With October knocking on our door, we are thrilled that our favorite month of the year is right around the corner! Bring on the pumpkins, falling leaves, traditions, lights, spooky yards, horror movies, haunted trails, costume contests, Halloween displays, and yes, bring on the candy too.
We're also very happy to see Halloween events starting to kick in around the region. In fact, we've added over 1000 events to our events database and you'll see them populating the state-by-state Halloween events guides very soon. With our new website, we're making sure everything works smoothly for you before we roll things out -- once the event listings start showing up on the guides, you will go crazy with all there is to do!
Halloween New England has the bases covered for you all season long with our Top Picks, highlights for the weekend, special events not to be missed, contests, and other essential info to keep you on top of everything happening across New England this Halloween season. We publish a fresh post every Wednesday until November!
Grave Addiction and Grave Detectives - Cemetery Tours for every age!
The Concord Tour Company has rolled out two exciting new tours this October!
With only four tour dates, Grave Detectives will introduce kids to some of Concord, MA’s oldest history hiding in plain sight at Old Hill Burying Ground including how to read gravestone iconography, how to use images to roughly date stones, and how the epitaphs convey information. Recommended for teens and kids 7y+. 11:00am Tours held n four select dates ~ find a 10% off promo code at this link!
It's no secret that one of our absolute favorite ways to enjoy the Halloween season is to visit as many haunted attractions as we can possibly fit in. Years ago, in planning our Halloween fun, we researched the schedules for EVERY haunted house in New England to help us know what would be open and when. Compiling this list took dozens of hours over many weeks every season. Eventually, it dawned on us that if we were doing this amount of work to plot for our haunt trips, surely there were others who would also love access to that useful info too which is how our Opening Night Guide and Sunday Night Haunt Guide came to be! Soon after, we added the Weeknight Haunt Guide so we could squeeze every last drop of blood from our haunt-going every season.
Over the years, you might have seen us attending six haunts in a single weekend! Now you can too with just a click to access our guides.
Who doesn't jump at the chance to spend a spooky hour strolling through a graveyard and soaking up local haunted history from an engaging tour guide under the light of the moon?
Okay, okay, I know we are preaching to the choir here... we love it as much as you do!
What would happen if Halloween New England handed over the reins to a local haunted attraction? We toyed with the idea all summer and we're very excited to share that our first of four Instagram Story Takeovers is hurtling at us in warp speed!
If you are looking for cemetery tours geared toward adults, you will enjoy the Concord Tour Company's Grave Addiction experience where you will explore everything about these graves from burial customs to iconography. A sometimes humorous and sometimes chilling look at the stories behind the stones, this is a unique and memorable historical experience in beautiful downtown Concord!
Tours run Fri-Sun at twilight every weekend in October! Book early as these will fill quickly and that promo code will work for this tour too!
Squeeze every drop of blood from your season with our Haunt Guides!
Over the years, you might have seen us attending six haunts in a single weekend! Now you can too with just a click to access our guides.
Find Haunted History and Ghostly Tales on our state-by-state Ghost Tour Guides!
Okay, okay, I know we are preaching to the choir here... we love it as much as you do!
If you haven't yet checked out Halloween New England's Ghost Tour Guide for every New England state then jump on over to our website where you can access a list of all the professional ghost tours and haunted history tours listed under each state. Plus, as our event calendar is populated, you'll find additional seasonal ghost tours rounding our your options on the Halloween Events and Activities Guides.
Instagram Takeover Alert!
We're so excited to share the news that 13th World Haunted Trail in Cumberland, RI is taking over Halloween New England's Instagram Story for the first takeover of the season! #HNETakeover and #HNEx13thWorld are the hashtags for this Friday's Takeover.
Massachusetts Top Halloween Event Picks!
Join Salem Historical Tours for a special afternoon walking tour with the 1692 Witchcraft Walk! Here you can examine the demographics, theories, and personal stories comprising
the dire events of 1692 with a fascinating tour that will shed new light on what happened during the
infamous witchcraft hysteria which turned neighbor against neighbor. Tours held daily in September and October at 1:00pm and again at 4:00pm during the fall.
You will find Halloween New England this Sunday, September 26th for the Oddfest Haverhill, an oddities-focused vendor fair held inside Maria's Family Restaurant's lovely function hall. Featuring 25+ vendors selling oddities, curiosities, jewelry, vintage wares, & more--we can't wait!
Connecticut Top Halloween Event Picks
It's no secret here at Halloween New England, that we are big fans of Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours. They offer twilight tours at two locations in Mystic, CT nearly every night of the week! This Saturday, September 25th, they have an additional special tour lined up at Elm Grove Cemetery.
Rhode Island Top Halloween Event Picks
Block Island Ghost Tours has wonderfully spooky Old Harbor Walking Tours on weekend nights through Columbus Day Weekend (and then continues weekends only until Halloween).
Rhode Island's very own Block Island welcomes its first and only interactive ghost tour which explores the stories and lore behind ghost ships, FBI serial killer man-hunts, massacres, and curses--and that is just a sample of the things you will hear all about! This easy one-mile tour shines a light on the darker, hidden history of Block Island and every tour is unique as their ghost hosts deliver their own creative twist on the history and folklore of Block Island.
Ever wanted to create some over-the-top, very original Halloween memories? This Tuesday, September 28th, grab a few friends for a splurge on a Haunted Gondola Ride -The Viaggio di Fantasme, or "Trip of Ghosts."
True-crime lovers unite - have we got a tour for you! Head to Burlington this Thursday, September 24th for the True Crime Thursdays Tour an evening of ghastly and grisly crimes with join historian Thea Lewis, author of Wicked Vermont. This walking tour will treat you to some of the most infamous and notorious tales of the Queen City. Sensitive subject matter so this tour is best for ages 16 and up.
Last weekend Halloween New England was treated to a fun evening taking the twilight Deadwick's Spectral Stroll and you can be equally enchanted this Friday, September 24th!
Looking for info on which haunts are open on Sundays? Did you know that THREE haunted attractions are open this Sunday, September 26th including The Haunted Labyrinth in Cranston, RI, Scary Acres in Hope, RI, and Fright Fest at Six Flags New England in Agawam, MA.
We've just posted a contest to win VIP Passes to the legendary Trail of Terror (Wallingford, CT) and you can try your luck at winning tickets to celebrate the 30th season at Barrett's Haunted Mansion (Abington, MA). We also have another VIP pass contest for DementedFX (Holyoke, MA). We just rolled out our first Fear Town (Seekonk, MA) contest and their companion haunt Factory of Terror (Fall River, MA) also has a contest running!
Ending Soon: On Friday we're wrapping up our first contest to win admission to The Dark Manor Haunted House (Baltic, CT) and on Thursday we end the 2nd contest to win tickets to Haunted Overload's Invite-Only Night in October (Lee, NH). Enter all contests right from the home page of Halloween New England.
Congratulations to recent contest winners including Jaimie Cura who won the contest to attend the Virtual Salem Tour with Seaside Shadows and Rayah Martin won the tickets to Seaside's Elm Grove Cemetery Tour! Nick Pietrunti and Jesse Bonello won tickets to Haunted Overload's VIP night, and Amy McKeon, Sheena deMedeirios, and Jenna Guancio scored admission to the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular in Providence! Kiana Ka and Sean Randall were the happy recipients of the four-pack of tickets to 13th World haunt in Cumberland, RI.
Be sure to tune in and follow Halloween New England's Instagram Story this Friday, September 24th - from morning to evening for 13th World's behind-the-scenes peek at working in a haunted attraction and get to meet a few of the folks who make you pee your pants every year! (Oh, that is just us? Uh, never mind!) You'll meet Morgan - Queen of Darkness, and Mama Nun - veteran actors at 13th World who will treat you a few of the ins and outs of working in a haunt.
We've added dozens of new events to the Events database but most won't kick in until October. Until then, whet your appetite with our following top picks for the weekend:
Massachusetts Top Halloween Event Picks!
Another Salem offering you might enjoy is the Haunted Footsteps Salem Ghost Tour which takea you on a 90-minute lantern-lit ghostly tour through Salem packed with macabre tales, cemeteries, and local lore. Also held daily at this time of year--what could be easier?
All ages will enjoy tales of ghostly encounters at Edith Wharton's home The Mount in Lenox with the Family Friendly Ghost Tours at the Mount. The is hour-long tour will start at the top of the property at the Stable continue
through the grounds into the empty rooms of the Main House and this tour
is specially tailored for children ages 7-12.
Headed to The Big E? Be sure to stop by to experience the DementedFX Meat Tank Horror Experience. Holyoke's own DementedFX haunt has hit the road to bring you their MEAT Tank Horror as a featured vendor at The BIG E, open daily now through October 3rd.
Victims will hop on board a (M)ilitary (E)mergency (A)rmored (T)railer and travel into a post-apocalyptic, zombie wasteland, searching for a lost "asset." The sensory experience uses enhanced audio design, video, animatronics, lighting effects, and simulated movement to send the new recruits on an intense "4D" adventure they've always have had nightmares about.
Connecticut Top Halloween Event Picks
Check out the twilight tours with Seasides Shadows as well - Downtown Mystic Ghost Stroll and the Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Tour and, as always, advance bookings required.
Let's do the time warp together this Friday & Saturday, September 24th & 25th at the Mansfield Drive-in's screening of the The Rocky Horror Picture Show with the RKO Army's live shadow cast!
Get out your Harry Potter and partake in some costumed fun at The Wizards Costume Contest at the CT Renaissance Faire in Lebanon this Saturday, September 25th.
Also on Saturday, September 25th, don your goggles for some Jules Verne-inspired cosplay fun Compass Rose Steampunk Festival at Roseland Cottage in scenic Woodstock.
Rhode Island Top Halloween Event Picks
Rhode Island's very own Block Island welcomes its first and only interactive ghost tour which explores the stories and lore behind ghost ships, FBI serial killer man-hunts, massacres, and curses--and that is just a sample of the things you will hear all about! This easy one-mile tour shines a light on the darker, hidden history of Block Island and every tour is unique as their ghost hosts deliver their own creative twist on the history and folklore of Block Island.
A trained tour guide from Providence Ghost Tour will tell you about all of the haunted happenings along the Riverwalk of Providence during a 50-minute guided gondola ride. This unique experience is only available on Tuesdays and Thursdays during September and October.
Enjoy a couple of songs from your gondoliers and munch on their signature wine biscuits. To partake in this tour, you would reserve your own boat which can fit up to 6 people/guests.
Few horror movies can tell a story as well as this slow-burn classic based on the best-selling Stephen King novel, Carrie which is celebrating its 45th Anniversary this year! Sissy Spacek is spectacular in conveying her vulnerability and executing her vengeance! Find a matinee and evening screening on Sunday, September 26th as well as an additional evening screening on Wednesday, September 29th. Celebrate Stephen King's "Carrie"45th Anniversary Film Screenings can be found in RI this weekend and also will be screening throughout New England!
Vermont Top Halloween Event Picks
On Sunday, September 26th the pumpkins will fly, winners will be crowned, chili will be eaten, and music will be enjoyed at the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival hosted at the Stoweflake Mountain Resort in Stowe. few things are more entertaining than a competition for who built the trebuchet to chuck the pumpkins the furthest!
New Hampshire Top Halloween Event Picks
Last weekend Halloween New England was treated to a fun evening taking the twilight Deadwick's Spectral Stroll and you can be equally enchanted this Friday, September 24th!
Portsmouth's own Deadwick's Ethereal Emporium has rolled out this brand new lantern-lit offering which uncovers Portsmouth's eerie history, unsolved deaths, and missing persons. Treat yourself to an evening of tales unearthed from Minerva Deadwick's haunted journal shared with you by an entertaining and theatrical guide.
Presque Isle Haunted Hearse Tours asks the question: Are there really ghosts and lingering spirits in Presque Isle? reserve your seat on the haunted hearse for a trip around Presque Isle on Thursday, September 23rd--and another lined up for October 21st and 31st. Haunted hearse tours are the kind of programming Halloween LOVES to see at this time of year!
Maine Top Halloween Event Picks
Presque Isle Haunted Hearse Tours asks the question: Are there really ghosts and lingering spirits in Presque Isle? reserve your seat on the haunted hearse for a trip around Presque Isle on Thursday, September 23rd--and another lined up for October 21st and 31st. Haunted hearse tours are the kind of programming Halloween LOVES to see at this time of year!
