St. Helens, Oregon: Halloweentown!

Happy (early) Halloween! What better time for a fun, spooky, nostalgic three day trip than during the spookiest month of the year: October! If you think back to your childhood memories, during the great month of October, we trick-or-treated, carved silly faces into pumpkins, visited corn mazes and haunted houses AND we all watched Disney and ABC Family Halloween movies. Specifically, Halloweentown. For those unaware of this 1998 Halloween hit, it is a story that follows Marnie, an ordinary girl, who finds out on her thirteenth birthday that she is a witch. The movie follows her and her family as they travel to Halloweentown, a town where the supernatural can live their everyday lives without fear of encountering humans, and discover they must defeat an evil force before it takes over the supernatural town and human world.

Debbie Reynolds with the Great Pumpkin behind the scenes of the Halloweentown film.

St. Helens, Oregon, a county in Columbia County, Oregon, is the famous filming location of Halloweentown, and is our destination of interest for the itinerary this week. Walk around town and explore the world of St. Helens, Oregon turned into Halloweentown during the longest event of the year in this small town!

How to Get There

Airport to fly into: Portland International Airport

This airport is roughly an hour and eleven minutes away from St. Helens, Oregon. As an international airport, it is best to use and fly into because of the wide range of airlines it allows to fly in. Since it is a farther distance away, a rental car is ideal when it comes to driving around St. Helens and to/from Halloween town while you are there.

Places to Eat/Food to Try

1. Restaurants in St. Helens:
   1. Dockside Steak and Pasta– 4.5 Stars, Classic Italian Eatery with Patio Seating
   2. Big River Bistro– 4.8 Stars, Bistro styled eatery, comfort food

      

   3. Krazy Korner Restaurant– 4.2 Stars, American food, late-night food
   4. Sunshine Pizza– 4.3 stars, Laid-back italian and pizza, family style.
2. Vendors at Halloweentown– only available on weekends and varies each weekend. Reviews online note that they are delicious and go great with the theme of a town surrounding around Halloween!

Where to Stay

Hotel: Best Western Oak Meadows Inn

1. Location: Approximately 1.5 miles away from the center of town. 40 minutes away from Portland International Airport
2. Accommodations:
   1. Indoor Pool and Spa Hot Tub
   2. Daily Breakfast
   3. Each room comes with a fridge, microwave, tea/coffee station
   4. On sight business center with a fax and photocopying is also on sight, for those who must keep working while on their trip
3. Price:
   1. Room with Queen bed, non smoking : $263 for two nights, three days
   2. Room with King bed, non smoking: $319.19 for two nights, three days
   3. Room with two Queen beds, non smoking: $288 for two nights, three days

 

Things to Do

VISIT HALLOWEENTOWN

1. Location: Courthouse Plaza at the Historic Riverfront District in St. Helens Oregon (unless specified somewhere else by activity description)

   

2. Parking: $10 to park in 1st Street Lot by Riverfront and $1 to ride the Spooks shuttle to Courthouse Plaza. Enter from Old Portland
   1. The hotel is only 1.5 miles from the center of Courthouse Plaza, walking is an option
3. Activities (with Prices):
   1. Free Activities:
      1. Photo ops throughout the town, scarecrow trail throughout business district, ghostly walk in downtown St. Helens to enjoy special effects throughout town
   2. Tickets Purchased:
      1. Mystery Manor Kids Haunted House- $8.00
      2. Nightmare Haunted House (12+)- $15.00
      3. Face Painting- depends on design
      4. Festival of the Fairies- $12
      5. Photo Ops with Actors- depends on actor
   3. Lighting of the Great Pumpkin: free event, a major turning point in the movie, a must see time! In the film, the lighting of the great pumpkin signifies the joy and happiness of the town for the supernatural. 

      

 

Below is a link to the official guide of all the activities for each date to help you decide when you want to take your trip!

http://discovercolumbiacounty.com/20180101/

 

 

Happy Halloween! See you next week on The Road Most (Knowledgeably) Traveled.