Spooky Course
Halloween-themed mini-golf courses are fun, but for golf in a truly macabre location, head to nearby suburban Palatine and the Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home. The funeral parlor's basement hosts a nine-hole mini-golf course, with each hole having a suitably haunted theme. The home welcomes visitors to the course, but not during funeral activities, so be sure to call ahead.
Ahlgrim Family Funeral Services
201 N. Northwest Hwy.
Palatine. Illinois 60067
(847) 358-7411
Scary Sights
Weird Chicago, a local tour bus company, features trips into the twisted corners of Chicago's history. Visit the sites of gangland slayings, celebrity-haunted graveyards, mysterious vanishings and just plain creepy occurrences. Your friendly--if not spooky--guide will fill you in on the offbeat, frightening or bloody details. If you're looking for a true Chicago experience, check out the company's tour featuring Resurrection Mary, one of Chicago's best-known, and saddest, ghost stories.
Weird Chicago Tours
(888) 446-7859
www.weirdchicago.com
Freaky and Free
The City of Chicago celebrates Halloween in a big way. In fact, the city calls it ChicagoWeen. Daley Plaza, in the heart of downtown, features seasonal activities in the weeks before the holiday. Daily events feature circus acts, fire-eaters, mask-making demonstrations and a harvest market. Throughout Chicago, city parks also offer a trick-or-treat bag full of activities, including pumpkin decorating, haunted houses, scary storytellers, horror movie showings and much more.
Daley Plaza
50 W. Washington St.
Chicago, Illinois 60602
(877) 244-2246
Wild and Weird
Chicago's North Side features a mix of young, artistic and gay neighborhoods that take Halloween seriously. If you're into people watching, take a stroll along Halsted Street north of Belmont and enjoy the wild display of costumes and decorations. Most area bars will have Halloween-themed events as well. See Resources for a list of hot spots and must-sees.
About The Author
James Bolger has spent two decades writing on health, nutrition, golf, fitness, travel, insurance, and more. Bolger served as managing editor for "Maturity Matters," a newsletter on senior lifestyles, and "Your Health and Fitness," a consumer health magazine. He has also written on health and medical research for academic medical centers. Bolger earned his Bachelor of Arts in communications/English from DePaul University.
