Wake up and google maps Halloweentown because it's a lot closer than you think. From the classic Disney Original movie to the real life town of October joy St. Helens, Oregon. This past weekend me along with my roommates made the grand trip north of Portland for our chance at to see this wonder. The car ride was about six hours long from Ashland, Oregon to St. Helens, Oregon. With a number of stops, a short lived nap and a long road trip playlist we arrived around 6:30 PM in St. Helens.

I think I expected a lot more than what I got, but the trip wasn't all for nothing. We went by a haunted house on our first night per request of one of my roommates. We entered a beat up old building across the Halloweentown plaza. One by one we held hands as we waited for the worst, OK I waited for the worst, and the worst is what we got.

I remember screams. I remember people banging on the walls and clowns following us at every turn. I tried to run back to the entrance hurdling the group with, but somehow we kept moving. More people came out with masks. One of my roommates cut herself as we made it to the exit and to celebrate our rush of adrenaline we took a picture in front of the town pumpkin.

(HalloweenTown plaza in front of city hall.)

There you go end of day one. Day two, however, was our last day in St. Helens and was filled with a few more happenings. For one we went back to the plaza and looked around the town for different things to do. In our journey we walked into a number of different hair salons asking about filming locations for the movie. In our first attempt we entered a salon which had been used for the dress shop scene in the first "Twilight" film. Our second salon pointed us in the direction of the computer tech store across from the big pumpkin. The computer shop happened to be the location for the scene in Halloweentown where Marnie cut the werewolf's hair. (I can't speak for all my roommate but I found this super exciting.) As we continued we ended up walking up a hill where the kids had Beanny drive them to reach their grandmas house. Unfortunately, for us Grandma's house was not in St. Helens. The house in the film was actually somewhere in Portland, Oregon. But the view over the hill did make it into the movie.

Obviously we had to take a picture of it... and before this picture there was this one down below.

(Benny's taxi cab. The tourist thing really suited as)

Before I continue to talk about this adventure I must relay a few fun facts like neither the pumkin or the taxi cab are the same one's seen in the movie. Disney had taken the rights to both keeping them secure in California while the town asked a local expert to create town versions inspired by the film (disclaimer not replicas. These are inspired by the film. they are not in any way exactly like the ones in the film.) The dentist office by the plaza was in fact used in the film as was the local theatre around the at the far left of the Halloweentown arch way.

(Speaking of archway)

Our adventures must sound amazing at this point right? Maybe. What really put the spin on everything was none other than Nicholas Brendon aka Xander from Buffy! That's right you heard it from me. With a few days anticipation our group knew a couple of the members of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer Cast" would be in town and we couldn't miss the chance. By we I mostly mean me and my roommate Lauren. I don't really know what came over us. When news hit that Anya (played by Emma Caulfield) would be absent from the fan meet and greet we grew disspointed. There was not much excitement afterwards until we met Nicholas who filled us with some kind of excitement.

We entered a room with him in it and he greeted us with a hug. I felt so special. We took a picture together and well afterwords we debated running to the shop across the street for some Buffy gear for him to sign. Plot twist Lauren and I bought a season of the slaying show each and somehow we ran into Nicholas in an antique shop where he graciously signed our Buffy DVD set and took a second picture with us.

I'd say the trip in itself was alright. There where some aspects I really liked, but word to the wise don't go in with high expectations because movie magic is the best kind of magic and it'll fool anyone.