Looking for info on which haunts are open on Sundays? Did you know that THREE haunted attractions are open this Sunday, September 26th including The Haunted Labyrinth in Cranston, RI, Scary Acres in Hope, RI, and Fright Fest at Six Flags New England in Agawam, MA.
If you love to plan your October weekends ahead like we do and want to check out haunted attractions on an off-peak night, we've compiled our essential Guide to Haunted Attractions Open on Sunday Nights.
Haunted Houses, Mazes, and Haunted Hayrides Opening Friday, September 24th
Fear Town (MA)
The Haunted Labyrinth (RI)
Wallingford's Nightmare on the Ridge (ME)
Rails to the Darkside (CT)
SpookyWorld (NH)
West End Creamery (MA) - non-haunted Flashlight Corn Maze
Connors Farm (MA) - non-haunted Flashlight Corn Maze
Haunted Houses, Mazes, and Haunted Hayrides Opening Saturday, September 25th
Legends of Fear (CT) - Trail and Haunted Hayride
Screeemfest at Canobie (NH)
Nightmare Acres (CT)
Fright Fest at Six Flags New England (MA)
Cucumber Hill Farm (RI) non-haunted Flashlight Corn Maze
Opening Weekend Giveaways, Invite-Only Nights, and Tickets Galore!
We've got FIFTEEN contests live on Halloween New England right now plus more posted over the weekend! Find ALL the contests that you can enter HERE.
New Contests:
We've got one special chance to win 2 tickets to The Haunted Speakeasy's (21+) vintage Halloween BOO-ze Cruise (Boston, MA) on October 2nd and you can also enter to WIN a four-pack of tickets to 13th World Haunted Trail (Cumberland, RI) or enter our new contest to visit Elm Grove Cemetery with Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours (Mystic, CT). Central MA folks will jump at the chance to attend Fear at the Farm at McCray's Farm (South Hadley, MA) with Opening Weekend tickets.
We've got one special chance to win 2 tickets to The Haunted Speakeasy's (21+) vintage Halloween BOO-ze Cruise (Boston, MA) on October 2nd and you can also enter to WIN a four-pack of tickets to 13th World Haunted Trail (Cumberland, RI) or enter our new contest to visit Elm Grove Cemetery with Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours (Mystic, CT). Central MA folks will jump at the chance to attend Fear at the Farm at McCray's Farm (South Hadley, MA) with Opening Weekend tickets.
We've just posted a contest to win VIP Passes to the legendary Trail of Terror (Wallingford, CT) and you can try your luck at winning tickets to celebrate the 30th season at Barrett's Haunted Mansion (Abington, MA). We also have another VIP pass contest for DementedFX (Holyoke, MA). We just rolled out our first Fear Town (Seekonk, MA) contest and their companion haunt Factory of Terror (Fall River, MA) also has a contest running!
For all-ages atmosphere, you'll want to enter to win tickets to the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at the Roger Williams Zoo (Providence, RI) so be sure to enter soon to have your chance!
The Concord Tour Company has a new family-friendly cemetery tour called Grave Detectives for Kids and you can win a pair of tickets right now if you enter soon!
Block Island Ghost Tours has a contest running where winners can redeem their winning tickets this October or even next year!
Ending Soon: On Friday we're wrapping up our first contest to win admission to The Dark Manor Haunted House (Baltic, CT) and on Thursday we end the 2nd contest to win tickets to Haunted Overload's Invite-Only Night in October (Lee, NH). Enter all contests right from the home page of Halloween New England.
Congratulations to recent contest winners including Jaimie Cura who won the contest to attend the Virtual Salem Tour with Seaside Shadows and Rayah Martin won the tickets to Seaside's Elm Grove Cemetery Tour! Nick Pietrunti and Jesse Bonello won tickets to Haunted Overload's VIP night, and Amy McKeon, Sheena deMedeirios, and Jenna Guancio scored admission to the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular in Providence! Kiana Ka and Sean Randall were the happy recipients of the four-pack of tickets to 13th World haunt in Cumberland, RI.
Visit Halloween New England's home page for contest details.
