Six Family-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Halloween

Halloween is finally here! Grab your trick-or-treat bag and stuff it full of some of these great, last-minute activities, including free food at Larkburger for all kids in costume on October 31. 

1) Mountain Fall Festival at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
51000 Two Rivers Plaza Road in Glenwood Springs
970-945-4228

Head for the hills! Today and tomorrow, Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park will be hosting a Mountain Fall Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with a pumpkin patch, family-friendly games, fall-themed photos, fall decorations and Oktoberfest-inspired food and drink specials. Saturdays are even more fun: from noon to 6 p.m., guests can try face-painting, pumpkin-decorating, hayrides and a witch-hat ring toss. And from 6 to 9 p.m. both days, Glenwood Caverns will offer spooky Halloween evenings with trick-or-treating, Halloween games, haunted cave tours (recommended for kids eight and up) and s’mores by the fire pit. Admission to these special nights is $10 per person, or $5 for season passholders.

2) The Corn Maze at Anderson Farms
through October
6728 County Road 3 ¼  in Erie
303-828-5210

There appears to have been some foul play at Colorado’s longest-running corn maze, with thirty acres of nonstop agritainment. Step into the Farm Scene Investigation and try to discern which animal is to blame for Farmer Joe’s untimely disappearance. Or hit this year’s maze – shaped like two skiers and divided into several sections with eight checkpoints, all indicated on a punch card you receive at the door. Complete every checkpoint, and you’ve solved the whodunit. For children ages two to eight, hit the Farm Scene Tracks trail located in the upper-left corner of the bottom field — It’s the easiest maze to navigate.

The Andersons welcome visitors daily with other activities, too: gourd launchers, gem-mining, wagon rides to the pumpkin patch and tractor-pulled wagon rides through the Terror in the Corn haunted maze. Admission starts at $10; children three and under are free. Check the Anderson Farms website for maze prices, hours and information on the Zombie Paintball Hunt.

3) Pumpkin Maze at Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield
through November 1
8500 West Deer Creek Canyon Road in Littleton
720-865-4336

The eight-acre harvest maze at Chatfield is open through November 1 and can be viewed from two fifteen-foot-tall illuminated bridges. Once inside, you’ll be asked to help Farmer Green find his lost herd as you stumble upon life-size animal cutouts hidden throughout the maze. After dark on Friday and Saturday, the site transforms into a spectacular Blackout Maze, and brave visitors can walk through with glow sticks. Admission to the maze starts at $11 for non-members; find a complete schedule on the Chatfield website.

4) Hauntings at the Hangar at Wings Over the Rockies
Saturday, October 31
7711 East Academy Boulevard
303-360-5360

Lowry’s air and space museum welcomes trick-or-treaters of all ages to its 1930s hangar from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, for a spooky celebration that includes science experiments, magic shows, carnival games, a bounce house, face-painting, popcorn and more. Witches, werewolves and wandering spirits will also have exclusive access to open cockpits and the museum’s popular pedal planes. And aviation nuts can also check out the museum’s everyday collection, which includes stuff you won’t see anywhere else, like a B-1A Bomber – one of two in the country! – and Pete Bartoe’s one-and-only Jetwing. Other notable displays include an HL20 space shuttle, on loan from NASA, and the Star Wars X-Wing.

After your family takes a walk down Trick-or-Treat Street, try tumbling down the inflatable slide, or work your way through a fun, kid-friendly obstacle course. Don’t forget to wear your costume: There’s a Halloween costume parade, too. The event is free for Wings Members; for non-members, it's $11 for adults and teens, $6 for kids four to twelve, with children under four free.
Head down to South Broadway from 2 to 5 p.m. today for a taste of Trick or Treat Street. Many of the business in Denver's Antique Row will be offering treats for the kids and a dozen restaurants and bars, including Adelitas, Former Future Brewing, Dive Inn, Marie Empanada, and more, will be handing out free treats for adults too. Just look for the pumpkin in the window of participating locations.

5) South Broadway Halloween
1000-1800 South Broadway
October 31
Head down to South Broadway from 2 to 5 p.m. for a taste of Trick or Treat Street. Many of the business in Denver's Antique Row will be offering treats for the kids and a dozen restaurants and bars, including Adelitas, Former Future Brewing, Dive Inn, Marie Empanada, and more, will be handing out free treats for adults too. Just look for the pumpkin in the window of participating locations.

6) Boo and Brew
October 31
East Colfax Avenue
The ninth annual Boo and Brew will have Colfax crawling with creeps today. More than 35 businesses in the Bluebird District will be handing out treats from 1 p.m. to 2 a.m. Kids will be able to get in on the action from 1 to 4 p.m. when there will be face painting, haunted houses, pumpkin decorating, live kid-friendly music, a bouncy castle and, of course, trick-or-treating. Later, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. the boos will switch to booze and brews as the adult portion of the block party conjures up live music, tours of Park House Tavern's haunted basement, a bar crawl, a Star Wars themed party, and more. Nine bluebird bars will be participating in the festivities. The event is free to attend but be sure to have some money for food and drinks. Track down all the details at boonbrew.com.