Get out of the house to celebrate Halloween

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

There are many fun activities to do come Halloween — corn mazes, pumpkin picking and carving, apple picking and enjoying the decor are just a few that anyone can get out and enjoy. Get dressed up or bundled up and explore these fun fall spots.

Fordyce Farm in Salem checks all the boxes. U-pick pumpkins are available for $0.40 per pound, and their apple orchards are also open for picking. They sell a variety of fall decorations as well, like hay bales, gourds and mums. Give their corn maze a try for an admission fee of $4.95, or wait until dusk on Friday or Saturday to brave their haunted “Dark Oregon” corn maze for $13 per person. Find Fordyce Farm at 7023 Sunnyview Road NE in Salem.

The Melon Shack at Winn Farms in Corvallis is another location with a great range of activities. Through Halloween, they sell pumpkins and squashes along with fall decor like corn stalks and hay bales. Their daytime corn maze is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., for $5 per person. Their haunted corn maze opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday; tickets cost $14 on Fridays and Saturdays, and $10 on Sunday. The Melon Shack is located at the corner of NE Garden Avenue and Highway 20.

St. Helens hosts its annual Spirit of Halloweentown celebration through Nov. 1 if anyone is up for the two-hour road trip from Western. Explore where “Halloweentown” was filmed, take advantage of the photo ops, check out local vendors and more. Admission is free on weekdays, but tickets are being sold online for events and parking due to COVID-19. Spirit of Halloweentown is also hosting a virtual party on Oct. 31 for $2 per ticket. Find all this information and more at discovercolumbiacounty.com.

If anyone is worried about social distancing or doesn’t have time to get out and see these fall spots, there are other festive activities to supplement. Drive around nearby neighborhoods and take in the spooky decor. Host a virtual costume competition with friends online. Buy pumpkins from a local grocery store or market and carve them at home, or simply set them on the front porch.

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu