Head to the bayou for ghost stories and more this Halloween. It's Halloween costumes for all ages, Halloween kids fun, Halloween adult fun and Halloween party time for all ages.

The main spooky attraction in Louisiana’s capital is its famously scary haunted house, The 13th Gate. This scream-arena was rated as the #1 Haunted Attraction in the country in 2008 and has 13 different themed areas. The 13th Gate is not for the faint of heart, but is a perfect Halloween treat (or trick) for teens looking for the ultimate scare. It’s open from September 24th until November 13th, and has special $5 Off Family Nights every Thursday until October 17th.

Baton Rouge is a cultural city with style and a vibe like no other, not to mention its rich historical background. Take the whole family on a plantation tour complete with guides dressed in period costumes and explore the authentic houses of the time. The San Francisco Plantation (888/322-1756) offers tours daily from 9:40am-4:40pm (April-October) and 10am-4pm (November-March) every 20 minutes. Tours will bring you through all 14 rooms of the plantation for $15 per adult, $7 for students and free for kids 6 and under.

If you have younger kids who need some fun activities too, there are plenty of animal-lover attractions. An Alligator Bayou (888/3-SWAMPS) tour is the perfect outdoor activity. Don’t worry about your teenagers having fun, you’ll all get up close and personal with alligators, turtles, herons and tons of swamp wildlife on the boat tour that guides you through 13,000-acres of the Spanish Lake Basin. Although a pricier activity at $27 per adult or $22 for those 15 years of age and under, it will give the whole family a sense of eco-friendly tourism and wildlife preservation. (Note: Due to the drainage of the Alligator Bayou, boat tours have been suspended. Exhibit tours are still being offered at a rate of $15/PP and last for about an hour).

Baton Rouge also offers another animal experience that may be easier on the pocketbook. The Global Wildlife Center (985/796-3585) has giraffes (including 2 recently-born babies), zebras, camels, bison and other exotic animals that can be observed and fed on a Safari Wagon Tour. The tours allow every member of the family, no matter how big or small, to enjoy the beauty of animals for $17 per adult and $10 per child (ages 2-11).

Baton Rouge also has a zoo (225/775-3877) with over 1,800 animals, an aquarium (800/774-7394) where you can visit the Amazon or the mighty Mississippi (plus two famous otters, Buck and Emma), and a theme park, Dixie Landin’ and water park, Blue Bayou.

For more information on where to lay your heads if this is not your family's final burial ground, visit the Baton Rouge Louisiana tourism website.