Spooky Season Guide: October's Haunted Trails, Ghost Walks and Halloween Events

Four haunted attractions across the region open on Friday, October 2, led by Wallingford's Trail of Terror, a volunteer-run outdoor trail whose producers say it has given more than $2.7 million to local causes over 32 years.

The rest of October follows from there: evening ghost walks in Guilford, New Haven and Bridgeport, a cemetery tour in Cheshire returning after seven years, costume parades in Prospect and Bethany, Boo at the Zoo in Bridgeport and, at midnight on Halloween, the Yale Symphony Orchestra's Halloween Show in Woolsey Hall. The haunted attractions sell timed tickets in advance, and Nightmare's Gate in Northford warns that Halloween weekend sells first.

The dates, times and prices below come from each organizer's own page as of September 29.

Four Haunted Attractions Open Their Seasons on Oct. 2

Trail of Terror, Wallingford

Scare Crew Productions stages the outdoor haunted trail at 60 N. Plains Highway with volunteer actors. The nonprofit says the trail has donated more than $2.7 million to more than 30 local charities, organizations and community projects over its 32 years. The season was to open September 26, but that night was canceled for weather, so Friday, October 2, is the first night of the year.

All tickets are timed and sold online, with no general admission at the gate, and groups of 6 to 12 walk the trail together. A family of four pays $112 for timed tickets before fees, plus $10 to park. The trail's website says it is not recommended for children under 10 and that children under 5 are not admitted.

• Nights: Fridays and Saturdays from October 2 through October 24, Sundays, October 11 and 18, and Friday, October 30. There is no Halloween night.
• Hours: Entry from 7 p.m. through October 16 and from 6:45 p.m. starting October 17. The last entry is 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 10 p.m. on Sundays.
• Cost: $28 timed ticket; $40 VIP Premium Pass, which skips the lines and is limited each night. Fees apply.
• Parking: PNA Park, at N. Plains Highway and N. Plains Industrial Road, charges $10 per car, cash only. The lot is run by and for PNA Park, not the trail.
• More: trailofterror.com

Nightmare's Gate, Northford

Nightmare's Gate is an outdoor walk-through of 11 scenes, among them a 1950s diner, a dollhouse and a witch's house, on the grounds of Cecarelli's Harrison Hill Farm in the Northford section of North Branford. Its crew builds, dresses and performs every set. The haunt runs 14 nights and closes for the year on Halloween. A gentler version, the "Not So Scary Haunt," has its own tickets and earlier start times.

• Nights: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from October 2 through October 25, then October 30 and 31.
• Hours: Dusk to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; dusk to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
• Where: 1591 Middletown Ave., Northford. Parking is free on site.
• Cost: From $30; the Not So Scary Haunt from $20. Tickets are timed.
• Know before going: The trail is dark and uneven, and the organizers advise dressing for the cold and wearing shoes suited to running.
• More: nightmaresgatect.com

Haunt on Eden, Southington

Haunt on Eden is a walk-through haunted house on the grounds of Mount Southington Ski Area. A ticket sets the entry time, not the length of the visit, and groups of more than six are split up. The haunt recommends it for ages 10 and up.

• Nights: October 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 and 30. There is no Halloween night.
• Hours: Entry slots at 7, 8 and 9 p.m.
• Where: Mount Southington Ski Area, 396 Mount Vernon Road
• Cost: $27, parking included; $145 for a bundle of six. There are no refunds, but a night canceled for weather can be used on another night of the season.
• More: hauntoneden.com

The Haunted Trolley, East Haven

The Haunted Trolley's show this year, "In Search of Sasquatch: CT Bigfoot Halloween Adventure," is a 30- to 45-minute interactive ride aboard an antique trolley at the Shore Line Trolley Museum, which runs the oldest continuously operating suburban trolley line in the country. The producers describe a Bigfoot hunt with audience participation and a good deal of comedy, and they promise no zombies, clowns or chainsaws. Each ride holds 40 people.

