Did you know you can really visit the town where the Halloweentown the Disney movie was filmed? Take a trip to the Pacific Northwest this Fall and plan a trip to visit "Halloweentown" in St. Helen's Oregon, a quaint little riverside town. We went last year and it was so much fun. This blog guide will help you plan your trip to Halloweentown. Put on a spooky outfit and channel your best witchy vibes.
Plan a Trip to Halloweentown
While we spent the day in St. Helen's, Oregon, we really planned the trip to visit Portland, Oregon, and the Oregon coast so I'll touch on some of that in a later post if you're interested in our entire trip. But let's dive right into some Halloweentown tips and tricks to plan your trip.
How Far is St. Helen's from Portland?
St. Helen's is only a 40-45 minute drive from Portland so it makes a great day trip. Because it was so close we knew it would be a town to visit to kick off the Halloween season and put us in the Halloween mood.
When to visit Halloweentown?
St. Helen's is a regular town so you can visit any time of the year, but they really put on a show for Spirit of Halloweentown from mid-September all the way until Halloween (Sep 16-Oct 31, 2023).
Because of our trip itinerary, we visited on a weekday which was much more chill, but if you visit on the weekends, they open their main attractions and it's much more fun!
What to do in Halloweentown?
The main attraction in my opinion is the plaza in front of the courthouse with the large Halloweentown pumpkin! This is open on the weekends (weekdays for free) for photo ops and walking through. You can also see Benny the cab driver and pose with him for a picture. On October 7th, they have a big Halloweentown parade that ends with a pumpkin lighting so that's fun!
On weekends you can purchase tickets to other attractions as well such as the haunted house, Big Halloween Exhibit, boat ride to Sand Island to hunt for Big Foot, a decorated houses tour, alien museum, movie theater showings, celebrity photo-ops and more!
They host a costume contest every Saturday and Sunday with cash prizes up for grabs so go all out!
Weekend attractions are usually open from 10 am to 5 pm unless otherwise noted.
Halloweentown Photo Op Places?
Giant Pumpkin - Halloweentown Plaza
City Hall/Courthouse Plaza - Halloweentown Plaza at 275 Strand Street
Benny’s Cab - Parked along Halloweentown Plaza (it's not exactly the cab from the movie, but Benny will be there in the driver’s seat and it's a fun photo to snag!)
Bus stop - Halloweentown Plaza
Old Theater: 212 S 1st Street (You can actually watch movies here including Halloweentown!)
If you're looking for Aggie Cromwell’s house, it's located at 3814 SE Martins Street, Portland, Oregon so that's a bummer.
Special events in Halloweentown?
On October 21st- 22nd it's the 25th anniversary of the original movie and they will have special guests including "Sophie, Dylan, Luke, and Marnie" there, where you can get paid autographs and/or pictures with the cast. There is even a pizza party with Sophie, Dylan, and Luke you can attend. You can go inside the courthouse and see part of the movie set as well as scripts and other props and view the Halloweentown movie in their theater to celebrate!
Other weekends are a host to special events such as Twilight weekend (September), Hocus Pocus weekend (September), Haunted Hotrods (October) and Witches Beer Fest and Witches Celebration (October).
If you're a Twilight fan, the Bella Swan Twilight house is also in St. Helen's. You can stop by to see it and take your picture out front as well.
Where to park for Halloweentown?
During the weekdays you can park in the city on 231 S First Street and it's free. On the weekends, because it's a small town that pulls a big crowd, they offer parking passes for 1810 Old Portland Road and will shuttle you into the town. Parking on weekends costs $15 a day online and $20 in person so plan ahead.
To get more information and purchase your tickets for attractions, celebrity photos, parking, and more, visit their Halloweentown website.
Visiting Halloweentown is such a fun trip and such a unique place!
If you are planning a trip to Portland or the Oregon coast, come back soon for my 4-day trip itinerary and guide!
Looking for more Halloween fun?
Check out our DIY Cheesecloth Ghosts, 13 Witchy Reads for Fall, and Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam Recipe.