wanderwhenyoucan
Pick Out The Perfect Pumpkin at a Pumpkin Patch
Whether you carve them, paint them or just leave them untouched as a cheery pop of color, pumpkins are a classic Halloween decoration. And pumpkin patches serve as a delightful way to get your gourd. Hunting for the perfect pumpkin is only part of the experience. The wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch, the farm store with the homemade pies, and the stalls with caramel apples and hot cider always help make me feel like it’s really fall. Many of my favorite pumpkin patches are on Sauvie Island, a 30 minute drive that takes you from the city to farmland. Head to Bella Organic Farm, The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island or Topaz Farm. If Sauvie Island is not your jam, there are two pumpkin patches that are technically in city boundaries: Plumper Pumpkin Patch and Tree Farm (11435 NW Old Cornelius Pass Rd) and Fazio Farms (9028 NE 13th Ave).
Get Lost in a Corn Maze
The last time I went to a corn maze, one of my friends who couldn’t find his way through downtown Portland with a map was able to unerringly guide us through the maze in record time. Apparently something about the endless lanes of cornstalks spoke to him. Try to find your way out of mazes at all three Sauvie Island pumpkin patches (Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island, Bella Organic Farm or Topaz Farm), or an even larger maze at the Hoffman Farm Store in Beaverton. For those who want more of a scare, when the sun sets, haunted corn mazes come alive with costumed actors at Bella Organic and Topaz Farm. As someone who has quite a low threshold from terror, I didn’t find the haunted corn maze at Bella Organic more than a mild level of frightening – just enough for a frisson of fright, but not the stuff of nightmares.
Relive a Beloved Childhood Movie at Spirit of Halloweentown
90s nostalgia meets Halloween festivities every year in St. Helens (the town, not the volcano). The filming location for Disney Channel Original move Halloweentown and a few scenes from Twilight, St. Helens puts on The Spirit of Halloween, which includes vendors, a Haunted Hotel, a giant jack o’lantern and other spooky decorations. There’s usually also a celebrity appearance by a Twilight or Halloweentown actor or actress.
Get Spooked at a Haunted House
For some, Halloween is a time to get your adrenaline pumping with controlled danger. There’s several places to make yourself jump in and around Portland. The Oaks Park Scaregrounds turn a local amusement park into three haunted houses. The Fear PDX in NE Portland is a popular but short (15 minutes or so to walk through) ghoulish experience, with reviews generally praising the actors. Another haunted house can be found at the Memorial Coliseum: Underhill Haunted House (formerly known as The Beneath), a 15-20 minute experience that leads guests through three different themes.
Walk Through a Historic Cemetery
A hauntingly beautiful historic cemetery in the heart of SE Portland, Lone Fir Cemetery is a popular place to stroll, jog, and meander through all year round. It is not only one of Portland’s oldest continuously used cemeteries, it is also a de facto arboretum. Although there is sadly no longer a Halloween specific tour, those interested in the cemetery’s fascinating history can still take part in the regular twice monthly tours, or a self-guided tour.
Learn About Portland’s Hauntings and Its Seedy Past
I am not sure if I believe Portland Ghosts tour’s claim that Portland is the most haunted city on the West Coast, but there are certainly tales of dark doings and haunted places. This one hour tour provides interesting historic facts and an entertaining walk around Old Town/Downtown, whether or not you believe in ghosts.
If you want to imbibe and be spooked, then the BeerQuest Haunted Pub Tour may be the ghost tour for you. In this 2 ½ hour tour, learn about ghosts and dark deeds, and end by sampling six local beers in Kell’s Irish Pub’s (reportedly haunted) cigar room.
Drink Some Spirits in a Spooky Bar
There are plenty of spooky places to eat and drink in Portland. If you want to grab a pint and a bite in a purportedly haunted establishment, try to spot a ghost at McMenamin’s White Eagle Saloon (including a trickster ghost and the ghost of a murdered woman) or Old Town Pizza (where you might see resident ghost Nina watching diners in her black dress). Other bars don’t have the purported ghosts, but do have the proper atmosphere for Halloween. Raven’s Manor bills itself as a haunted-themed cocktail lounge. Situated in Old Town, you can walk in and enjoy one of its signature cocktails that smoke, burn, or change color, or you can sign up in advance for its interactive experience which includes creating your own spooky cocktail. The Coffin Club (formerly Lovecraft Bar) is a horror themed bar and gothic nightclub in inner SE. Psychic Bar’s neon red windows and infinity bathroom mirrors make it seem eerie, even if its cocktails and Cambodian-style fried chicken is anything but (sadly, only outside dining is currently available at Psychic Bar). And if vintage dolls and clowns send a shiver down your spine, then Creepy’s may be the well, creepiest, bar of all.
Enjoy an Elaborate Halloween Display With Special Effects
Davis Graveyard, located just outside Portland in Milwaukee (8703 SE 43rd Ave, Milwaukie, OR 97222) is a free faux cemetery, with fog, sound effects, and projected ghosts from dusk until 10pm from Friday through Sunday (also available for viewing during the day but without the special effects). This is a labor of love the homeowners have put on since 1998.
Cheer on Racers at the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta
Only about 20 minutes from downtown (without traffic), you can watch costumed racers paddle giant pumpkins through a course on the Tualatin Lake at the Commons. An annual event since 2004, it draws 15,000-20,000 onlookers a year. When not watching 1,000 lb pumpkins being used as boats, you can enjoy other events, such as playing pumpkin golf, listening to live music, and watching a pie-eating contest.
NOTE: This event was cancelled in 2021 due to COVID-19.
Watch Witches Float
Begun in 2017 after organizer Ginny Kauffman learned about a similar event in California, the annual SUP Witches Paddle attracts hundreds of participants in witch (and warlock) attire. The coven launches from Willamette Park and aim to paddle all the way to Tom McCall Waterfront Park and back. If you want to join in, bring your own stand up paddle board gear and a personal flotation device to Willamette Park at 11 am on Halloween. Or watch the fun from the waterfront or one of the bridges (the Marquam pedestrian bridge and Hawthorne Bridge have large sidewalks for pedestrians – make sure not to block bikers though!).
