Guide to Halloween Activities in Atlanta

There are many fun and interesting Halloween activities in Atlanta and the surrounding areas. Most of them are easily reachable within an hour or two from the city and make for a great day-trip on a beautiful, sunny fall day.�

Berry Patch Farms is located in Woodstock, GA, between the downtown area of Woodstock and the city of Alpharetta. You can take a hayride to the pumpkin patch, pick the pumpkin(s) you want to take home, and take the hayride back to the beginning, where they serve apple cider, homemade fried pies and other treats. Other activities include a playground and baby animals for the kids to pet.�

You may want to indulge in a jar of homemade jam, jelly or dressing. They also sell pumpkin pies and have included some recipes on their web site: http://www.berrypatchfarms.net/pumpkins.htm. For fall decorating, they sell gourds and Indian corn.
Berry Patch Farms is also good to keep in mind for Christmas, when you can cut your own Christmas tree, and Blueberry season, when you can pick your own blueberries. Yum!�

Burt's Farm is located in the North Georgia mountains in Dawsonville. If you plan a trip to Burt's Farm, be sure to make time to visit Amicalola Falls, which is just up the road.�

Burt's Farm has a wide variety of pumpkins and winter squash. Like Berry Patch Farms, they also sell fall decorations such as Indian corn and gourds, along with cornstalks and hay bales.�

Burt's Farm offers a 2-mile hayride along a trail (the price for the Hayride will be $3.00 for children and $4.00 for adults at all times; children 12 months and under are free). Burt's Farm also offers field trips where the children learn about the growing process of pumpkins. See their web site for additional field trip details: http://www.burtsfarm.com/fieldtrips.htm.�

The "barn" is a store containing fall treats such as pumpkin pies and candied popcorn, as well as many other goodies and keepsakes.�

We took our girls to Burt's Farm two years ago and they loved it - even our teenager still enjoys the trip and activities, so how can you go wrong?�

If you're into haunted houses, Atlanta has some of the best. Be warned, unless your young children are very much into scary haunted houses, these are not for them. They are truly scary and geared toward the adult population.�

Netherworld (http://atlanta.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=atlanta&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fearworld.com%2F), located in the Georgia Antique and Design Center in Norcross, is one of the best. Admission: $15 for Cursed, $20 for Cursed and Shock-O-Rama in 3D or Cursed & Freak Pit for $25 all three shows. *Discount Coupons Available at Subway & in Creative Loafing. Netherworld will be open September 22, 23, 29, 30, and every night in October, 7 -11pm nightly, and 7pm - Midnight Fridays & Saturdays in October and Halloween.�

Smyrna hosts the Creepers Haunted House (http://atlanta.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=atlanta&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fcreepershauntedhouse.com%2F). Open October 6 - Halloween.�

Fright Fest at Six Flags Over Georgia (http://atlanta.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=atlanta&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sixflags.com%2Fparks%2Fovergeorgia%2FShowsAndEvents%2Findex.html%23events) is a more kid-friendly celebration, not that it doesn't have its scary moments! During the day, the park runs its normal operations of rides and shows. At night, it's transformed into a scarier place, with ghosts, goblins and other frightening beings. Fright Fest is open September 30 - October 29, Fri/Sat/Sun in October.�

At Stone Mountain, they are hosting the 21st Annual Tour of Southern Ghosts (http://www.stonemountainpark.com/mini-section/default.aspx?id=39). Storytellers tell tales of Southern ghosts while walking lantern-lit paths of the Antebellum Plantation. These stories are sometimes a little scary, but are appropriate for young children.�

Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under, and tours run October 12-15, 19-22, 26-31 at the Antebellum Plantation, Thursdays & Sundays: 7:00 - 9:00 PM; Fridays & Saturdays: 7:00 - 9:30 PM. Vehicle entry to the Park requires an $8.00 (cash only) parking permit.�

Stone Mountain is also hosting their 4th annual Pumpkin Festival October 6-29th, which includes the Pumpkin Express Train, pie eating contests, arts & crafts, pumpkin bowling, and many other fun fall and Halloween activities.�

Little Ocmulgee State Park and Lodge View State Parks holds their annual Halloween Spooktacular on Friday, October 27, 2006 (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM), Saturday, October 28, 2006 (2:00 PM - 9:00 PM), and Sunday, October 29, 2006 (11:00 AM - 12:00 PM)�

They offer haunted hayrides, Halloween Bingo, ghost stories around a campfire, a scary movie and learning about creepy snakes. $1 hayrides. $3 parking. http://gastateparks.org/net/calendar/details.aspx?c=22909&s=129265.0.1.5
These are just a few of the many Halloween activities in Atlanta and its surrounding towns. Check out the "About" web site at: http://atlanta.about.com/cs/artsentertainment/a/halloween.htm