San Francisco is My Home

23
Oct

Halloween outside the Castro

Author: kris, Category: Events, Groups

In an effort to assist my municipal government in their crackdown on Castro Halloween fun, I’ve come up with a few alternative activities you might try this year. Don’t come to the Castro, remember. We’ll all be lying under the windows with the lights off, praying you go away. Instead, why not try something a little spookier this year? Like…

Who you gonna call?

The San Francisco Ghost Hunt, of course. This is a three hour walking tour of some notoriously haunted spots around the city. Check out the photos page showing actual ghosts, although they kind of look like thumb prints to me. But then, I’m no expert.

If you prefer a DIY ghost hunt, you can travel to some of the hotspots all on your own. The Sutro Baths are supposed to be haunted: stand in the tunnel and leave a lit candle at the end. Supposedly a woman will come and take it away. But this is no park ranger! No, this is a wandering soul with, I guess, a thing about candles. I’ve always wanted to bring a group down here and get someone to dress up in white with glow-in-the-dark makeup who will come take our candle away, scaring the heck out of my friends and earning me twenty dollars. (In this daydream, you see, I have bet everyone that a woman will show up to take our candle.)

From Dracula to Angel, there is no hotter monster…

Ghost hunting is transparently cheesy (like this pun), right? In that case, check out the Vampire Tour. Spooky Mistress Mina Burns will walk you through the city, telling you the history of San Francisco and its vampires, a history she swears is at least “85% true.” Costumes are encouraged.

Listen, I’ve got a five year old…

I promised to start including some kid-friendly activities, but in this case another site has me beat. San Francisco Kids Net is a great resource for kid-friendly Halloween activities: everything from silly-fun haunted houses to pumpkin patches to safety tips.

And here is my own personal safety tip: don’t trick-or-treat in the Castro. Remember, locked doors. Lights out. We’ll be in hiding.