Halloween in California

If you're looking to celebrate Halloween in a big way, California's cities and towns have lots to offer. To kick the season off, Half Moon Bay's Pumpkin Festival (held the second weekend in October) includes a biggest pumpkin contest as well as lot of other fall-themed activities.

• Los Angeles Theme Parks: The theme parks in the entertainment capitol go all out for Halloween. Disneyland gets all dressed up and the Haunted Mansion begins its run as the "The Nightmare Before Christmas," which will last until the end of the year. For a truly scary time, Universal Studios says their Halloween Horror Nights are the scariest in town. Not to be outdone, Knotts Berry Farm becomes Knotts Scary Farm. Less scary and lots of fun, the West Hollywood Halloween Costume Carnaval is sometimes billed as the "World's Largest Halloween Street Party."

• San Diego: Goings-on planned in San Diego include a Halloween Monster Bash in the Gaslamp and Haunted Trail at Balboa Park. Any time of year, the Whaley House is reputed to be one of the most haunted in the country.

• San Francisco: The long-standing annual street party in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood is still on hiatus after violence in 2006, but the city is sponsoring a Halloween Festival in the parking lot next to the baseball stadium. The Exotic Erotic Ball is in its 29th year, and Vampiress Mina Harker will be hard at work after dark, leading the San Francisco Vampire Tour.

• Silicon Valley and Santa Clara County: Gilroy Gardens offers a Halloween Treasure Hunt for kids 12 and under on October weekends. Even though tour guides make a point to tell you it's not haunted, Winchester Mystery House offers special flashlight tours for Halloween and it's kinda creepy, especially in the dark.

Any time of year, California has plenty of haunted houses, hotels and other places you can visit, or try one of our favorite ghost tours.