No parent likes to contemplate it, but the day will come for our kids when trick-or-treating is no more. If your family is as hooked on Halloween as ours is, you'll want to find a way to keep the magic going, even once your baby starts to look really big to other people (particularly people opening their doors at night). Filling this void is the main reason for the many seriously spooky big kid haunts around the Southland—haunts like Universal Horror Nights, Knott's Scary Farm, and Dark Harbor. But how to transition? You can't just hit the brakes on collecting candy with Elsa and suddenly start running from chainsaw wielding zombies.

The first time I visited this haunt, I had a theory that Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary might be the perfect tween transition to a different way of celebrating All Hallows' Eve, and I committed so fully to this theory that I booked our whole family (and some friends) for an overnight on the haunted, haunting ship. And guess what? It worked! Three tweens I know had the time of their lives screaming with the spooks all night at the Queen Mary. The evening was enormous fun, and I think a few things we did to prepare helped stack the deck in favor of success.

Halloween may be the star of the show this month, but there's plenty of other fun to be had in the days and weeks leading up to the big event. This month is jam-packed with fall fun, including harvest festivals and corn mazes, plus a kite festival and three-day street fair.

There are Halloween happenings aplenty, geared toward everyone from older kids to the littlest trick-or-treaters. Head down the shore for Boo at the Boardwalk, enjoy not-too-spooky fun at Goblins in the Garden in Camden, and don your black hat for Witch's Day Out in Smithville. Throughout the month, you can take the family for a ride on a Halloween train, check out a cool pumpkin display, and enjoy kid-friendly Halloween and fall fun at amusement parks like Diggerland and Storybook Land. 

Read on for more of the best events this October for NJ kids. For even more ideas, check out our list of 50 Things We Can't Wait To Do with NJ Kids This Fall, and find fun that's just right for little ones in our roundup of the Best Fall Events for NJ Preschoolers. Be sure to check our Event Calendar often for new happenings added daily. 

Get your calendars ready: Here are the top things to do with kids in New York City this October, many of which are FREE. Halloween may generate the hoopla, but there are plenty of other must-do activities this month, including a huge pumpkin display on Governors Island, the world's largest Lego art exhibit at the New York Hall of Science, and a tuneful celebration of Sesame Street's 50th anniversary.

The fall culture season kicks into high gear with amazing events and theater. Many annual seasonal favorites also take place in October, including the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine's blessing of the animals and the Little Red Lighthouse Festival—plus the return of Open House New York, which offers a peek inside buildings and sites citywide that are normally closed to the public.

October is loaded with Halloween and fall fun, and there's no shortage of either in Westchester and the Hudson Valley! We've mentioned the best places to go apple and pumpkin picking, and we've rounded up fantastic fall festivals to check out, but there's even more fun to be had. Historic Hudson Valley shines this month with Halloween events including the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze and other seasonal attractions happening all month long. Many of these are super-hot tickets, so book yours soon to avoid missing out.

There’s also the popular Eastchester Columbus Day Carnival and Parade, family performances like Moon Mouse, and festivals that don’t fall under the “autumn” category, like the Chappaqua Children's Book Festival.

With so many tremendous events this time of year, we barely scratch the surface here, so be sure to check our Event Calendar for many more options. You can find many more Halloween highlights in our Ultimate Halloween Guide for Westchester Kids. And don't miss our roundup of best fall events for toddlers and preschoolers, many of which take place this month. Now grab your calendar and read on for the best events happening this month in Westchester and the Hudson Valley!

October in Boston is the greatest. In addition to fall fun like pumpkin picking and the excitement of Halloween, there are country fairs, festivals, special events, and performances galore. Opportunities for families to enjoy the fall foliage during special day or weekend trips are bountiful (and so are the pick-your-own apples at local farms!). Narrowing down our favorite things to do with kids in October is tricky, but here are our top 10 picks; and don't forget to look at our guide to all-free October family activities, too.

For many, Juneau may just be a stop on their Alaskan cruise or a layover on their way to other spots in Alaska. For Southeast Alaskans, like my family, Juneau is the “big city," which means that there's more than just a touristy cruise port area to explore in Juneau. There are plenty of things to do in Juneau that will check items off an Alaskan adventure bucket list, as well as more local experiences that give families a taste of real-life in Alaska.

These are my favorite things to do in Juneau, including local spots and top Juneau tours. And if you're heading to Haines during your Alaskan vacation, check out my list of things to do in Haines, Alaska. 

Why is it the final day of the month seems to garner all of the attention paid to October? If you didn't know better, on Long Island you might assume all of the month's activities swirled around Halloween.

To which we say, there's a whole month of family-friendly entertainment just waiting to be had. Think about it: The weather is comfortably cool, ideal for picking pumpkins and hayrides. The changing leaves color the Island in natural splendor and cultural and seasonal festivals dot the landscape from Long Beach to Montauk.

Yes, the main event is Halloween; we just don't want you to overlook all this wonderful month has to offer while you are searching for that perfect costume for your little prince or princess. In the 30 days before your community's grand costume parade, make sure you find time for a fall festival, a Columbus Day celebration, even some children's theater. Kids have some down time from school this month, so why not take advantage before things turn a bit chillier. 

In one month, American Dream in East Rutherford, NJ, just outside of NYC, will officially open its doors—well, two of them, at least. The Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park and the Rink at American Dream will kick off the shopping and entertainment complex's grand opening on Friday, October 25.

Visitors will have to wait a bit longer for the DreamWorks Water Park, which is scheduled to open on Wednesday, November 27, and the Big SNOW indoor snow park, which debuts the following Thursday, December 5.

American Dream's stores, restaurants, and more attractions—including the Sea Life Aquarium, Legoland Discovery Center, KidZania experiential learning center, luxury movie theater, and 300-foot observation wheel—are set to open in March 2020.