With the air turning crisp comes the welcoming of the spookiest holiday: Halloween. The ways to celebrate in the weeks leading up the All Hallows’ Eve are endless in Michigan. From scream parks, to real haunted mansions, to corn mazes, here’s how to make your Halloween the best it can be.
Clinton Township is home to Screamers Costumes, a costume shop that's been family-owned since 1968. Open year round, those eager to play dress-up for an evening will be able to get costumes in all sizes, from men's to women's to boys and girls’ costumes. Specific superhero costumes, masks and wigs, and even the sexy costumes will all be on hand, helping to ensure that anyone who has a particular taste in mind will be able to land it with little trouble.
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Said to be the largest candy company in Michigan, Doc Sweets' Candy Company in Clawson will offer a staggering array of treats, both in bulk and in small lots. There's even vintage stuff here, along with collectibles, and that's going to make Doc Sweets' exactly what you need to stock the larder for the incoming parade of costumed youngsters heading for your door, or just to feed your own sweet tooth.
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Niles Scream Park is one of the leading haunted attractions in not just Michigan—though it's a clear contender there too—but in the entire United States. Boasting 44 solid acres of attractions to check out, and all five of the major ones are rebuilt annually to ensure everything is in full working order, the Niles Scream Park has taken Coaster Nation's Top Haunts prize multiple times.
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Grab a bite to eat at one of the most iconic, and haunted, mansions in Michigan. This 21,000-square-foot mansion was built in 1894 and owned by David Whitney, Jr., one of the Midwest’s wealthiest lumber barons. The mansion was restored in the 1980s, and since then, the paranormal activity has started to stir. During your visit here, expect to experience disembodied voices and shadowy figures. Make your reservation!
One thing you'll be needing, in all likelihood, is a pumpkin for Halloween, and South Haven's Overhiser Orchards will deliver on that front. Home to not only pumpkins, but also fruits from apples to pears and beyond as well as baked goods, local honey and more, you'll be able to get everything you need for Halloween, the day after, or even the first few days of November right in one handy stop.
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You've seen a haunted hayride, now try a haunted corn maze. This concept takes the standard corn maze and bumps it up a few notches with shrieks, terror and dead ends. Dorr's New Salem Corn Maze features plenty of outdoor frights to go around, including a haunted woods scenario and a zombie paintball range. Toss in the family-friendly daytime activities and you'll be able to find something worthwhile here no matter what time of the day or night you're in.
Mackinac Island is known for a lot of things, from its fudge to its near-complete lack of cars. But did you know it's potentially the most haunted place in all of Michigan? One of Michigan's biggest tourist attractions, Mackinac Island is home to over 100 individual ghosts spotted on the island, ranging from Native Americans to spurned lovers. Make a Halloween to remember by doing a little ghost hunting in the midst of one of the greatest tourist spots Michigan can boast.
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Head to Pontiac to check this one out, and with good reason—from 2005 to 2009, Erebus held the Guinness World Record for largest walk-through haunted attraction on Earth, measuring in at four stories and over 100,000 square-feet, 70,000 of which are used for storing props. The basic theme never changes—visitors will be sent on a time-traveling romp by a scientist, though it's not explicitly said if said scientist is mad—but individual elements are changed from year to year to keep things fresh.
