We found 20 Free (and Almost Free) Halloween Activities for Kids & Families, activities primarily for younger children. Events include trick-or-treating at area malls: the Pru Boo at the Shops and the Prudential (10/30); Boo Bash at the Northshore Mall in Peabody (10/27), and at Cambridgeside Galleria (10/30). Libraries and bookstores also offer Halloween-themed story times and costumed events. Pumpkin picking and corn mazes are also great activities for families. Many of the farms have special Halloween events leading up to the 31st, so check the websites of the farms nearest you.

For fantastic carved pumpkin viewing, consider a trip to the Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence.

Older kids (13+) and their parents might enjoy the scarier side of town. Boston has haunted houses, a haunted ship, and even a haunted castle. Old Town Trolley's Ghosts and Gravestones tour is an evening of fun, scares, and ghost stories guided by a 17th century gravedigger (purchase tickets in advance).

The town of Salem hosts what is perhaps the area’s most famous month of Halloween fun. Salem Haunted Happenings wraps up its final week of a month-long celebration of everything Halloween for all ages - costume parades, haunted houses, ghost stories, candlelit tours, and live music. In Westford, Witches' Woods is an annual event that features scary attractions, carnival games, stage shows, and the Jack O Lantern Jamboree.