driving the conway halloween house decorating contest
Halloween in Conway is just over the top. And some residents take it to another level with their home displays. The city holds a house decorating contest and although it seems to be a little less elaborate than in 2022 there are still some fun ones to see!
NOTE: These photos are from 2022, we haven’t yet driven it for 2023 so not sure if some of these decorations were recreated this year.
Big details
You can find the official map here. The red stars indicate an entry so you can make your own driving route. It looks like there are only 13 entires this year. Most are fairly well clustered together but a few are in the northern part of Conway.
west conway:
116 Creel st*
3162 holly loop*winner in 2022
407 palmetto st
501 pittman st*
central:
601 burroughs st
705 laurel st* winner in 2022
1113 collins st
900 16th ave
farther north:
2501 aaron st*2022 big winner
209 derbyshire lane
4112 highway 813
4260 siwel road
even farther north:
5050 adrain hwy
5064 adrian hwy
*indicates a 2022 entrant also
tips & Good to know info
DETERMINE IF YOU WANT MORE DAYLIGHT OR NIGHT VIEWING | We started when the sun was just setting. It was nice to see a few of the displays in the dusk hour. Originally we thought they would be best to see after dark but I don’t actually think that was true for most of them. Many have many small details that you would miss at night. And the kids definitely got more spooked by the bigger/scarier ones at night. So if you want a spookier experience, go later. If you want a more tame/appreciate the effort and small details kinda experience, go with more daylight.
WEAR HALLOWEEN JAMMIES & BRING HALLOWEEN MUDDY BUDDIES | We gave the kids bathes and put them in their halloween jammies before making the drive. It was fun and played up the theme (and helped with a smoother bedtime later)! And we’d also made a halloween version of muddy buddies earlier that day so we packed a baggie of that for the car.
GET OUT OF THE CAR AT A FEW | We got out for a few, mostly during the daylight. It might feel weird just walking into a strangers yard but I think they know to expect that when they sign up to let their address be public in this way. Of course, just be respectful and leave no trace.
BRING A FLASHLIGHT | This is something we didn’t do but would have been smart. Many neighborhoods are not well lit so if you’re getting out of your vehicle it helps to know where you’re stepping.
KNOW YOUR KIDS TOLERANCE (AND YOUR OWN) | I mean, are you or your kids sort of sensitive to gory, scary, creepy, sinister type content/images? There were lots of severed heads, red evil eyes, creepy/crazed dolls, and menacing figures clearly designed to look as scary as possible. Once it got dark and around the main winner and the spookiest winners house I just sorta felt the heaviness of what this holiday can represent or bring people to celebrate. I think all of this is in good fun but there is no doubt that what we consume effects us deeply so just know your/your child’s limits and how this will affect those little overactive imaginations. No one had nightmares but the kids did not want to linger at some of these spots (and truthfully, neither did I).
LESS ELABORATE THAN 2022 | There were quite a few more entrants in 2022 than this year. Maybe others still decorated but just decided not to officially enter this contest.
