Maybe you’re a full-time RVer roaming the country, or maybe you’ve been drawn to camp through Halloween by the crisp autumn air and changing leaves. Either way, you’re spending this spooky holiday in the RV, but you still don’t want to give up celebrating Halloween on the road. You worked way too hard on those costumes! Your RV fun doesn’t have to keep you and the kids from fall fun. Here are a few of our favorite ways to celebrate Halloween in your RV.

The basics of celebrating a holiday on the road

First, you’ll want to set expectations if you have little ones. Choosing to celebrate Halloween in your RV could be the best Halloween you’ve ever had, but it will be different than what the kids are used to back home. Make it a fun event and establish new traditions to help kids feel more comfortable with the change of pace around the holiday. 

Secondly, there’s no need to go overboard. Living RV life often means choosing a more minimalistic and less materialistic lifestyle, so keep in mind that whatever decorations + costumes you buy will need to be stored the rest of the year. If you travel full time, your space in your RV might be limited! There are plenty of ways to find Halloween fun without adding clutter to your RV.

Trick or Treat in the Campground

If you’re on the road with kids, this one is for you. You may not have the typical neighborhood where you can spend the evening strolling around the block and going door to door to ask for candy. You don’t need a traditional setup to enjoy this holiday tradition. Prepare the costumes, have a bag of candy at the ready and get to know your neighbors. RVers are known for their friendliness. It’s not unlikely you’ll find yourself in a campground with other families with kids who want to join in on the trick-or-treating fun. Try collaborating ahead of time with the RVers in your campground. Plan a night of taking the kiddos RV door-to-RV door in their costumes on the search for treats.

Find An RV Park with Festivities

There are some RV parks that do all the legwork of the aforementioned activities for you, and then some! If your itinerary is flexible, try planning your Halloween camping weekend at one of the amazing campsites that go all-out for the holiday. Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky is known for its “Halloween Campout” event, where the entire park comes alive with ghoulish delight. There’s live entertainment, a golf cart parade, and even a haunted trail.

Fort Boonsborough State Park in Richmond, Kentucky has a Halloween Lights Drive-Thru, and Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp Resort: Hill Country in Canyon Lake, Texas caps off fall weekends of pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating and costume contests with all-you-can-eat pancake breakfasts. The list goes on-and-on with places that provide activities for campers of all ages on Halloween – just do a quick search in the area you’re staying in to see if any local campsites hold activities of their own.

Carve Pumpkins

Even if you aren’t staying at a campground with prepared activities, you can still take part in this Halloween classic. And it makes perfect sense when camping. Carving pumpkins can be messy, and is usually an activity best done outside. If you’re RVing, you’re already out in nature, so your setup is perfect. Stop by a nearby pumpkin patch (they’re on every corner this time of year) and pick your perfect pumpkin. Gut the inside of your gourd, then draw your design. Get to sawing away and hold a contest for who can create the best jack-o-lantern.

Tell Ghost Stories by the Campfire

You were probably going to build a campfire anyway, so why not pack along some of your spookiest tales? The crackling fire will set the mood, and the chill in the air will bring your stories to life. Read up on some ghost stories to have in your back pocket, break out the s’mores and enjoy. See who can come up with the scariest tale.

Plan a Spooky Day Trip

We get it – some people like to leave the bowl of candy out for the trick-or-treaters to help themselves on the honor system so they can turn in early. If that’s more your style, why not spend the day indulging in some mysterious adventures? The activity you choose will depend on your location, but Halloween is prime time for tours and attractions that highlight true crime, paranormal, and haunted history.

It doesn’t get much spookier than haunted history tours in New Orleans, although Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina have some tales to tell as well. Of course, we wrote a whole blog about why you should visit Salem, Massachusetts in October! There are also some spots that are off the beaten path, like the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, or the site of the unsolved crime at the Villisca Axe Murder House in Iowa. Whatever area you’re traveling through, there’s sure to be a macabre spot to visit nearby.

Stage a Halloween Hike

This one is for the prankster who wants to give his or her friends a scare. It will require some pre-planning, so allow some time during the day where you can sneak off from the group and plant some props in the forest. Visit the party store to pick up masks, fake gravestones, or hanging mummies. Post them along the trail to create your own outdoor haunted house. Then, join back with the group and invited them on the trail you’ve “decorated.” After dark of course! Bring flashlights and a few scary stories along for the ultimate scare. Just be sure to collect your props from the trail once you’re finished to leave nature as natural as you found it.

How Will You Celebrate Halloween in Your RV?

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to get in the spirit and celebrate Halloween in your RV. If planning out the perfect costume and crafting the best pumpkin carving are some of your favorite parts of the year, you can still enjoy it all from the RV. Let us know how you’ll be enjoying the holiday, and be sure to check out our other Halloween themed blogs, like easy RV Halloween decorations and haunted places to visit for Halloween.