As every collegiate knows, early fall is one of the greatest times of the year, and fall in the Pioneer Valley is picture perfect. With artsy instagrams of foliage, apple picking on farms, and the return of pumpkin-flavored everything, fall is full of fun, but it’s also leading up to one of best holidays of the year. Yes, it’s that time again: free candy (and 2-for-1 candy sales the day after), pumpkin carving, and spending all month long trying to think of the most creative costume you’ve got: Halloween! We’ve rounded up some of the best ways to celebrate Halloween in the Five College Consortium and Pioneer Valley!
Smith has lots of great traditions, so keep your eye out for haunted houses and trick or treating across campus and at the President’s house! Halloween at Smith starts Thursday night with a DIY activity in the Campus Center and a tour of the (haunted) Alumnae House.
Hampshire Halloween is 5-College favorite, but make sure you get your ticket in advance! A limited number of tickets are available to each college for $25 per person. You can get yours at the Office of Student Engagement in Campus Center 106. Hampshire Halloween is a huge event with lots of musical performers, fireworks, and great costumes, so it’s a great way to spend Halloween! For more information you can visit the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/497019837073554
Another great option is this year’s Halloween Bash at Mount Holyoke College. This year will feature Icona Pop on their Campus Consciousness Tour. Tickets are also on sale at the Office of Student Engagement in the Campus Center 106. You can visit both MHC and the Campus Consciousness Tour websites: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/studentprograms http://reverb.org/CCT
If large noisy crowds aren’t your thing, then try out some of the local Hampshire county attractions. Mike’s Maze is Sunderland is a short car ride away and has lots of great activities and Zombie Paintball! Visit the website to see more: http://mikesmaze.com/
If you’re looking for a corn maze or hayride a little bit closer to campus visit the Hampshire County page, which is full of instaworthy options: http://visithampshirecounty.com/blog/fall-fun-2013/
Another great group trip is visiting Fright Fest at Six Flags New England in Springfield. If you haven’t visited Six Flags yet, it’s a great time to go! Not only do you get to have a full day, or night, of roller coaster rides and fried dough, but you can also get tickets to visit more haunted houses.
With all of these amazing options, be sure to make this Halloween your best one ever!