No Halloween celebration is complete without fun, themed appetizers. Our easy recipes will be the haunting hit of your party!

Give a subtle nod to the Halloween classic It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and serve this sharp-cheddar cheese ball with a pepper kick.

The Great White Pumpkin Cheese Ball
Ingredients:

• 2 (10-oz.) blocks extra-sharp white Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 (4-oz.) goat cheese logs, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Braided pretzel, muscadine vine and leaf
• Crackers and assorted vegetables
• 
  Preparation:
  Stir together first 4 ingredients. Shape mixture into a ball to resemble a pumpkin. Smooth pumpkin's entire surface with metal spatula or table knife. Make vertical grooves in ball, if desired, using fingertips. Press pretzel into top of cheese ball to resemble a pumpkin stem; place muscadine vine and leaf beside pretzel. Serve with crackers and assorted vegetable

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By Katie Meyers, GalTime.com

As we get closer to Halloween, entertain your little goblins with fun (not frightful!) activities by turning a chilly fall day into a "crafternoon." Try these four DIY projects at home for kids of all ages.

1. Create a candy pumpkin character. Gather an assortment of candies so the kids can create a sweet and spooky face by gluing or taping each item onto the pumpkin! Remind them that the glue-covered candy is not edible, but the leftover candies are!

For an even lower-tech version, use a simple-to-apply sticker kit like this one from Paper Source for $8.95.

Related: Six Spooktacular Ways to Decorate For Halloween On A Dime

2. Decorate trick-or-treat bags. Round up craft items such as markers, colored pencils, cardstock, glue sticks, stamps or stickers and spend a few hours with your kids creating their goodie bag.

Trick-or-Treat Bags

3. Trace iconic Halloween silhouettes o

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Head to the nearest patch with your little pumpkin pickers in tow. From Maryland to Texas, we've got the perfect spots for cider, corn mazes, and fall fun.

Belkin Family Lookout Farm
Bostonians know Belkin Family Lookout Farm does fall in a big way. Scale the hay pyramid, wander the burlap maze, and then break for apple cider and donuts.

89 Pleasant Street South, South Natick, MA (508-653-0653 or lookoutfarm.com).




Kid- Friendly Halloween Wall Decals

Dallas Arboretum

Dallas Arboretum
Cinderella would have hightailed it early from the ball if she'd known a carriage like the one here awaited. Fairy tale-themed houses and 50,000 gourds and squashes make up the elaborate displays at Dallas Arboretum. That's how they do it in Texas.

8525 Garland Road, Dallas, TX (214-515-6500 or dallasarboretum.org).



Fishkill Farms
At Fishkill Farms - about 90 minutes from Manhattan - pumpkin and apple-picking seasons conveniently coincide. After finding a jack-o'-lantern-worthy gourd, pluck Golden Delicious

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