San Francisco is known for many things: a place where you can enjoy the best parks, satisfy your hunger for culture, find the best in food and entertainment, and so on.  What some may not know, though, is that you can also find the scariest attractions here.

Those who are all for the spirit of Halloween should visit San Francisco Bay Area to honor those who have passed away and have good fun with spooky activities.

Celebrate the day of the dead

The Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration will be held at the Gourmet Ghetto in Shattuck Avenue on Wednesday, November 2, 2011.

Community members will create an altar where they can put flowers and candles along with photos of their loved ones.  They may also share stories about them.

At 5 to 7:30 PM, there will be a free skeletal face painting while mariachi music is played by Con Permisso.

There will also be a contest for best grown-up costumes at 7:30 PM (a children’s Halloween costume contest is held separately on October 31).  While winners of the contest is being deliberated, the Cuatli Mitotiana Mexica Aztec Dancers will grace the event with a performance.

A candlelight procession will follow soon after and bring the affair to a close.

All throughout Halloween week (from Obtober 27 to November 2), the Gourmet Ghetto restaurants will offer what they call a “Ghoulish Gastronomique” menu.  Some of the delicacies you can look forward to tasting are: deviled chicken, one-eyed monster pizza, creepy crepes, and ghoul’s eye soup.

Dia de los Muertos is sponsored by the North Shattuck Association.  For more information, visit: http://www.anotherbullwinkelshow.com/day-of-dead/

Let fear reign in a premiere haunted house

Haunted houses may be for kids, but Fear Overload: Eternal Nightmare Haunted House—voted as the scariest haunt in California in 2011—is making sure that the steely adults can still and will get the scare of their life.

Led by a design team with over 20 years of experience, they offer two new 3D haunted attractions which promise to bring your “worst nightmare to life”: 3D Mayhem and The Uprising, where guests are forewarned that “whatever you do, do not look behind the curtains”.

Fear Overload separates themselves from other haunted attractions by doing away with clichéd tricks.  They guarantee that there will be no “cheap scares”.  Neither there will be safety “from fear even if you are standing in the middle of your group”.  They also boast of “extraordinary quality and detail”; according to them, they “will not let anything bring your back to reality”.

Because of extremely horrifying scenes, the haunted attractions are not recommended for children under 14.

Fear Overload: Eternal Nightmare Haunted House is located at the San Leandro BayFair Mall.  For more information, visit: http://www.fearoverload.com/

If you’re looking for a place to stay, you’ll find that the Berkeley/El Cerrito Super 8 Hotel is perfectly situated for visiting these great events.  In addition, the Super 8 offers a level of amenities and personal service that far surpass those you can find directly in downtown—at a fraction of the price.  Free Parking, wifi, and complementary continental breakfast will be waiting for you to make your visit just a bit easier!