• Nights: October 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30 and 31, and November 1.
• Hours: Rides on the hour, 6 to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 5 to 8 p.m. on Sundays. October 17 and Halloween run from 5 to 9 p.m. The 5 and 6 p.m. Sunday rides are the more family-friendly.
• Where: Shore Line Trolley Museum, 17 River St., East Haven
• Cost: $29, advance tickets only; a limited number of $49 VIP tickets include first boarding, a choice of seat and a souvenir shirt. Riders under 16 need an adult.
• More: thehauntedtrolley.com

Ghost Walks and Cemetery Tours From Cheshire to Bridgeport

Spirits Alive! Cemetery Tour, Cheshire — Oct. 2–3

The Cheshire Historical Society brings back its Spirits Alive! Cemetery Tour at Historic Hillside Cemetery after a seven-year break. Costumed actors portray eight figures from Cheshire's past, among them Moses Dunbar and Ralph Lines, in costumes made new for this year. The first tour sets off at 5 p.m. and the last at 8:15 p.m. on Friday, October 2, and Saturday, October 3. Each takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Tickets are sold through the society's TicketSource page. cheshirehistory.org

Historic Guilford Ghost Walk — Oct. 7, 11, 18 and 25

Chrystyne McGrath leads a two-hour walk through downtown Guilford from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7, and Sundays, October 11, 18 and 25. The group gathers outside Guilford Town Hall, 31 Park St., and leaves promptly. The cost is $25 a person, paid in cash that evening, and reservations are taken through SignUpGenius from her website. She asks walkers to wear sneakers and bring a flashlight. chrystynemcgrath.com

Ghosts of New Haven — Fridays and Saturdays

Shadow Tours USA runs a 90-minute evening walking tour through stories of the city's cemeteries, secret societies and the spirits of Yale's founders every Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., meeting in front of the Starbucks at 1070 Chapel St. Admission is $25 for adults and $20 for students, children, military members and seniors, booked in advance on the company's website. shadowtoursusa.com

Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven — Oct. 24 and 31

The New Haven Museum and the Friends of Grove Street Cemetery offer "New Haven Notables: The Dead Shall Be Raised," small-group tours on Saturday, October 24, leaving at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The name comes from the inscription on the cemetery's Egyptian Revival gate, and the stops include the graves of Eli Whitney, Noah Webster, Roger Sherman and the astronomer Ida Barney. Registration is on the museum's ticket page. New Haven Museum

The cemetery's own docents lead a free Halloween tour on Saturday, October 31, at 10 a.m., and costumes are welcome. Free one-hour tours also run October 3, 4, 10, 17 and 18. No registration is needed; tours leave from inside the main gate at 227 Grove St., and bad weather cancels them. grovestreetcemetery.org

Witches of Wallingford — Oct. 23–25

The Wallingford Historic Preservation Trust returns with a new chapter of its Witches of Wallingford stories, this year at the Franz Milcke Mansion, 54 North Elm St. Performances are Friday, October 23, at 6 p.m.; Saturday, October 24, at 1 and 6 p.m.; and Sunday, October 25, at 1 p.m. Tickets are $25 a person. Parking is on the east side of North Elm Street or in the public lots at the library, Town Hall and Simpson Court. wallingfordcthistory.org

Mysterious Bridgeport: Wicked Walking Tour — Oct. 30

Author Michael J. Bielawa leads a lantern-lit walk through downtown Bridgeport for the Barnum Museum on Friday, October 30, at 6:30 p.m., covering Victorian-era crimes, unexplained events and ghost stories drawn from local archives and interviews. The walk starts at the museum, 820 Main St. Tickets are $10 for museum members and $20 for others, the tour is limited to 25 people and must be booked in advance, and the museum does not recommend it for children under 12. barnum-museum.org

Costume Parades, Trunk-or-Treats and Family Halloween Days

In date order:

