Totally Texas -- A Halloween for all ages

Love Halloween but despair of finding fun stuff that’s not too gory, too late-night or too adult to attend with your kids? Of course, I’ve got suggestions, rated G to PG to PG-13.

G-rated: G stands for “grown-ups” too. Everybody can find something fun at the Dallas Arboretum. This Saturday and Sunday, October 26-27, is Family Fun Weekend at the Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road in Dallas. Special events include trick or treating at the Small Houses of Great Artists from noon - 4 p.m. Special children‘s attractions also on Monday and Tuesday.

For something more late-night but still with a G rating, check out the Chihuly Nights, 6-9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. (Just announced, Dale Chihuly’s glass sculpture exhibits will remain at the Arboretum through the end of the year, with night hours Monday through Wednesday November through December.) For details on day and night activities, see http://www.dallasarboretum.org/.

Also with a G rating -- Dias de los Muertos celebration this Saturday, October 27, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Latino Cultural Center, 2600 Live Oak in Dallas. Includes performances by Alegre Ballet Folklorico and Aztec dancers, music and craft workshops. Artwork exhibit of altars created by local artists and the community runs through November 3. For more information, see www.dallasculture.org/latinoCulturalCenter/.

Still G, but be prepared to answer questions like, “What are those dead people doing?” at The Bath House Cultural Center’s Dia de los Muertos art exhibition, now through November 10. At 521 E. Lawther Dr., in Dallas. Free. See www.dallasculture.org/bathhouseculturecenter/.

Also at the Bathhouse, but now moving into PG-13 territory, ghost tales at 7 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, narrated by the Dallas Storytelling Guild. I attended last year and older due to mild but far from pornographic sexual content. Tour the art exhibit during intermission. Tickets $10. For more information, see
http://dallasstorytelling.org/.

I haven’t attended the Dallas Heritage Village’s Haunted Heritage evening tour, but since they sell tickets for the under-12 crowd, I’m guessing PG is still a safe rating. Tonight, October 26, from 6:30 - 9 p.m. Adult tickets $8 in advance, with limited quantities available at the door for $10 at the door, 1515 Harwood Street. For additional ticket information, see www.dallasheritagevillage.org/.

Willing to travel further afield? Try Murder & Mayhem: True Crimes of Collin County, tonight (October 26) 7-10 p.m., at Heritage Farmstead Village, 1900 W. 15^th St., in Plano. The museum rates this PG-13, with tickets $20, advance sales only. Includes lantern tour of the site, storytelling and a reenacted historic murder trial. Contact Hilary Kidd, 972-881-0164, or
hkidd@heritagefarmstead.org/

And further north, check out the Legends of McKinney Ghost Walk, Saturday, October 27, from 6 - 10 p.m. A self-guided tour through the Chestnut Square Historic Village and downtown McKinney, with storytellers at each site to share the legends. I’ll rate this PG, for the time frame. Adult tickets $12 in advance, $15 the night of the walk. See www.chestnutsquare.org/.