The Best Towns For Trick-Or-Treating

Everyone who celebrates Halloween has memories of traipsing around the neighborhood in a silly costume, begging for candy. You knew which houses gave the best candy, and which ones would chase you off their porch. But what made trick-or-treating a magical experience was the excitement that was palpable throughout the neighborhood, generated not just by all those costumed kids roaming the neighborhood in high spirits but by locals who took the time and trouble to decorate their homes in Halloween fashion and civic institutions that staged appropriate events around the occasion.  

Click here for the 13 Best Towns for Trick-or-Treating (Slideshow)

This got us wondering: where in America is the best place to make these Halloween memories? Surely cities and major metropolitan areas have the upper hand in terms of sheer volume, but do city dwellers put in the effort to really make the holiday a magical evening? To find out where the best towns for trick or treating where, we began our search by looking for the most family-friendly towns. We ended up with at least one town in every state, then looked for the safest and most Halloween-friendly among them. To determine a town's relative safety, we looked for those with the lowest crime rates and with the fewest registered sex offenders. We then took a look at each of the towns' scheduled community events surrounding Halloween, from fall festivals to haunted houses. The towns that came out on top were those with longstanding Halloween traditions and events closely related to trick-or-treating, in addition to high safely ratings.  

Have we left out your town unfairly? We would love to hear from you. Email us at info@thedailmeal.com making your case for why all trick-or-treaters should be jealous of your hometown and we'll consider it for next year's list!

#13 Saline, Michigan

In the town of Saline, Michigan, the natural autumn backdrop, a tapestry of beautiful fall leaves, evokes the season so vividly folks scarcely need to decorate their homes for Halloween. Trick-or-treating hours here are between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., but the fun doesn't stop there! On November 1, they stage the 11th annual "Great Pumpkin Roll" where families can race their old pumpkins against their neighbor's jack-o-lanterns down the hill! This family free event also includes hot cider and doughnuts the keep the whole family in delicious spirits!

#12 Walnut, California

This small California city knows how to make Halloween a "spooktacular" time. On Halloween night, in addition to trick-or-treating, families can get lost in the in the Haunted Maze for a screaming good time. There is also a "Mostly Ghostly" event for families looking to party and show off their costumes for a chance to win the local costume contest. The fun even continues the next day with "After Halloween Lot Party" for food, fun, and music. 

This article was origianlly published on October 28, 2014.