” Plus, you can probably buy a couple of pumpkins while you’re there.

Just like people decorate their houses for Christmas, more and more people seem to be decorating their houses for Halloween, and it’s fun to walk or drive around and compare how creative the decorations are from house-to-house.

“Looking at Halloween lights and decorations is a great thing to do with your date,” Bennett says. “Many houses and businesses decorate for Halloween, and seeing some together can be fun.”

Many zoos take part in Halloween festivities, such as the Brookfield Zoo outside of Chicago with their Boo! at the Zoo activity. If you think this event is just for kids, think again. I’ve actually done this as a date, and it was great. Aside from candy stations and pumpkin carving, there are also haunted hayrides, corn mazes, and much more. Basically, there’s no shortage of Halloween activities to be had!

Several amusement parks transform into fun-yet-spooky places around Halloween, and they’re also amazing date venues. For instance, not far from L.A., there’s Knott’s Scary Farm. In addition to the usual games and rides, there are scary haunted mazes, as well as ghosts and goblins hiding around the park, waiting to catch you off-guard as you walk around in the foggy atmosphere.

If you’re in the Midwest, however, there’s The Indy Scream Park, which is 120 acres and Indiana’s only haunted house that features two fully interactive attractions — as well as three additional haunted attractions. There’s also a Monster Midway, which offers carnival-like food, games, and drinks by bonfires.

And if there’s not an amusement park in your city, you can always take a day or mini road trip with your date to one, which will also be a great way to get to know each other better.

No matter where you live, there are bound to be some Halloween-related activities that you can do nowhere else. “Go on an actual tour and see places you had no idea could be haunted,” Safran says.

For instance, right outside of L.A. in Long Beach, The Queen Mary hosts tours of haunted areas of the ship. Meanwhile, further North in California, you can spend the night at the famous Alcatraz prison. Booking.com partnered up with The San Francisco Dungeon, and you and your date can stay in “The Alcatraz Suite” for a night — which also includes things like a spooky cocktail, a séance, and a midnight snack.

And if you’re in Washington, D.C., you may want to attend Fall Harvest at The Watergate Hotel’s rooftop attraction, Top of the Gate. One of the Halloween decorations includes custom-made pumpkins by Alex Wer, also known as The Pumpkin Geek, and visitors are encouraged to snap pictures with some of their iconic favorites in “pumpkin form” — such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Audrey Hepburn.

“Find a street party or celebration,” Bennett says. “It’s a good chance to dress up and have fun as an adult.”

As you can see, there are several Halloween date ideas you can do, and probably even more if you explore what’s happening where you live. But one thing’s for sure: No matter what you do, you’re likely to have a memorable time together, and that’s what dating’s all about anyway.