Whether your kids are dressing up as vampires or queens (or vampire queens), chances are they are excited about Halloween. Check out these local activities for safe fun. And see our Calendar of Events (page 24) for even more goings-on.

Petaluma: Trick-or-Treat Trail Every year local kids let their imaginations run wild in downtown Petaluma. From Harry Potters to pirates to ladybugs, costumed children visit more than 60 merchants, who reward their disguises with candy. The event is free and will be held on October 31, 3–5:30 p.m. Find further information at petalumadowntown.com.

Petaluma: Pumpkins on Pikes Grab a pumpkin from a field at Tara Firma Farms, and then carve it while listening to live bluegrass and eating barbecue and hot dogs. (There’ll be a straw maze and games, too.) At the end of the evening, carved pumpkins will be placed atop pikes in a field and lit, creating an enchanting scene. The event happens on October 20 and 27, 2–10 p.m. Tickets are $20 (food an extra $5–$10); children under 6 free. Free pumpkin included with admission. Bring special carving tools, a blanket, and a dessert (if you plan to participate in the dessert potluck) but no dogs. Go to tarafirmafarms.com to purchase tickets.

Rohnert Park: Blind Scream Some people like to be afraid in a controlled environment. If you are one of them, you’ll find plenty of scares at Blind Scream. The annual event dedicates a 20,000 square-foot space to two different haunted houses, each with a unique theme. Take your pick: Lil Horus’s diabolical fun house or the demonic Doc’s Horratorium. You can also climb into a coffin for the Last Ride, which is said to simulate being buried alive. The houses will run Thursdays–Sundays, Oct. 12–28, as well as on Oct. 30 and 31. Thursday and Sunday hours are 7–10 p.m., other days 7–11 p.m. Tickets are $15–$35 (Last Ride $5). Note: The producers of this event take their scares seriously, which means the houses are not suitable for young children. (And parents cannot carry children through the houses.) Go to blindscream.com for details.

Santa Rosa: Floating Pumpkin Patch If you are not looking forward to traipsing through dirt in search of your family’s own magic pumpkin, change it up a bit and let kids go swimming for one instead, at Ridgway Swim Center on October 20, 1:30–6 p.m. Entry fee is $10 per person, and tickets must be bought in advance at tinyurl.com/ycbtagy4.

Santa Rosa: Halloween at Howarth Batman can ditch his Batmobile for the afternoon and ride Howarth Park’s mini-train or even a donkey (slightly less efficient for superhero duties, but the joy is in the journey, right?). And he and all his friends (ages 12 and under) can indulge their taste for sweets, too, as they visit candy stations throughout the park. There even will be face painting, sensory play, and arts and crafts. The fun happens on October 27, with trick-or-treating taking place in shifts: 11:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m.; 12:45–1:30 p.m.; 2–2:45 p.m. The basic pass is $6, but for $15 kids can also ride the train and take a one-lap pony ride. Purchase passes, and register for trick-or-treating shifts, at srcity.org/2164/Halloween-at-Howarth.