Oct 26, 201201:30 PMWeekend Warrior
What to do and where to go in the OKC metro
17 Fun Trick-or-Treat Alternatives
The crisp fall feeling in the air (ahem….are you listening Mother Nature?), pumpkin carving, costumes, candy, hay rides at the pumpkin patch….I love Halloween. I love everything about it, except trick-or-treating door-to-door. As an introverted momma of one introverted child and one diva (I don’t know where she came from), I have just never been all that excited about going around and knocking on strange doors. I mean, whose idea was it to send our children up to random doors asking for candy from strangers anyways? And what is with those teenagers coming up to my door in their regular street clothes who just stare at me blankly without even having the decency to say “trick-or-treat” for their candy? Seriously!
Ok, I jest. I don’t really hate trick-or-treating that much. I have taken my kids out trick-or-treating with a group of their friends in the past. The kids put on their adorable costumes and went door-to-door while my friends and I followed behind nibbling on the good candy, snapping pictures and chatting. Last year, however, Halloween fell on a day that our group of friends was unable to go out together and going door-to-door ourselves just didn’t seem all that appealing. Instead of sitting at home waiting for those surly, un-costumed teenagers to come by demanding candy, we set out to Sooner Mall for their Treats But No Tricks event.
The kids had a great time going store-to-store showing off their costumes and collecting candy from friendly employees. Afterwards, we hit the food court for crafts and ice cream. It was a wonderful alternative to going door-to-door. The amount of candy was a nice treat for them, but not so much that I had to worry about their teeth rotting out of their heads or trying to ration it without tantrums from my two-year-old. I didn’t have to worry about the unpredictable nature of Oklahoma weather or the hazards of walking around outside in the dark with small children. In addition to trick-or-treating for candy, the kids were able to have a nice treat and partake in other fun (and FREE!) activities. If you choose to go to a mall trick-or-treat event, I would recommend getting there early. The candy tends to go quickly.
There is a plethora of fabulous low-cost and, in many instances, FREE trick-or-treat alternative events going on in the OKC metro area this year. If you are unable to take your kids out on Halloween for whatever reason, there are even several great activities being held on Saturday or Sunday before Halloween.
Trunk-or-Treat events abound at area churches. Trunk-or-Treat events (when church members decorate their vehicles and fill the trunk with candy to let kids “trick-or-treat” from trunk to trunk) are a great way to get the fun of trick-or-treating in a safe environment. As an added bonus, many of these events include food, fun activities and inflatables as well.
If you happen to be looking for something unique to do on Halloween, you might check out the Museum of Osteology’s 3rd Annual Halloween Bash. What better way to celebrate Halloween than in a room full of skeletons?
What to Do:
Saturday, October 27
- FREE Monster Mash Dance Party at Quail Springs Mall (2501 W Memorial, OKC) features games, music and a costume contest with prizes for kids of all ages. Also offers mall wide trick-or-treating during the event. 1-4pm. www.quailspringsmall.com.
- FREE Trick-or-Treat City at Joe B Barnes Regional Park in Midwest City offers a candy village and carnival with food, games and crafts. Candy Village is FREE, Carnival rides require tickets 4/$1. 2-4:30pm. www.midwestcityok.org. Also held: 10/30 for a special needs session from 1-2:30pm.
- FREE Haunt Old Town Moore (Main & Broadway Area, Moore) features trick-or-treating, scary karaoke, hayrides, extreme animals petting zoo, food vendors and candy. 4-7pm. 793-4332, www.cityofmoore.com.
Sunday, October 28
- FREE Trunk-or-Treat at First Christian Church (220 S Webster, Norman). 2pm. 329-2192, www.fccnorman.org.
- FREE Trunk-or-Treat at Crown Heights Christian Church (4020 N Western, OKC) provides games, activities and candy for children ages 12 & under accompanied by an adult. 5-6:30pm. 528-5568, www.crownheightschristian.com.
- FREE Trunk-or-Treat at St. Matthew United Methodist Church (300 N Air Depot, Midwest City) features safe trunk-or-treating, music, games and more. The pumpkin patch will be open. 6-8pm. 732-6831, www.stmatthew.org.
- FREE Trunk-or-Treat at New Covenant Church (2700 S Boulevard, Edmond) features carnival games, moon bounce, refreshments, door prizes, trick-or-treating & friendly costumes. 6pm. 562-3200, www.newcov.tv.
Wednesday, October 31
- FREE Trick-or-Treat on Our Street at the Outlet Shoppes at OKC (7624 W Reno, OKC) provides trick-or-treating at Customer Service and participating stores for children ages 12 & under dressed in Halloween costumes, while supplies last. 4-6pm. 787-3700 x1.
- FREE Trick-or-Treating at Science Museum Oklahoma provides a safe place to trick-or-treat. Museum staff will dress in Halloween-themed costumes and be ready with candy to share. 4-6pm. 602-6664, www.sciencemuseumok.org.
- FREE Trick-or-Treat on the Street in Downtown Edmond. Merchants will be passing out candy to children. 5-7pm. 249-9391.
- FREE Treats But No Tricks at Sooner Mall (3301 W Main, Norman) features mall wide trick-or-treating as well as a costume contest for children 11 & under in the Old Navy Wing at 6:30pm. While supplies last. 5-8pm. www.soonermall.com.
- FREE Trunk-or-Treat at Edmond First Baptist Church (1300 SE 33, Edmond) features candy, games and fun for all ages. 6-7:30pm. www.FBCedmond.org/TRUNKorTREAT.
- FREE Fall Festival at Faith Pointe Baptist Church (3404 26th Ave NW, Norman) features food, candy and games. 6-8pm. 360-8900, www.faithpointe.org.
- 3rd Annual Halloween Bash at the Museum of Osteology (10301 S Sunnylane, OKC) provides a safe & educational trick-or-treating alternative with door prizes, free candy for kids, fun crafts & activities. $3 per person, FREE kids 3 & under with a paid adult. 6-9pm. 814-0006, www.museumofosteology.org.
- FREE Trunks, Truths & Treats at Portland Avenue Baptist Church (1301 N Portland, OKC) features fun, food and games for the whole family. 6:30pm. 942-5539, www.portlandavenue.org.
- FREE FestiFall 2012 at Putnam City Baptist Church (11401 N Rockwell, OKC) is a Halloween alternative featuring inflatables, game booths, candy and food available for purchase. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Please no scary costumes. 6:30-8:30pm. 773-6900, www.pcbc-okc.org.
- FREE Trunk-Or-Treat at Bryant Avenue Baptist Church (4748 S Bryant, OKC). 6:30-8:30pm. 672-4511.
Don’t forget to check out our Fall Fun List for a full list of all the great Fall events going on in the OKC metro this week!
Whatever you decide to do to celebrate this fabulous fall season, I wish you a safe and Happy Halloween!
Sara
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—and is constantly amazed by the sheer volume of ways for families to have fun in the Oklahoma City metro! A native Oklahoman, she is a work-at-home mom to two awesome kids—daughter Murphy is 6 and son Graham is 3. Alongside husband Jason, Brooke and family are often seen at family events around the metro—enjoying everything from live music to museums to fun playgrounds and more. 
to Oklahoma five years ago and loves working on the calendar for MetroFamily because it has introduced her to so many activities and venues she would not otherwise have known about. Sara is a work-at-home mom who lives with her husband John and her two precocious children--son Joshua is 5 and daughter Joy is 2. As a very musical family, concerts are a favorite choice for family outings, but the Riesters can be found all over the metro enjoying a wide variety of what OKC has to offer (often accompanied by the Barnetts).
Thanks for the article, your info helped us plan a great Halloween!