With campfires, dark woods and communities of like-minded families, RVing is the perfect way to celebrate Halloween. If you are looking to camp out with the ghosts and ghouls, you have an assortment of options to choose from. You can head to a campground with special Halloween activities, or find a site near a famous scary attraction. You can even camp out in your own yard and create a spooky haunted camper for trick-or-treaters.
We have put together a list of tips and tricks to help you have a fang-tastic RV Halloween!
Find a spook-tacular setting
If you are in New England, Salem, Massachusetts is the best place to be during the season. Salem was home to the country’s most infamous witch trials, and it goes all in for Halloween. Visit the Salem Witch Museum, join a ghost tour or experience one of many haunted happenings all month long. RVers can stay at the Winter Park Island Campground, which is just a few miles from downtown.
RVers in Pennsylvania can treat themselves to two full weekends of Halloween fun at the Gettysburg Campground. Nearby Gettysburg Battlefield is considered one of the most haunted National Parks in the country.
In Georgia, Atlanta’s Stone Mountain Park throws a pumpkin festival all month long featuring Spookley's Funtastic Kids' Carnival and a Dance-A-Long Party Parade. Discounts are available for guests who arrive decked out in each week’s costume theme.
North Carolina campers should check out Ash Grove Mountain Cabins and Camping. Their “Ash Ghoul” Haunted Campground event features haunted trails and contests for the best costumes and decorations.
The Jellystone Park in Madison, FL offers three weekends of Halloween activities featuring a Haunted House and Trail, a Magical Pumpkin Patch & Wagon Ride, costume contests and more!
For even more campground Halloween events near you, check out the event calendars at KOA and Jellystone Park Resorts.
Create a hair-raising haunted camper
Once you’ve picked your destination, it’s time to transform your camper into a spine-chilling haunted house on wheels. Use your imagination to dream up the spookiest decorations inside and out.
Hang cob-webs over your slide-outs and look for jack-o-lantern string lights for your awning. Cover your windows with dark curtains and put orange lights behind them for an eerie glow. Turn the front of your camper into a frightening monster face with vampire fangs or werewolf eyes. Make sure to carve plenty of pumpkins with evil grins for your site. Need inspiration? Check out Country Living's guide to Halloween decorations.
If you’re expecting trick-or-treaters, “staff” the inside of your RV with skeletons, ghosts and scarecrows. Make a bucket of guts with spaghetti and ketchup, and pump the Monster Mash through your camper’s stereo system.
Have a creepy campfire bash
There’s nothing more bone-chilling than a well-told ghost story around a campfire on a moonlit night. After the trick-or-treating and apple-bobbing is over, gather everyone to the fire to share tales of mysterious sightings and unrequited love from beyond the grave.
If you know who is coming ahead of time, ask each guest to memorize their favorite story so the yarns can last as long as the fire burns. For ideas, check out these compilations from the Ultimate Camping Resource, Scary for Kids and American Folklore.
With the fire crackling and nerves a-tingling, you will be enjoying a Halloween campground adventure your family will remember for years to come.
If you need to winterize your RV after your Halloween adventure, download our free DIY winterization guide!