Louisville’s Crescent Hill neighborhood is quickly gaining national recognition as one of the best trick-or-treat destinations in the country!
Looking for somewhere special to trick-or-treat with the kids this Halloween? Many long time Louisville residents already know where they can find more K-Mart cobwebs, grinning jack-lanterns, plastic skeletons and Styrofoam graveyards than anywhere else in town, but recently the rest of the country is catching on too.
Last year, AOL Travel crowned Hillcrest Avenue number nine on the list of the Top Ten Best Halloween Neighborhoods in America.
The annual tradition has been going on for nearly 20 years along the three block stretch between Frankfort Avenue and Brownsborro Road, and many homeowners on the route start setting up their elaborate displays in early October. Each participating household regularly purchases between $200 and $300 worth of candy to hand out to the average of 2,500 to 3,000 trick-or-treaters from all over the city.
That’s just on Halloween. The special effects and lights show goes on every night in October and the sidewalks are packed with people every night, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. Hillcrest generally expects around 75,000 visitors to walk up and down its spooky stretch of road through October 31.
If you plan on trick-or-treating on Hillcrest this year, the official hours next Friday are from 5 PM until 9 PM with police sweeping the streets clean at 10 PM. You can keep up with the latest news at www.hillcresthalloween.com where this year they have a page dedicated to Hillcrest Selfies posted on Instagram or Twitter. You’ll find dozens of Hillcrest Selfie stations up and down the entire street.
I took a twilight trip out to Hillcrest this afternoon to see what was new and snap a few photos before the sun went down and the crowds came out. Many of the usual favorites have returned this year, including Hillcrest Cemetery, the Ghouly Garden, Area 51 and the Clown House.
I think my favorite new creation this year was the house probably inspired by the 2006 animated film, “Monster House,” which has turned an entire two story house into a raging monstrosity with glowering eyes and razor sharp teeth. It already has blood dripping from its front porch fangs, so I’d think carefully before trick-or-treating there even if they’re promising full size Snickers bars.
Have fun and be safe this Halloween, and be sure to regularly check the Louisville Halloween website for more Halloween news and reviews all next week. Our Facebook and Twitter pages will be updated with the latest news as it comes in. Happy Halloween from the Phantom of the Ville!
