This week’s Friday Favorites focuses on the best Halloween-related events and activities in Central Florida.

Jennifer

I’m more into decorating my own house for Halloween in order to intimidate trick-or-treating neighborhood kids, than going out for Halloween. However if you’re older than the trick-or-treat crowd, grab your wildest (or skimpiest) Halloween costume and head to Wall Street in downtown Orlando. All the bars there are packed for Halloween, with most patrons sporting costumes. Some bars even have creative costume contests, Halloween-themed drinks, and more.

Amanda

As someone who doesn’t especially delight in the frights that come with haunted houses, pools of fake blood and the sense that something could jump out at you wielding a chainsaw at any moment I tend to find comfort in the more simplistic pleasures of the season, such as candy, caramel apples and dressing up in costumed attire that makes me feel like a kid again. The best place to find all this is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom Park. This special nighttime event (which takes place only on select evenings) allows you to safely trick-or-treat your way through the Magic Kingdom without being stopped by your crotchety old neighbors asking “Aren’t you a little old for this?” In fact, you are never too old, or too young, to enjoy this candy cornucopia. Heck, even Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and all your favorite Disney characters are dressed up in their Halloween costumes. You can ride all the attractions, enjoy a special fireworks show and a neat themed parade (the Haunted Mansion float is my favorite, with people who really look like ghosts and grave diggers whose dance routine involves sparks flying from their shovels), wade through spooky fog throughout the park, and even catch a glimpse of the headless horseman galloping on his horse down Main Street, U.S.A.

But if you are looking for a little daytime trick-or-treating (that’s included with park admission, as opposed to the separate charge and separate ticket for the Disney event), I would suggest checking out SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular. Taking place on weekends throughout this month, Spooktacular offers up the same family-friendly ambiance and safe trick-or-treating elements with some entertainment to boot. Plus, the park also touts three all-new kiddie rides (which join three new rides from 2006, as well as some older kid-centric attractions) in their Shamu’s Happy Harbor area of the park. This makes it a perfect Halloween destination for pre-schoolers and parents alike.

Chad

I know there are a lot of organized Halloween events going on around town, but my favorite will always be the street party that our neighborhood held each year when I was a kid. I’m not sure how many communities have this type of get together these days, with all of the growth and the turnover in most neighborhoods, but I imagine those that do look forward to seeing all of the kids dressed up and to all of the parents actually spending time being neighbors. As kids, we’d use the party to trade away our duds. I’d always be looking for someone that liked coconut so I could lose the Almond Joy and Mounds bars. Other than those parties, I think a rotation between the events at the theme parks, downtown and even local high schools is probably the way to go.

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