Scary-good Halloween displays to visit in San Jose
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Families in the South Bay really get into spooky season. Year after year, their front yard displays get bigger and bigger - many looking more like Hollywood sets rather than homes.
It's many people's favorite tradition and we found a few of the best places you can visit for free on Halloween night.
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From the magical to the massive, the spooky and the rockin', the South Bay knows how to celebrate Halloween.
"It becomes that thing where the neighborhood's come out and see each other's haunts or displays and say, 'oh, that's fun'. And it gets upped every year," Matthew Howard said.
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Growing up in San Jose, the favorite part of Halloween of many is seeing the incredible displays that neighbors create at their home.
Like the Los Pinos Haunted Barbie Land, the Geronimo SJ Fun House and the Harry Potter House of San Jose.
"There's a lot of really great scares out there, but, that's the problem, you can't take little kids there," Howard said. "So, we want something that the whole family can come out, spend some time and just really get the community out. It's like you're transported to Diagon Alley. You get to see all the storefronts."
There's Honeyduke's, Olivanders, Flourish and Blotts and more.
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You can step into the wizarding world on Felder Drive where even neighboring homes have gotten involved.
Owner Matthew Howard says they get thousands of people nightly and they've raised nearly $10,000 in the past two years for Second Harvest Food Bank.
"Food insecurity is a big issue out in the area, so we wanted to make sure we're giving back," Howard said. "So, in addition to fun with the family, you can also make a difference."
Just up the road on Church Drive, they're making a difference by collecting toys for a toy drive with a display like something from the Great Halloween Fright Fight: the Ghoulish Goods Factory.
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"I love creating something, a theme and creating all the different nuances of that theme to bring it alive and as realistic as we can in three months," Owner Bob Schiro said.
For decades, between 7,000-8,000 people come here every Halloween and Nov. 1 to see this family display with dozens of "boo crew" behind it.
Owner Bob Schiro says there are no spoilers, so you'll have to come from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. to see for yourself.
"The energy from the public and the community converging on us on Halloween and the next night - the energy, for me, is just over the top," Schiro said.
It's one of many displays you can enjoy Halloween night.
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