5 Reasons I Love Halloween in Cincinnati

Rochester, NY is my hometown, which is not near NYC, its closer to Canada. It also has lake effect snow fall thanks to the beautiful Lake Ontario, which was in my parents backyard. Halloween in Rochester meant parents driving along while we trick-or-treated so we could warm up when the houses were spaced far apart. We also lived on a dead end street between farmland and one of the Great Lakes, and there were few other kids on our street, so no one ever (hardly) came to our house trick or treating. It was really just a normal night with awesome costumes, but not really something you fussed over once you hit middle school. The average Rochester temperature in October is 25, so if it didn’t snow, it was frosty, and you always planned for snow.

incinnati, OH is my new home, which is also not near NYC, or a Great Lake. Therefore, it is a completely different Halloween experience. One that my husband and I did not expect our first Halloween here as homeowners, but one that we now look forward to every year. The average Cincinnati temperature in October is 55.  The following reasons are why my family loves October in Cincinnati:

1. Halloween costumes do no need to be sized for wearing over winter coats. You can buy (or make) one based on actual size of the child. As a new costume making mama, this was most certainly an advantage.  Jake’s custom penguin outfit didn’t come with a pattern, so we free handed and I really needed to measure without bundling him in a coat first!
2. It is not likely to snow, nor have frost cover, which means people spend time outside and it really is more of a social event to meet new neighbors or have friends over to hang out in the front yard. We always make sure to have a stocked beer fridge in the garage and the fire pit in the driveway with plenty of seating and CANDY!!
3. Pick you own pumpkins and apples is at an acceptable seasonal time, rather than the tail end of summer when no one is really ready to think about these kinds of fall things. Homemade apple crisp, caramel apples and applesauce are a few of my favorite things! We have been to A&M farms a few times already this fall loading up on apples and fresh cider! In my opinion, A&M has the best cider we have had in Cincinnati to date.
4. Hay mazes and hay rides are not done on frozen ground at previously mentioned 25 degree temperatures, and it is possible to enjoy a maze at night without freezing your tail off! So far we have visited Blooms and Berries in Loveland, Burger Farm in Newtown, as well as Shaw Farms in Milford. We love them all, since each are so different and offer different activities for different aged kids.
5. HallZOOween is an event at the Cincinnati zoo for kids to do trick or treating and dress up for, among other activities. The thought of going to the zoo to show off Jake’s costume is beyond exciting. He loves the zoo, and any chance to dress him up is this mom’s idea of a fun time. At the time this post was written we have not yet attended this event due to nap and Bengals games interfering, but it is on the list to do!

Fall is one of the many reasons we love Cincinnati.  It really is the best of both worlds with cooler temps, changing leaves, plus a laundry list of things to do outside.

What are some of your favorite things about Fall in Cincinnati?