Spooky season has arrived! But there’s plenty of fun around town for the tiniest youngsters who like things just a little less…spooky. Here’s our annual roundup of family-friendly Halloween outings around Arlington. These shorter, closer-to-home activities are sure to get the wiggles out—and still get you back home for nap time. For more fall fun with kids, check out our roundup of fall festivals around the DMV.
Learn to Letterbox: Halloween Edition
Go on a family-friendly adventure that takes to you interesting locations all over the world, solving clues and searching for hidden treasure. Participants will learn where to find clues and how to decipher them and then it’s off on an adventure around the park to find hidden boxes. Carve your own stamp and receive an introductory logbook. The Oct. 12, 2 p.m. program is $12 for participants ages 7 and older. All attendees must preregister.Â
Lubber Run Pumpkin WalkÂ
Travel down a trail filled with creatively carved and decorated pumpkins and arrive at an evening filled with spooky attractions, crafts, sweet treats and a silent movie. This year’s Pumpkin Walk replaces the county’s traditional Trunk or Treat event. Come in costume and RSVP here for this free outing on Oct. 17, 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Lubber Run Community Center. 300 N. Park Drive, Arlington
Brick or Treat at LEGO Discovery Center
Kids can build their own Halloween fun at three different attractions inside Springfield Town Center. Brick or Treat runs through Oct. 31. Come wearing your costume, get a special treat and try your hand at a special Halloween build. Then make something ghost-inspired, with a glow-in-the-dark build inside the Ghoulish Glow Zone. Visitors can also catch the exclusive 4D LEGO Movie, The Great Monster Chase. Tickets start at $24.99 per person. 6563 Springfield Town Center, Springfield
Saturday Morning Halloween Cartoons
Hey parents: feeling nostalgic about the Saturday mornings of yore? Indulge that craving for sugary breakfast cereal while watching Halloween cartoons on the big screen at Arlington Drafthouse. Even the cereal bar is haunted, with special Halloween-themed cereals. Show up dressed in costume (extra points for those dressed as cartoon or cereal characters) and compete in fun contests to win prizes. Attendees can even choose which cartoons are aired. Moms and dads can enjoy a specialty brunch cocktail such as The Sonny, a white Russian topped with Cocoa Puffs, or a signature boozy cereal shot. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 17 and 18. Tickets are $17. 2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington (Columbia Pike)
Falls Church Halloween CarnivalÂ
Enjoy a spooktacular Halloween Carnival Oct. 24 from 1 p.m.-5:30 p.m., complete with games, costume contests, inflatables and candy. Entry to the carnival is free, but families are asked to pick one of two timeslots (1 to 3 p.m. or 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.) so that all have an opportunity to participate. In the event of inclement weather, the fun will take place inside the community center. Cherry Hill Park, 312 Park Ave, Falls Church
Halloween at The Boo-ro
Come dressed in your most frightfully festive gear for a day of Halloweenery at The Boro. On Oct. 24, 12-3 p.m. Kids can decorate a mini pumpkin, trick or treat at four candy stations throughout the park and groove to a live DJ spinning Halloween hits. Be sure to catch the spellbinding magic show, and bring your four-legged family members in costume to get treats. Don’t forget to pick up a festive goody bag on your way out. Register here for the free event. 8350 Broad St., Tysons
Mount Vernon Trick or Treating and Parade
Collect candy on the historic grounds of our first president’s estate and celebrate Halloween with 18th-century entertainment and activities. See sparks fly at a blacksmith demonstration, make soap the old fashioned way, and see a historic baking demonstration. At 3 p.m., listen to musical stories from a traveling musician. Kids in costume can join a parade at 4 p.m. This event is Oct. 31, 2-5 p.m. Â Tickets are $31 per adult and $26 per child, and members get a discount. Plus, kids eat free at the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant from 5-8 p.m. 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon
Shirlington’s Trick or Treat Trail
Youngsters can walk from store to store in costume at the Village at Shirlington on Oct. 24, 2-4 p.m. for a sweet Halloween adventure including candy, fun and prizes. RSVP to receive a digital map of participating shops and restaurants on the Trick or Treat Trail. Campbell Ave., Arlington (Shirlington)Â
Halloween on the Farm
Head to Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon to trick or treat, visit with the animals, create crafts and play games. This program costs $12 and runs in one hour time slots on Oct. 25 at 5, 6 and 7 p.m. Register for your spot ahead of time on the website. 2709 West Ox Road, Herndon
Del Ray Halloween Parade
A Del Ray tradition, this annual family-friendly Halloween Parade—voted one of the nation’s top 10 by USA Today—returns Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. Costumed children, adults, pets and babies in strollers can march and show off their finest and scariest costumes. The festivities include awards for best costume, best pet costume and best stroller decorations. It all wraps up with live music and the award presentation at the Mount Vernon Rec center Field.  Mount Vernon Avenue, beginning at E. Bellefonte Avenue, Alexandria (Del Ray)
Nalls Produce
Don’t feel like braving the crowds? Stop by this family-owned and -operated produce and garden center to keep the kids occupied for about an hour. Little visitors can climb, dig in straw and scamper through tunnels on Pumpkin Hill, which opens daily at 10 a.m. and remains open an hour later than the rest of Nalls (until 7 p.m. Monday thru Saturday, and until 6 p.m. on Sundays). Pick out a pumpkin, sip fresh apple cider and enjoy seasonal snacks. Be sure to say hello to the chickens and pose for photos in front of the Pumpkin Wall. 7310 Beulah St., AlexandriaÂ
Illuminight at Nalls ProduceÂ
Want to the Halloween spirit going just a little longer after Oct. 31? This annual, community pumpkin carving event lights up Beulah Street in Alexandria the weekend after Halloween with an after-dark Jack-o-lantern display. Nalls Produce provides the pumpkins, you provide the creativity. Participation is free. Save the date: Nov. 7 to carve a pumpkin for the display. Then drive by that Saturday or Sunday night to see them all lit up. 7310 Beulah St., AlexandriaÂ
