While October is the season for rewatching classic Halloween movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and all of the Friday the 13th movies, it's also time to revisit some of the best family-friendly Disney Halloween movies. And one of the most popular is Halloweentown. Many fans of the iconic Halloween-themed film often find themselves asking, "Where was Halloweentown filmed?" Well, you're in luck, because you can actually visit the town that brought this beloved gem of a film to life. Just 45 minutes from Portland, Ore. is the idyllic and whimsical setting best known as the set of the cult-classic Disney tetralogy. The real-life town of St. Helen's might have fewer magical creatures, but it's just as fascinating. The small town - with approximately 14,000 residents - is a beautiful riverside community named for its view of Mount St. Helens.
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Ever since the filming of the first Halloweentown film, which debuted in 1998, the town holds a more than month-long celebration around its now iconic pumpkin, which is lit on the first Saturday of October each year with an incantation from the movie. The celebration, known as The Spirit of Halloweentown, now attracts thousands of Halloweentown fans and Halloween enthusiasts from around the world for its lineup of family-friendly festivities. Not only does the celebration embrace everything about Marnie Piper's favorite holiday, but while you're in town, you'll also be able to see some notable Halloweentown filming locations that will make you feel like you've stepped right into the film. Want to see the famous pumpkin outside Town Hall or Benny's cab outside the magical bus stop? It's all there!
This year, the film will be celebrating its 25th anniversary, so St. Helens visitors can expect extra special festivities to commemorate the occasion. The weekend of October 21, the actors who played Halloweentown characters Marnie, Luke, Dylan, and Sophie will even be in attendance to meet and greet with fans and reminisce on 25 years of Halloweentown memories. Photos and autographs are even available for advance purchase.
Visit Memorable Filming Locations
Disney
While visiting the town, make sure to check out some of the film's iconic settings. At the Halloweentown Plaza, you'll see the giant pumpkin, Benny's cab, and the magical bus stop. Then, head to The Columbia Theatre, a nearly 100-year-old single-screen cinema, to experience the movie theater where the shadow creature was hiding in the first Halloweentown movie. Most exciting of all is Aggie Cromwell's House, which is a top-rated bed and breakfast called Nob Hill Riverview Bed & Breakfast, where you can spend the night during your time in St. Helens.
During the Spirit of Halloweentown festivities, attendees can immerse themselves in the beauty of the area with activities like the Sand Island Adventure Boat Ride, which whisks passengers across the river to Sand Island, where they'll walk a nature path, view pumpkin carvings by renowned carving artist Wade Lapp, and toast a marshmallow by the fire. The island even has disc golf and a ladder challenge. Or attendees can see the river on a train with the Whispers on the Water ride, which ends with a look at the town's beloved mermaids sculpture.
Other activities include perusing The Great Big Halloween Exhibit, which displays Halloween decor throughout the years, asking your burning questions for extraterrestrials at The Alien Interview and Museum of Peculiarities & Oddities, taking a spooky shuttle ride uptown for a lunch of pizza and candy, or hopping aboard the Halloweentown train to see some of St. Helen's best-decorated homes. For a more frightful Halloween activity, there's also a haunted house.
Special events taking place throughout this season include a Hocus Pocus weekend with appearances by the young versions of the iconic witch trio Winnie, Mary and Sarah from Hocus Pocus 2. There will also be an election for Mayor of Spirit of Halloweentown, the "Big Parade Day," and performances by local high school groups - to name a few.
Festive Halloween Activities
Facebook/Spirit of Halloweentown
The festivities will conclude with a witch's celebration - including Witches on the Water - where witches from Maleficent to Glenda the Good Witch float down the river on paddle boards. The annual Ghouls Gambol Road Rally will feature cars decked out in Halloween décor, and finally, there will be a Little Trick or Treaters Parade for the little ones.
Visitors should also make time to stroll through The Vendors Village to shop, dine, see the Caldron Sisters dance, and check out the costume contest that takes place each Saturday and Sunday - complete with cash prizes!
And while Halloweentown began the Spirit of Halloweentown celebration, the beloved movie isn't the only fantasy film to have scenes shot in St. Helen's, Oregon. It was also the backdrop for many well-known Twilight settings - including Bella Swan's house! You can also stroll past the shops Bella and her friends visited while prom dress shopping or see the exterior of the restaurant where Edward told Bella he could read minds.
This year's festivities will kick off in September, with Twilight weekend featuring meet and greet opportunities with the actors who played some of the most well-known vampires, such as Dr. Cullen, Jasper, and Irena.
Whether you're a Halloweentown superfan traveling to St. Helen's for the upcoming 25th anniversary, a Twilight lover, or a casual Halloween enthusiast checking out The Spirit of Halloweentown during a trip to Portland, there's so much to see and do this fall in St. Helen's - from the riverside train ride to meet and greets with celebrities from your favorite films and a spooky shuttle ride.
To purchase tickets, view a schedule events, or learn more information about the Spirit of Halloweentown festivities, visit spiritofhalloweentown.com.
