For a fun group activity on Halloween or any other night, go to a nearby cemetery and play a game called Ghost in the Graveyard. It is bound to be a scary good time.
Ghost in the graveyard is played like this: Someone is “it” and closes his eyes at the base—which is usually a tree—and counts, “One o’clock, two o’clock, three o’clock . . .” all the way up to 12 o’clock. Then he says, “Ghost in the graveyard, run, run, run,” and the other people have to sneak back and try and get to base without getting tagged by the person who is it. It is really, really fun. You could play that or just a normal game of tag at the graveyard, and afterward, sit and tell scary stories. The cool thing about this date idea is that is it pretty much free.
The only thing I’d suggest it that you don’t disturb the dead—who knows what might happen . . . queue scary music.
Honestly though, if you aren’t careful, your game can turn too rowdy, at which time it becomes disrespectful to a place many consider sacred. An alternate option and probably better option is to play next to the cemetery, or at a park near it. Or just play it at any random park that has lots of trees and bushes and places to hide.
Maybe you can get in the spirit of Halloween and play while dressed up in your costumes. Or have everyone come dressed as zombies or something.
What you need for this ghost in the graveyard date:
You will need to find a graveyard (cemetery or memorial park) that is open, and then just get your group together and play the game. Or as I mentioned, play next to it, or just in some creepy woods or something. Also, bring a bunch of treats for people to eat afterward. If you need some ideas on what to make or bring, check out my food blog, In the Kitchen with Matt.
My commentary on this date:
It was a cool summer evening and I was sitting crouched behind a bush. I could barely peek through the branches and see the creature, my friend, Timmy, patrolling the base. I was breathing heavily. More than once I thought my cover was blown, but staying still kept me hidden. Timmy started to run in the other direction; I didn’t see who he was after so I made my move.
It took only a second to realize he had tricked me; he lured me out perfectly, and now it was a foot race to the base. I took pride in the fact that I was one of the fastest kids in the neighborhood, so knew it shouldn’t be a contest. I took long strong strides across the street, and then leaped over a bush; Timmy was getting closer, closer, he slid to tag me, I evaded his move, and tagged base. Wow, that was close.
The good ole days
Many times, I spent evenings with my friends playing this game. We never got bored, never got tired of it. When we got started we only stopped when our mothers called our names.
Later in life, I had the opportunity to reminisce and play that game again with a big group of friends; the sounds of girls screaming and laughing as they ran to the base or tried to tag someone was pretty cool. Good times. Honestly, the girls that were with us loved this game. And thought it was such a great group date idea. It brings back those childhood memories that we remember fondly.
Do you have experience with this ghost in the graveyard creative date idea? Let me know in the comments how it went and if your date, spouse, significant other liked it. You can buy a copy of the book 101 Creative Dates: ideas, tips, and personal experiences from the life of a hopeless romantic here or visit the shop.
Here are other creative date ideas you might like: