Honestly, Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday in America. I like it more than Thanksgiving, and even though the Fourth of July—Independence Day—is great too, Halloween always gets me the most. The reason is simple: people put everything into it. Houses, yards, restaurants, bars—everything transforms into one big spooky backdrop, and they really do it properly.
When I lived in America, during my first few years I regularly drove all over the city on Halloween, taking pictures of decorated houses. It was beautiful. All the restaurants, bars, and stores embraced the Halloween theme, Halloween parties were taking place everywhere, and the overall atmosphere was unmistakable. And that is exactly what this article is about—a holiday that I came to love as an adult man, perhaps even more than many children do.
What Halloween Actually Is and Where It Came From
Before I get to my own experiences, it is worth explaining where this holiday actually comes from. Its history is much older—and darker—than you might expect.
The roots of Halloween go back roughly two thousand years to the Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived in what is now Ireland, Great Britain, and northern France, celebrated the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, making it a kind of Celtic New Year. They believed that on the night of October 31 to November 1, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead grew thinner, allowing the souls of the deceased to return to Earth. To protect themselves, people lit large bonfires and wore masks and costumes so that evil spirits would not recognize them. This is where we already find the origins of two things that remain part of Halloween today—costumes and a spooky atmosphere.
When Christianity spread into Celtic territories, the Church gradually adopted these customs. November 1 became All Saints' Day (in English, All Hallows' Day), and the evening before it became known as All Hallows' Eve—which gradually evolved into the word Halloween.
The holiday reached America in the 19th century with a wave of Irish immigrants fleeing the famine across the Atlantic. It was here that Halloween gradually developed into the form we know today—with costumes, carved pumpkins, “trick or treat” and haunted attractions. A local custom became one of the most commercially successful holidays in the country; Americans now spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year on carving pumpkins alone, while total Halloween spending runs into the billions.
The Spooky Legend of Stingy Jack
Speaking of pumpkins—do you know why carved pumpkins with candles inside are called jack-o'-lanterns? It comes from the Irish legend of Stingy Jack.
Jack was supposedly a cunning, drunken scoundrel who managed to trick the Devil himself twice and extract a promise from him that he would never claim Jack's soul. But when Jack died, his sinful life kept him out of heaven—and because of that promise, hell rejected him as well. In the end, the Devil merely tossed him a burning coal to light his way. Jack placed it inside a hollowed-out turnip and is said to have wandered between worlds with his little light ever since.
One final interesting fact: jack-o'-lanterns were originally carved not from pumpkins, but from turnips and rutabagas. It was only when the custom reached America that people discovered pumpkins were larger, softer, and much easier to carve. And that is how the symbol you now see everywhere at Halloween was born.
Houses That Transform into Horror-Movie Sets Overnight
This is exactly what made me fall in love with Halloween in America. People there take decorations extremely seriously.
It is not unusual for an ordinary suburban family home to turn into a small cemetery full of tombstones, skeletons, ghosts, and cobwebs for a few weeks, complete with lighting, warning tape marked “caution,” and even a fog machine. Some houses and their owners go all out to such an extent that they resemble sets from a horror movie—and no wonder, because in some neighborhoods the decorations are actually created by people who work professionally with movie props.
During my first years living in America, I made driving around the city into my own little ritual. I would get into the car, drive down one street after another, and photograph the best displays. And it was not just the houses—restaurants, bars, and stores all embraced the Halloween theme too. For a few weeks, the entire city simply revolved around this one theme.
What You Can Buy: Skeletons, Cobwebs, and an Entire Spooky Arsenal
There is one thing related to decorations that I always enjoyed as a Central European—the enormous seasonal stores that open in seemingly every larger city in September and October. And believe me, they have a truly endless selection.
Typical items you can buy there for Halloween decorations include:
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Artificial skeletons of every size—from small ones to those several meters tall that people put in their yards
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Tombstones and crosses made from lightweight Styrofoam, allowing you to turn your lawn into an entire cemetery in no time
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Cobwebs and giant spiders to wrap around bushes, fences, and front doors
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Moving figures (animatronics)—ghosts, witches, or zombies that move, light up, and make sounds
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Carved and artificial pumpkins and classic illuminated jack-o'-lanterns
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Lighting and effects—colored spotlights, strobe lights, projectors, and fog machines
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Costumes and masks for children and adults, ranging from cute to genuinely terrifying
It is precisely because absolutely everything is available that these spectacular decorations can be created. And it was not limited to American families. After one of our visits to a pumpkin patch, we held a Halloween party right at our ranch, and my daughter Leia took charge of the decorations—and because those stores offer anything you can possibly imagine, she was able to create something truly beautiful.
Pumpkin Patch: An Autumn Classic You Have to Experience
When people think of autumn in America, most picture a pumpkin patch—a pumpkin farm where families go for pumpkins, cider, and above all the experience and autumn atmosphere.
