Are You Brave Enough to Camp Out on Halloween Night?

This is a guest contribution from freelance writer Sally Writes.

Some parts of America are believed to be haunted by spirits, including Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia, and Coffin Rock, in Burkittsville, Maryland.

If you’re brave enough to visit a haunted spot and camp out there on Halloween night, you may find that your Halloween experience is the most memorable yet. Plenty of American parks and campgrounds offer amazing Halloween activities, including candlelit walks down haunted trails, creepy ghost stories and Halloween costume contests.

This quick guide will help you to get the most from your Halloween camping experience, whether you’re camping with kids or other adults.

Kids need special care

If you want to bring kids along, you’ll need to consider their safety and well-being as you prepare. Kids will enjoy the best experience at family-friendly campgrounds or in their own yards. Locations with a reputation for being haunted may evoke too many fears for children, who tend to have vivid imaginations. Halloween night is a time of sudden, loud noises (firecrackers, hoots of laughter and scary-sounding Halloween noise machines abound) and kids will need to feel secure as they camp out of doors. So, find a safe camping spot for your kids. Then, make sure that you pack everything that they will need, from warm sleeping bags to cooking implements and ingredients for a healthy supper to Halloween candy for dessert to fully-charged music players and other electronic gadgets. You should pack lots of fluids, too. Don’t forget the kiddie Halloween costumes.

Adults can get a little bit wild

Adults who are looking for a more extreme Halloween experience can get a little wild, by choosing to pitch tents in the USA’s “most haunted” locations, but they still need to do some planning. Without proper planning, a fun night might turn into The Blair Witch Project (just kidding, sort of), according to Beyondthetent.com. If you want to camp somewhere remote, where spirits may be circulating in the cool and fragrant autumnal air, you will need survival gear. It’s essential. So, aside from packing the basics, such as sleeping bags, food, drinks and battery or fire-powered accessories (music players, smart phones, portable grills), you should also allow space for critical gear such as a compass, waterproof matches, a honed hunting knife and a wind-proof lighter. You never know what you might need on fright night!

Camping activities to consider

Once you’re out there, hanging out in front of your tent, you should consider telling ghost stories by the campfire as you roast marshmallows and make S’Mores. If you camp somewhere haunted, researching the story of the area and telling it to your group will be so much fun, and a little scary. Other fun activity ideas include going on lantern walks through the local woods (someone should stay behind with the tent and supplies, if you aren’t camping in your yard) and having a Halloween costume contest with fun prizes.

Plan a Halloween night camping experience

The Halloween night atmosphere is like no other. If you’ve never considered camping out on Halloween night, why not try it this October? As long you pay attention to safety, pack correctly and plan fun activities, you’ll find that it’s an exceptional way to celebrate this timeless special occasion. If you’re brave enough to give it a shot, you’ll find that it offers superlative payoff, especially if you choose a haunted location.

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