Trick or treating may not be quite as easy in the country, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying Halloween fun. No matter how remote your property, there are plenty of festive Halloween activities for rural families. Bobbing for apples, carving up a pumpkin, or brewing some homemade apple cider are all a good start. If you’re looking to increase the fun in your Halloween festivities, check out these great ideas below:
A Halloween-Ready Pumpkin Patch
A rural Halloween doesn’t just mean you have enough room for your own pumpkin patch; you’ll also have plenty of room to make the most of your pumpkins. You could take a stab at hosting a traditional pumpkin carving contest: Keep it in the family or invite friends to join. Be sure to sprinkle some cayenne pepper on your pumpkins or, spray a mixture of water, soap and hot sauce, to keep the squirrels from making a meal of them. Just remember to keep the seeds for cooking. And, if space permits, you can reenact a Halloween version of Andy Morgan’s fun on the farm. Use a mix of pumpkins, witches, and gremlins for target practice!
Corn or Hay Maze: The Ultimate Halloween Activity
If you grow corn, your field can double as a spooky maze. What’s a better Halloween activity for rural families than that? Work out a path (with a few dead-ends) for folks to navigate. While you’re at it; hang a few ghosts, create a ketchup blood trail, or place some plastic hands or masks within the stalks. If you don’t have a cornfield, hay bales will do the trick, too. In a pinch, you can entertain small children by simply raking leaves into a maze—complete with a big pile to jump in at the end!
Create Your Own Haunted Space
Another great Halloween activity for rural families involves transforming your woods and barn into haunted spaces. Try hanging ghosts between branches, stringing cobwebs in trees, or using a deer stand to spook unsuspecting visitors. There are plenty of Halloween projectors that’ll help bring the woods to life. (Nothing like a hologram of a witch in the woods to scare folks!). Barns or work sheds can also double as haunted houses.
Heat Things Up This Halloween
Sitting around a bonfire or fire pit is another family-friendly Halloween idea. Just be sure to have some blankets—and marshmallows or hot dogs for roasting. Or, try cooking up one of these campfire foil packet dinners.
After all of this effort, you might consider charging friends, neighbors, and community members to come enjoy these great Halloween activities for rural families.
