Halloween Tricks and Treats

A rising yellow moon casts a magical glow on the deep blue waters that lap at the docks of John's Pass Village & Boardwalk, setting the stage for a haunted night. A female pirate points her jeweled finger toward the sparkling sea and recounts in an Irish brogue the legends of the dead who still make appearances: the Tocobaga Indians who sometimes glow an eerie green over the deserted Eleanor Key, the emaciated Union soldiers who died attempting to smuggle food to their fellow soldiers and sometimes appear walking above the water.

They are just some of otherworldly residents you'll learn about on Tampa Bay Ghost Tours at historic John's Pass. It doesn't have to be Halloween to take this tour or one of the other area ghost walks, but a paranormal excursion is a fitting way to get into the spooky spirit – and learn about the area's history. The tales are based on the lives of real former residents.

The St. Petersburg/Clearwater area is also filled with once-a-year ghost tours and many other man-made frights during Halloween week, which makes it an ideal place to get a little creepy and bag a lot of candy. Spend the night with ghosts at the historic [[alias:Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa:Belleview Biltmore Resort, Beach Club, Golf & Spa]] in Clearwater, Don CeSar Beach Resort on St. Pete Beach or the Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club in downtown St. Petersburg. All three historic hotels are allegedly haunted by friendly ghosts, and paranormal tours are offered along with accommodations on Oct 31 and Nov. 1.

For a hair-raising scare, nothing tops a trek through Busch Gardens' elaborate Howl-O-Scream. The special theme park attraction has multiple haunted houses along with scare zones and roaming ghouls. (Note: Event contains extreme adult content.)

A tamer haunted house and tons of treats await young goblins at the annual Boo Bash, which typically draws about 6,000 people to Bright House Field in Clearwater. Other family-friendly places to haunt include Main Street Trick or Treat in Safety Harbor, Treat and Halloween in the Park – Treats You Can Trust in Pinellas Park and Fabulous Final Friday in St. Pete Beach.

If you want to make Halloween pay for itself and more, create some spook-tacular garb and enter an area costume contest. The Halloween Costume Ball in Gulfport offers more than $250 in cash and prizes for the best costumes. Dress up Fido and let him earn his keep at the Barkoween Costume Party at the Belleview Biltmore, Halloween Yappy Hour at Domain Food & Spirits in Gulfport and All Howlers Eve in Largo.

And if you need some costume ideas, peer out over John's Pass late at night and you might just see what real ghosts wear.

If you go

Tampa Bay Ghost Tours, www.allthebesthaunts.com/welcome.html, 727-398-5200
Ghost Tours of Historic St. Petersburg, 727-894-4678, www.ghosttour.net/stpetersburg.html
Belleview Biltmore, 727-373-3000,
www.belleviewbiltmore.com/calendar/holloweeen_2008.html
Don CeSar, http://media.don-cesar.com/index.cfm?id=555
Renaissance Vinoy Resort, vinoyrenaissanceresort.com
Howl-O-Scream, Busch Gardens, http://raventwins.com/main.aspx
Boo Bash, Clearwater, 727-467-4457, www.threshersbaseball.com
Main Street Trick or Treat, Safety Harbor, 727-724-1572
Treat and Halloween in the Park – Treats You Can Trust, Pinellas Park, 727-541-0874, www.pinellas-park.com/Departments/Community_Activities/docs/Press_Releas...
Fabulous Final Friday, St. Pete Beach, 727-363-9245
Barkoween, 727-545-3463, www.spotusa.org/Barkoween.html
All Howlers Eve, 727-518-3016, www.largo.com/egov/apps/events/calendar.egov?path=03&action=details&id=2...
Halloween Yappy Hour, Gulfport, 727-347-1928