Halloween in St Louis
My son always loved Halloween in The Lou. Fright day started at his school, Flynn Park in University City, with a big parade. His favorite costume was a pirate outfit replete with his Aunt Kathy’s jewelry. He always wore an eye patch possibly because his dad wears an eye patch. His Aunt Kathy always made sure he and his friends had a big bowl of chili and some grilled cheese sandwiches before they went out trick or treating. It was a favorite family holiday.
My nieces kids are in the thrill of it now.
There is no shortage of places to go in St Louis for some Halloween fun for kids and adults.
Mainly for the small fry
This year I am going to take some of my out of town family to Boo at the Zoo. This event starts at 5:30 p.m. every night through October 30. Admission is $6/members and $7 for non-members.
Last year we all went to Grant’s Farm Halloween which is open October 30th from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. It’s really fun and easy when you have small children.
Halloween in St Louis.
Then, of course, there are the pumpkin patches. Our favorite was always Theis Farm because it was close and always a fun time for the kids. Click here for a list of pumpkin patches in the St Louis Metro area.
Halloween in The Lou For the Adults
My favorite visits/stories on Halloween are the real ones. The ones where there are reports of paranormal happenings over the years. Most recently I became aware of the St Charles Main Street year round ghost tours.
Update as of October 2021: The Mother-In-Law has closed. The Mother-In-Law House is one of my favorite restaurants on Main Street in St Charles. More than one paranormal group has certified it as haunted, including the Mid America Paranormal Society and the Paranormal Task Force. According to Michael Henry’s book, the owners felt that business was uncharacteristically bad in 1988. After calling in business and tourism consultants to no avail, the owners called in a psychic. The restaurant owner explained that diners on the right side of the building complained a lot, ate quickly, never laughed and couldn’t wait to get out. It turns out that this is where the unhappy mother-in-law resided. On this side of the building lights mysteriously turn on or off; items are misplaced or just go missing. After hours, objects move around the building. The psychic concluded that there was definitely a negative imprint on this side of the building. She suggested that they put flowers on the right side of the restaurant and tell the mother-in-law you love her every day. Today business at the restaurant is good. Every night the staff members say “Goodnight Christina, we love you” as they leave the restaurant. The result is that Christina is not experienced as much but her spirit still lingers. St Charles tour participants have collected a large number of photos with unexplained lights, shadows and misty smudges. For more detailed descriptions and history of this phenomena are in Michael Henry’s book Ghosts of St Charles.
My family and I have eaten at this restaurant many times and I was unaware of these paranormal happenings, but in reflection – we were always seated on the left side. Apparently the table to ask for is Table 1. Some of the other “haunts” in St Charles include: The Lady in White, Boone’s Lick Trail Inn, Old Mill Stream Inn, David McNair House, Winery of the Little Hills, and more. I haven’t been on the tour yet, but it is definitely on my bucket list.
Other adult spots in St Louis include the Casa Loma Ballroom which hosts Miss Jubilee and the Humdingers on October 29 with a costume contest with prizes (sounds like fun). Also there is the always entertaining Central West End Halloween Party and Costume Contest which is an all day affair. The dog parade is a lot of fun for the kiddos. Here is the Riverfront Times guide to Halloween
For more information about paranormal and Halloween events in St Louis see my blog about the top 5 attractions in St Louis and my blog about Zombie Road.
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