St. Louis 2010 Pumpkin Patches & Halloween Events050

It's that time of year again: The days are crisp, the leaves are a-turnin', and kids are jonesing for pumpkins patches and corn maze adventures. Where to head if you're a St. Louisan in need of great kids' 2010 Halloween activities?

One of our favorites: Eckert's Farm, which hosts all kinds of events throughout October, including Jumpin' Pumpkin Jamboree, apple picking, and hayrides. The Grafton and Millstadt locations get in on the seasonal fun, too!

Pumpkins and Mazes

Supporting a family-owned farm is a great way to get your fall fix. Locations abound around the St. Louis/St. Charles/Western Illinois areas: Think about visiting Boschert Family Farm, Centennial Farms and Orchard (its Farm Fun Land is great fun!), Thies Farm (and its Pumpkinland attraction), Stuckmeyer's Farm Market (and its Halloween Farm Fun Days), and Valley Farms. Missouri Botanical Garden's Best of Missouri Market is a great place to pick out pumpkins too!

Local farmers markets are also a great place to pick up pumpkins, seasonal décor, and all kinds of yummy treats. Our favorites: Tower Grove Farmers Market, Clayton Farmers Market, and Kirkwood Junction.

The Great Godfrey Corn Maze is a great day destination: This year, the corn has been cut into two Alice in Wonderland-theme trails, and visitors can wile away the hours getting lost in the maze's twists, turns, dead-ends, and traps. The maze also hosts a special Fall Festival on October 2.

Creepy Critters What's Halloween without bats, owls, snakes, spiders, and other creepy-cool critters? Boo at the Zoo Nights at the Saint Louis Zoo is perfect for little ones who might still be a tad wary of the spookier side of Halloween; it begins Oct 22. On October 16-17, the World Bird Sanctuary hosts its Fall Open House, featuring awesome animal encounters and all kinds of kids' activities; on October 29, the WBS raises the spooky factor a notch with Creatures of Halloween. And, Halloween-themed "creature-feature shows" take center stage at Grant's Farm's Halloween event.

The Missouri Department of Conservation hosts several events at regional nature centers; please note that all require advance reservations. Rockwoods Reservation teaches children about Those Awesome Stealth Fliers; Columbia Bottom hosts Wildlife Masquerade; Powder Valley Nature Center hosts two events: Spectacular Spiders and Skeleton Keys; and little ones can learn not to fear Night Creatures at the Dennis & Judith Jones Visitors' Center.

Hayride/Bluegrass events

Several county parks host festive hayrides, bonfire, and bluegrass events: On October 1, join the Fall Family Hayrides & Bluegrass Concert at Cliff Cave Park; the event repeats October 8-9 at Creve Coeur Park and on October 15-16 at Jefferson Barracks Park. Lone Elk Park hosts a similar event on October 22-23: Evening Hayrides & Music under the Stars. Finally, at the end of the month, Faust Historic Village hosts A Night of Mourning, an eerie hayride focused on history. Clayton get in on the hayride fun with Party in the Patch, October 15.

Little Kids

St. Charles treats kiddies to a special evening on October 30 when it hosts Trick or Treat on Main. The Magic House kicks off pumpkin season on the weekend of October 2-3 with its Visiting Artist Series with master carver Craig Sanders; later in the month, it hosts its annual The Not-So-Scary Haunted House.

The St. Louis Carousel hosts Preschool Pumpkins; reservations are required.

On October 26, the Missouri History Museum presents its annual Halloween Scarefest; on Ocotber 29 the museum gets festive at its weekly Storytelling in the Galleries by sharing not-so-spooky stories and inviting kids to try on some costume pieces from the dress-up box. Also on October 29, kids can hear about a spooked feline when author Rob Scotton visits Left Bank Books to read from and sign the Halloween-themed Scaredy-Cat, Splat.

Trick or Treating Events

Little ones in their seasonal finest can find trick or treating opportunities a'plenty:

Children's Halloween Parade at Westport Plaza (phone registration required!)

Halloween Walk at Kirkwood Junction

St. Charles's Trick or Treat on Main

Halloween in the Central West End

Magical and Healthy Halloween Fun!

Boo at the Zoo Spooky Saturday

Halloween Costume Contest at St. Louis Mills

Monsters on the Meadow Halloween Fall Fest

and Trick-or-Treating at South County Center

Bigger, Braver Kids

For children a little older and little more bold, there are several spooky events just for them: On October 23, head to the Halloween Ghosts from the Past haunt at Daniel Boone Home & Boonesfield Village; weekend-only Haunted Hayrides at Eckert's Millstadt location; the Hanley House Full Moon Flashlight Tour (reservations required!); Ghost Stories at Jefferson Barracks; An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe; Fright Fest at Six Flags; Ghost Stories at Fort Belle Fontaine; the Missouri River Storytelling Festival - Saturday evening's program is centered on Ghost Stories; and - for the truly brave - two ghastly haunted attractions: CreepyWorld and The Darkness Haunted House.

Other Events

Other events worth marking on the calendar include the 2nd Annual GO! St. Louis Halloween Fun Run on October 17, which features a festive one-mile run/walk for families and a post-race Halloween costume contest.

What seasonal activities are your family's favorites in the greater St. Louis area? Let us know by sending an email to stlouis@parentsconnect.com and we'll continue to add to our list here!