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You are here: Home / Fall Activities / Spooky and Fun Halloween Yard Decor in Champaign-Urbana

Spooky and Fun Halloween Yard Decor in Champaign-Urbana

October 20, 2022 By Kathy Richards

Explore your own neighborhood or seek out an unfamiliar destination, keep your camera handy, and enjoy the journey

Decorating for fall is a fundamentally optimistic act. Whether you are celebrating a bountiful harvest, anticipating spooky Halloween hijinks, or simply defying the disappearing daylight, we can all unite behind the fantasy that winter will never actually arrive.

Or we can pretend that skeletons are smiling because they are happy to see us. (Right?)

Spooky and Fun Halloween Yard Decor in Champaign-Urbana
This skeleton swings in the 1100 block of South Prospect in Champaign.

Combine our friends’ and neighbors’ creativity with Central Illinois’s fickle autumn sunshine (or changeable clouds), and you just may find yourself spending an entire afternoon driving aimlessly around and stopping to take pictures whenever the inspiration hits.

When you happen upon a Little Free Library sprouting seasonal decor, you know that fall has officially arrived in Champaign-Urbana and Halloween can’t be far away.

Little Free Library decorated for Halloween
On the 100 block of West Pennsylvania Avenue in Urbana.

Of course, we have a variety of articles highlighting more permanent or more predictably photogenic aspects of our area:

  • Where to Instagram in Champaign-Urbana
  • 10+ Places to See Fall Colors in Champaign-Urbana
  • Where to Take Fall Family Photos in Champaign-Urbana

This post is a little different — it’s about the ephemeral, the temporary, the unexpected.

The spiders?

Spiders on W University Avenue
Spiders invading the 1000 block of West University Avenue in Champaign.
Spiders on fence of University Avenue
More spiders on the 1000 block of West University in Champaign.

Even when a business sets up a Halloween display, it’s somehow … extra. Questions flood your mind: Did the skeleton take that cape from a vampire? Why is there an empty space on the bench? Will you be late for your dentist appointment if you stop to take a selfie?

Skeleton at CU Dentist on W. Springfield
CU Dentist at 805 W. Springfield in Champaign.

Honestly, we couldn’t help but notice that the skeletons are out and about in our yards living their best lives (?) this fall:

Skeleton proposal on Pennsylvania Ave in Urbana
On the 200 block of East Pennsylvania Avenue in Urbana.
Halloween yard band on W. Healey, Champaign
On the 1200 block of West Healey in Champaign.
Waving skeletons on W. Springfield in Champaign
On the 1100 block of West Springfield in Champaign.

Maybe they’re keeping an eye out (?!?) for more unsavory characters, such as these lurkers just a couple of houses down the street:

Spooky fence at 1109 W. Springfield in Champaign
On the 1100 block of West Springfield in Champaign.

Have you experienced the serendipity of stumbling upon something photogenic when you visit a new-to-you neighborhood — such as Lake Falls in Savoy, where the witches are well dressed and the inflatables are almost as tall as the trees?

Porch witches on Lake Falls Rd in Savoy
On the 400 block of Lake Falls Road in Savoy.
Tall inflatable ghost on Silver Lake Ct. in Savoy
On Silver Lake Court in Savoy.

Did someone say tall? Tall seems to be popular this year.

Halloween yard on Charwick Drive in Champaign
On Charwick Drive in Champaign.

Tall or short or in between, there’s nothing like a good Halloween inflatable (or two, or many) to dress up the neighborhood. Especially if you live on West Healey Avenue:

Star Wars Halloween inflatables on W. Healey, Champaign
On the 1200 block of West Healey Avenue in Champaign.
Yard full of Halloween inflatables on W. Healey, Champaign
On the 1200 block of West Healey in Champaign.
Frankenstein inflatable arch on Willis Ave, Champaign
Right around the corner on the 500 block of South Willis in Champaign.

Halloween decor does seem peculiarly suited to our older neighborhoods, maybe thanks to the larger trees and greater resulting evidence of decay.

Yard with Halloween decorations on Trails Dr., Urbana
On the 1500 block of Trails Drive in Urbana.
Halloween yard on S. Vine St. in Urbana
On the 1200 block of South Vine in Urbana.

As the sun begins to set, the lights come on. Especially the spooky lights.

Halloween decorated house on Crystal Tree Dr. in Champaign
On Crystal Tree Drive in Champaign.
On the 1100 block of South New Street in Champaign. Photo provided.
Mayfair Road house decorated for Halloween
On the 2000 block of Mayfair Drive in Champaign. Photo provided.
Old Warson house with inflatable Halloween decor
On the 3300 block of Old Warson in Champaign. Photo provided.
Spooky Yard Mahomet
At the intersection of Fogel and Prairieview Roads in Mahomet. Photo provided.
On a cul-de-sac on Countrybend Place in Champaign.

We leave you back where we started, in old Champaign where the trees hang low over the streets, the crows are gathering, and Halloween is almost here.

Ghosts in the yard, corner of Church and McKinley, Champaign
At the corner of Church and McKinley in Champaign.
Halloween yard on S. New in Champaign
On the 400 block of S. New in Champaign
Decorated yard at corner of W. Healey and S. Prospect, Champaign
Corner of West Healey and South Prospect in Champaign.

We hope these photos have given you the itch to Go Out and Look at Things, whether during the day or after dark.

Because winter is coming.

Skulls on the fence on Mayfair Rd., Champaign
On the 2000 block of Mayfair Road in Champaign.

Know a Champaign-Urbana area house we should add to this post? Send info/pics to editor@chambanamoms.com

More information on Halloween in Champaign-Urbana
Halloween Events and Activities | Haunted Houses and Where to Get Scared | Where to Trunk or Treat | Champaign-Urbana Area Trick-or-Treat Hours | Halloween at Zoos near Champaign-Urbana

Filed Under: Fall Activities, Halloween, Outdoor Fun, Things To Do in CU Tagged With: autumn, champaign, Fall, Halloween decor, holiday photos, photo backdrop, photography, photos, picture, Pictures, savoy, urbana, yard decor, yard decoration

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