Texas Parks Make Finding Halloween Fun Easy

News Release
Media Contact: Tom Harvey, 512-389-4453, tom.harvey@tpwd.state.tx.us

Oct. 16, 2009

AUSTIN, Texas — No matter where you are in Texas, more than a dozen nearby state parks and fisheries centers have a variety of family-themed Halloween activities and attractions to offer.

The fun kicks off a full week before Halloween, with seasonal events at three state parks on Saturday, Oct. 24. From 6-10 p.m., Purtis Creek State Park near Eustace will host a Halloween carnival featuring games with prizes, campsite trick-or-treating and a Halloween hayride. Games are only 25 cents and the hayride is only 50 cents, and park admission fees will be waived for those participating in Halloween events. Call (903) 425-2332 for more information.

On the same night from 7-9 p.m., Houston’s Sheldon Lake State Park will host its annual Natural Halloween, featuring Halloween hiking, night fishing and campfire tales. Call (281) 456-2800 for more information.

From 6-10 p.m. on the same night, Estero Llano Grande State Park, a World Birding Center site in Weslaco, will host its fourth annual Halloween Spooky Science Fest. Activities will include a kids’ costume contest, night hikes, spooky stories, candy treats and science experiments. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under. Call (956) 565-3919 for details.

The fun continues on Sunday, Oct. 25, with events at Guadalupe River State Park and Sea Center Texas. From 1-3 p.m., Sea Center Texas in Lake Jackson will host the Sea Center Spooktacular, a free event featuring costumes and trick-or-treating. Then, from 6-10 p.m. Guadalupe River State Park will host its annual evening of fun, stories, food and fright of the fun kind. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 children 12 and under.

The festivities kick into high gear Halloween weekend, with nine events planned at different state parks across the state. The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center’s Halloween at the Hatchery will be held in Athens on Oct. 29 from 6-8:30 p.m. Then, on Halloween night, Caprock Canyons, Fort Richardson, Lake Somerville (Birch Creek Unit), Lake Texana, Martin Dies, Jr., Purtis Creek and Ray Roberts Lake (Isle du Bois Unit) state parks will all host Halloween hikes. Finally, Government Canyon State Natural Area in west Bexar County will host a true Halloween extravaganza from 6-9 p.m. The festivities will include a costume contest, ghost stories, pumpkin carving and treats. Reservations are required: to R.S.V.P, e-mail reservations@friendsofgc.org.

For more information and a complete listing of Halloween events at state parks, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Web site.

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On the Net:

• http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/calendar/