Video:Tips for Celebrating Halloween With Kids in DC

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Transcript:Tips for Celebrating Halloween With Kids in DC

Making Halloween safe and fun for your little ones is your number one priority. And, if you live in the Washington, DC area, there are many activities and events planned so you can enjoy a safe trick-or-treating season together.

Great Places for Celebrating Halloween With Kids in DC

Let's start with the scary stuff: haunted houses. DCHauntedHouses.com serves up a list of locations where you can check into some haunted houses, haunted hayrides, spooky walks and mazes. Bennett's Curse Haunted Attraction in Jessup, Maryland was selected as one of America's scariest haunted houses with three different scary experiences to choose from. You may want to skip out on this one if you have very little ones, but your older kids are sure to enjoy being scared out of their pants. Tickets can be purchased online and cost anywhere from $25 to $40, depending on the day and time you want to visit.

Less Scary Options for Celebrating Halloween With Kids in DC

If you like something a little less scary and gory but still a little spooky that the kids will enjoy, try a haunted walking tour. The Ghost Story Tour of Washington takes you and the kids through Lafayette Square Park, known as Washington's most haunted locale. Your guide will tell you about the hauntings and ghost sightings over the last two hundred years. This includes ghostly residents at the Hay Adams Hotel and Decatur House as well as experiences Edgar Allen Poe had when visiting the area. Treats and prizes are included in this tour, which runs until Halloween night on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00p.m. Tickets are available on-site or online and cost $12 for adults and $6 for ages sixteen and under.

Trick-Or-Treating With Kids in DC

If you are more into treats than tricks and spooks, the Washington, DC area has many safe trick-or-treating spots to take the kids if you feel like venturing out of the neighborhood.One unique spot is to get your treats on Embassy Row. It's a long-standing tradition to visit the embassies that each give out candy to all costumed visitors. Just remember to get started early as the embassies usually close by either 4:00p.m. or 5:00p.m. Other great treat spots include Boo at the Zoo, which has other activities going on up until Halloween. Local malls also regularly feature safe trick-or-treating events. Check local area guides for more information.

Additional Tips for Celebrating Halloween With Kids in DC

Lastly, don't forget to hit one of the many pumpkin patches, leading up to Halloween so that you can pick out your pumpkin, have a hay ride, and race through a corn maze. Many of these patches also have petting zoos, bouncy jumpers, face painting and other fall activities that make for a great afternoon with the family.

Happy Halloween! I'm Jonathon Stewart, with About.com.