Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

When the cool of Fall comes to south Florida and the thoughts of ghosts, ghouls and goblins start to cross your mind consider making a trip to the Magic Kingdom. On certain nights during the fall Disney’s Magic Kingdom holds it annual Halloween party, called Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. This is a family friendly Halloween party that it suitable for all ages, from trick or treating to parades and villains dancing, this party has something for everyone.

The Halloween party is an extra admission event that is held at the Magic Kingdom, you have to buy a ticket to the Halloween party, it is not included in park admission, but it’s well worth it. Once the party starts guests can take part in things that aren’t offered during regular park hours. A Special parade is held, along with a villain’s dance party, and trick or treating, not to mention the haunted mansion is made extra creepy for these special nights.

If you have never been to the party its good to know that you should arrive early, you can usually start to enter the park at least thirty minutes before the start of the party using your Halloween party ticket. Once you get in the park you should pick up a times guide for the Halloween events. If you can it’s a good idea to not go on Friday as this can be the busiest day to go.

The Dapper Dan's

I recommend starting out with visiting some of the trick or treat locations that are throughout the park. These locations are marked on the Halloween map; if you hit these early in the evening and late then you should not have much of a wait. So I think its best to hit one or two when the party first starts, and then by 7:30 have your spot for the first parade. Usually the parades will start at 8:30 and 10:30, I think its best to go to the early parade and be there at least an hour early. Most people will go to Main Street but this is a rookie mistake you want to head over to Frontierland to watch the parade, the parade starts in Frontierland and ends on Main Street. Spots will fill up fast and you want to get a good spot. I usually head to Casey’s Corner and grab some corn dog nuggets and find my spot in Frontierland an hour before the parade.

The Caretaker from the Haunted Mansion

Spots for the Boo to You Halloween Parade are hard to come by so guard it well, make sure that your entire party is there and waiting. It’s also important to note that before the parade you can see two things that can’t be seen at any time, the Dapper Dan’s are dressed up and singing stories or Halloween ghouls before the parade, if you are lucky you might catch wind of them signing of the scariest ghoul of all, the Headless Horseman. But beware about five minutes before the parade starts the Headless Horseman himself will ride through the parade route. (Please note, he cannot stop so make sure that you are clear of the route before he rides).  Following the horseman’s ride the parade will start and feature many of your favorite Disney characters dressed up in their costumes. If you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of some Disney ghouls such as the Haunted Mansion’s ballroom dancers, the Caretaker from the Haunted Mansion and his dog, the Hitchhiking ghosts, and classic Disney villains.

The Headless Horseman

Once the parade is over you should have a little time to hit a trick or treating spot or two or maybe a ride with a short line, but watch your time. If you want to catch the special Halloween fireworks show called Happy Hallowishes you will want to make sure that you give yourself plenty of time. Here’s a tip, don’t make the rookie mistake of watching the fireworks on Main Street, go to Beast’s Castle about fifteen minutes before the fireworks and watch them from there. There are fewer crowds, and it’s a much better view.

Haunted Mansion Dancers

After the fireworks it’s a good time to walk around and hit up a few of the rides that have shorter lines, then by about 10:00 the lines for a lot of rides will start to slack off and so will the trick or treating lines. A lot of people will be waiting for the second parade, and then will be leaving after that. So many ride lines that are usually very busy will thin out, when I was there the Peter Pan ride line was only a five minute wait, and Thunder Mountain was walk on. By 11:00 most trick or treat locations were cleared out and had no wait at all. It’s a good idea to make sure that you time your events well, that way you can make the most out of your time.

If you can try to plan visiting the Haunted Mansion during the second parade, the line will be pretty short and it’s a great time to do it. The cast members at the Haunted Mansion will be dressed up with makeup and

Haunted Mansion

cobwebs to look like they are dead and if you hang around in front of the mansion you can meet a ghost with a sense of humor. On the front lawn of the mansion you can meet one of the ballroom dancers, who likes to talk and make jokes at those that are still living. When I went her name was Miss Renalda, but it changes as to who is visiting each night. It can be fun to just hang out and watch her for a few minutes. She can be seen as you enter the mansion and as you exit the mansion.

While the Halloween Party is only a few hours long usually about 5 hours I think, if you know when and how to do things you can make the most of your time without having to rush at all. Just to give you a taste of some of the things to do, here are a couple of videos that I took at the party during my last visit.

Kooter Brown's - Pensacola Florida

So it has been a while since I talked about one of the best features of traveling, the food! It's always so much fun to try out new places to eat that you can't find in your home town. The best way to find some of these places to read up on reviews and to find out what the locals like. And if you want a great place in Pensacola follow the bumper stickers that say "I would rather be a Kooter than a Hooter". One of my all time favorite places is a small local place called Kooter Brown's, they are located in Pensacola Florida.

Kooter Brown's is a small restaurant that is a local place, that serves the typical food that you might associate with watching a football game. As a matter of fact that is the point behind this hidden treasure. It is meant to be a small place where people can come in and have a bite to eat and watch their favorite sporting event, no matter where you sit in this place you can see a television, and if you come in and wish to watch a certain event, all you have to do is request it, and they will either seat you in a place where you can see it, or turn the channel. If you are true sports fan you will also love the decor of the place, they have sports photos, banners and jerseys hanging all over the restaurant. Many professional and college teams are represented but there are also a good amount of local teams supported with their photos on the walls.

Now on to the good stuff, the food. If you find that you want to try out some of their Pre Game Warm Ups, I would have to tell you to try out the Fried Pickles. I love fried pickles and have tried my fair share of different versions, but this is by far my favorite. Most of the time when I go the person that I am with has to be careful before I eat all that they bring us. I would also highly recommend their chicken wings as a main course, my personal favorite is the honey BBQ, but I know that everyone's taste is different. I do have to admit though that they have very good wings, I usually don't care for wings but I keep finding myself craving Kooter's wings.

One thing to keep in mind is that when big games are being played the place is much more packed than when it's an off time for sports. Weekdays during the afternoon is one of the best times to go if you want to avoid the crowds. Plus if you go during the afternoon you can take advantage of the lunch specials. So now if you ever see someone with a bumper sticker in Pensacola that reads "I'd rather be a Kooter than a Hooter" you know what they are talking about.

6014 N 9th Ave 
Pensacola, FL
 32504
 ‎
(850) 484-3100