A pumpkin patch is typically more than just a field of pumpkins. It usually becomes an entire family outing: you choose and pick your own pumpkin straight from the field, buy fresh apple cider, walk through a corn maze, and there is often a small petting farm as well. Many farms also have orchards where you can pick apples, making the whole experience a combination of shopping, entertainment, and a walk through the autumn countryside.
An essential part of the experience is hay rides—rides on a wagon filled with hay and pulled by a tractor. They originated from an old rural tradition in which harvests were commonly transported on such wagons. Over time, this became a popular autumn activity, and today a hayride is something you simply cannot miss at a pumpkin patch. There is also a spooky evening version known as a haunted hayride, where the wagon takes you through a darkened landscape full of illuminated ghosts.
And if you are interested in a fun fact about corn mazes: their modern form is surprisingly recent. The very first large maze cut into a cornfield was created only in 1993 in Pennsylvania. Today it is a huge business, with mazes featuring incredibly elaborate designs created every year.
Halloween and a Pumpkin Patch in Texas
Because I now spend part of the year in Texas, I could not miss the local autumn season. And I have to say that Texas takes Halloween just as seriously as the rest of America.
I took my daughter to a Halloween farm, and we had a wonderful time. We went on hayrides, had some good food, and my daughter was especially thrilled by the small petting farm, where she could pet and feed the goats up close. The entire place was designed very much “for children”—but that did not matter at all. Quite the opposite. Even when I visited similar places alone in the past, I always enjoyed myself. There is a sense of genuine autumn comfort to it that simply works for everyone, regardless of age.
A little fun fact for pumpkin fans: the Texas town of Floydada is known as the pumpkin capital of the USA. It even calls itself “Pumpkin Capital, USA” and holds its own pumpkin festival every autumn. So Texas is certainly not just about cowboys and barbecue—autumn and Halloween are celebrated here to the fullest.
How a Billboard near Helen, Georgia, Led Me to My First Oktoberfest
One of my nicest Halloween experiences actually began entirely by chance.
I headed to a pumpkin patch near the town of Helen in the state of Georgia. On the way, I passed a billboard beside the road—and it was thanks to that billboard that I learned an Oktoberfest was taking place in Helen. It was the first Oktoberfest of my life, and although I went there completely unplanned, I absolutely loved it—but that is a story for another time. Helen is a town built in the style of a Bavarian village, so its Oktoberfest has an absolutely fantastic setting. This is what I love about autumn in America—one trip organically leads you to another experience you never expected.
Stone Mountain and the Pumpkin Festival in Atlanta
When I lived in Atlanta, I never missed Stone Mountain—a place I have already written about in another article. A large Pumpkin Festival is held there every autumn, and the entire grounds are transformed with a Halloween and autumn atmosphere.
The decorations were always fantastic—pumpkins, scarecrows, and autumn motifs everywhere, along with themed parties and entertainment. You can tell that the organizers really put a lot of effort into it and never do things by halves. If you happen to be near Atlanta in autumn, I definitely recommend visiting Stone Mountain during the Halloween season.
A little tip: larger cities often have Haunted Houses that usually open only for Halloween. They are attractions you enter where ghosts and zombies with chainsaws chase you, people scream, and so on. They are worth trying for adults.
Pumpkin Playland in Chicago
I once enjoyed the autumn atmosphere in Chicago as well, where I visited the local Pumpkin Playland. It was also very nice and merely confirmed for me that autumn pumpkin outings are popular throughout the United States—whether you are in Georgia and Texas in the South or near Chicago in the North.
Where Halloween Is Celebrated the Most: The Best-Known Places in the USA
If you want to experience Halloween in America to the fullest, there are a few places that are truly legendary:
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Salem, Massachusetts—the unofficial Halloween capital. The city, famous for the witch trials of 1692, holds the Haunted Happenings festival throughout October and attracts more than a million visitors during the season. You will find spooky decorations on practically every corner.
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Sleepy Hollow, New York—home of the legend of the Headless Horseman. Among other events, it hosts the spectacular Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, featuring thousands of carved pumpkins.
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New Orleans, Louisiana—a city associated with voodoo and ghost stories. Cemetery tours and parades give Halloween an absolutely unique atmosphere here.
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Anoka, Minnesota—a city that calls itself the “Halloween Capital of the World.” It has held an annual Halloween parade continuously since 1920, making it one of the oldest Halloween celebrations in the country.
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St. Helens, Oregon—the town where the popular film Halloweentown was shot. Every October, it transforms into a fairy-tale Halloween setting.
And if you enjoy a real adrenaline rush, I must not forget Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios theme parks—one of the best-known (and scariest) Halloween events in the USA.
Final Thoughts
For me, Halloween in America is not just one evening with a carved pumpkin. It is an entire autumn season—driving around to see decorated houses, visiting pumpkin patches, taking hayrides, attending festivals and parties, and enjoying that unusual mixture of coziness and spookiness that you simply will not experience anywhere else.
It may sound like a holiday for children. And to a large extent, it probably is. But believe me, you can enjoy it just as much as an adult—and perhaps, like me, you will discover that it is actually your favorite holiday of the year.