Military families face plenty of challenges. One common challenge is frequent moves. Beyond the chaos of boxing up your life every few years, moves disrupt many of the traditional experiences that strengthen a family. Special occasions, for example, can lose some of their enjoyment when you're away from long-time friends and family. Thankfully, some occasions travel well, like Halloween.
Unlike other events that typically come with elaborate home decorations, weeks of preparing for company, and cooking large meals, Halloween can be a simple affair. A costume, a carved pumpkin, and a little candy are more than enough to enjoy the day. It's an easy day to celebrate even when you and your family are far away from home.
Whether you are staying on post or venturing into the local community, there are plenty of simple ways to enjoy the spooky season. From pumpkin patches to costume contests, haunted houses, and ghost stories, Army installations across the country offer a variety of fun Halloween activities.
With IHG Army Hotels providing convenient on-post accommodations, families can enjoy Halloween activities close to where they stay while making new memories and continuing their favorite traditions.
Visit a Local Pumpkin Patch or Attend a Fall Festival
One of the easiest ways to get into the Halloween spirit is to find a pumpkin patch or fall festival near your installation. Even if you have recently moved to the area, local farms offering pumpkin patches can be a fun way to explore your new community.
Many pumpkin patches offer much more than our favorite seasonal squash. During the Halloween season, some have hayrides, petting zoos, corn mazes, and fall food stands. An example is the Gallberry Corn Maze, located just 25 miles from our new Candlewood Suites on Fort Bragg. This time of year, Gallberry offers visitors a hayride, jumping pillow, double-barrel tube slides, a giant corn shack (with a slide inside), the bouncy ball corral, cornhole games, Spookley [the Square Pumpkin] Barn, barrel train rides, sandbox fort, Hay Mountain, super-sized sandbox with diggers, and more!
If you're on the other side of the country, check out Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Washington. The base is hosting a Labyrinth of Horrors on Friday, October 23, and Saturday, October 24, from 7 to 10 pm. MWR staff transform the MWR Fest Tent into a spooky maze filled with eerie effects, unexpected surprises, and plenty of Halloween atmosphere. Our IHG Military Hotels Buildings 600 Series is only about 20 minutes from the festivities.
See What's Happening On Post
One of the best advantages of staying on post for Halloween is enjoying many activities without ever leaving base. Installations nationwide host a wide range of events this time of year. Many locations have trunk-or-treat events, costume contests, Halloween parties for families and single service members, and fall festivals.
Joint Base San Antonio in Texas offers great Halloween fun right on post. On October 31, from 5:30 to 8 pm, enjoy the annual candy collection in a safe, secure environment at the Trunk-or-Treat event. Families and units are invited to decorate their vehicles for JBSA-Youth at the Randolph Parr Club parking lot.
And, in the spirit of keeping things conveniently located, our IHG Army Hotels Building 1384 is only 30 minutes away on Fort Sam Houston.
Pack the Costumes and Go Trick-or-Treating
For many families, especially those with young ones, Halloween is all about the free candy. If you are traveling during Halloween, add costumes to your packing list. Halloween costumes don't need to be complicated, expensive, or elaborate. Any costume will do when it comes to joining the fun and collecting candy.
For military families visiting the East Coast, Fort Drum, New York, offers a great opportunity to enjoy this familiar Halloween tradition. If you stay at IHG Army Hotels Candlewood Suites Building 9090, you can enjoy trick-or-treating without leaving the installation.
The base has scheduled trick-or-treating in its residential housing areas from 5 to 8 p.m. on Halloween night. Look for homes with porch lights on to identify who is participating.
Before heading out, check event websites for updates, including changes to event hours, specific residential areas participating, and other information to keep everyone safe. Young children should be accompanied by an adult, and safety items like flashlights, glow sticks, or reflective vests can help make costumes more visible after dark.
Keep Halloween Simple with Crafts and a Movie
If you and your family are at one of our hotels nationwide and don't feel like going out, you can still enjoy Halloween from the comfort of your room with a special movie night.
Grab some popcorn and enjoy the wide range of movies, from kid-friendly spooky specials to bone-chilling scary films for the grown-ups when the little ones are fast asleep. Halloween movie night can become a lasting tradition, especially for families in the middle of a move.
With on-post accommodations at Army installations across the country, IHG Army Hotels provides service members, military families, veterans, and other eligible guests with a home base for Halloween. Our convenient locations bring Halloween fun to your doorstep, with access to countless on-post and near-base activities and events.
Whether your family is enjoying Halloween in the South, on the West Coast, in the Midwest, or along the East Coast, you can celebrate, connect, and make lasting memories. Halloween reminds us that we don't need to be home to celebrate. The spooky season is perfect for families, whether they are at home or on the go. We look forward to sharing the creepy fun with you this year.
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