• Saturday, October 17 — Prospect Pumpkin Festival: The town's 22nd festival, held since 2004, fills the Town Green at 12 Center St. from 4 to 8 p.m. with vendors, food, games, marching bands and a Costume and Decorated Vehicle Parade at about 5:45 p.m., which lines up on Chandler Drive from 5:15. A hay bale rolling contest for teams of four, ages 16 and up, is at 7 p.m. for a cash prize, and residents' scarecrows are on display from October 9, with voting outside the library from 4 to 7 p.m. There is no parking on Center Street; parking is at Long River Middle School and behind Town Hall, with a free shuttle, and there are no ATMs on the grounds. Leashed dogs are welcome. Rain date, Sunday, October 18. townofprospect.gov
• Saturday, October 17 — Downtown Trick or Treat, Middletown: Main Street, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., listed on the city's calendar. middletownct.gov
• Saturday, October 17 — Trunk or Treat, North Branford: The parking lot of the Stanley T. Williams Community Center, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Parks and Recreation takes registrations for trick-or-treaters 16 and under and for those decorating a trunk. North Branford Parks and Recreation
• Saturday, October 24 — Boo at the Zoo, Bridgeport: Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo, 1875 Noble Ave., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with story times, animal visits, seasonal treats for sale and Halloween activities inside the zoo's Kathy Brady Education Center. The zoo calls it a longstanding family tradition, and costumes are encouraged. beardsleyzoo.org
• Saturday, October 24 — Trunk or Treat, Durham: The Durham Community Center, 144 Pickett Lane, at noon. Vehicles register through the town's recreation desk. townofdurhamct.org
• Saturday, October 24 — Halloween Movie and Trunk or Treating, Southington: The Original Southington Drive-In, 995 Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike, holds trunk-or-treating in its lot at 5 p.m., followed at 6 p.m. by a screening of "Hotel Transylvania 2." The drive-in asks families to bring a bag of candy to hand out. The Original Southington Drive-In
• Saturday, October 24 — Halloween on the Green, West Haven: The West Haven Green at 5 p.m., presented by West Haven United and the city. Free. cityofwesthaven.com
• Sunday, October 25 — Halloween Spooktacular, Guilford: Parks and Recreation's afternoon on the Guilford Green, 2 to 4 p.m., moving to the Guilford Community Center if it rains. guilfordparkrec.com
• Friday, October 30 — Trunk or Treat and Costume Parades, Bethany: The Bethany Volunteer Fire Department and the Bethany Lions Club hold their trunk-or-treat at the firehouse, 765 Amity Road, at 7 p.m., with costume parades by age group starting at 7:20 p.m. and an adults' parade at 8:30. Parking is on the field across from the firehouse, and volunteers handing out candy register on the department's website. bethanyfirect.org

Horror on the Screen, a Halloween Concert and a Midnight Show

Movies in the Plaza, New Haven — Wednesdays

The Town Green District's free outdoor screenings in Pitkin Plaza, 145 Orange St., take a spooky turn in October: "The Others" on October 7, "The Craft" on October 14, "The Witches of Eastwick" on October 21 and "Bugonia" on October 28. A Sunday family showing of "Coco" is at 4 p.m. on October 25. The organizers advise that some Wednesday films are not for all ages. Popcorn is free, leashed pets are allowed, and adults are asked to sign in. The September 30 screening starts at 8 p.m., and weather decisions are posted on the page on screening days. downtownnewhaven.com

Zombie Double Feature, Yale Film Archive — Oct. 29

The Yale Film Archive shows Jacques Tourneur's "I Walked with a Zombie" (1943) on a new 35mm print at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 29, followed by Maya Annik Bedward's "Black Zombie" (2026) at 8:30 p.m., at the 53 Wall Street Auditorium. The screenings are free and open to the public, and doors open 30 minutes before each film. web.library.yale.edu/film

Doctor Gasp at the Eli Whitney Museum, Hamden — Oct. 24

Folk musician Dan Blakeslee, performing as Doctor Gasp, and his band, the Eeks, play original songs about vampires and ghosts in the barn at the Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop, 915 Whitney Ave., from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, October 24. The show is for all ages, costumes are encouraged, and the museum asks for a $10 suggested donation at the door and an RSVP on its website. eliwhitney.org

Eternal Night at the Yale Peabody Museum — Oct. 31

Grymm Studios and the Peabody turn the museum at 170 Whitney Ave. into a vampire-themed evening on Saturday, October 31, from 7 to 10 p.m., with performers across three floors, an open bar, food from Small Kitchen Big Taste, a DJ, live animal demonstrations and evening access to the galleries. It is for ages 21 and older, and registration is through Eventbrite. peabody.yale.edu

The YSO Halloween Show — Midnight, Oct. 31

The Yale Symphony Orchestra's annual Halloween Show starts at midnight in Woolsey Hall, 500 College St., as Saturday, October 31, turns into Sunday; doors open at 11 p.m. The orchestra plays pop songs, film music and classical pieces as the live score to a silent film that its own members write, produce, direct and star in. Tickets are $18 and go on sale on Eventbrite on Friday, October 16, at 10:31 p.m. The orchestra says Woolsey Hall fills with students for one of the fall semester's biggest nights. yso.yale.edu

Most of these events are outdoors. The haunted attractions post weather closures on their own websites, and the family events list rain dates or rain locations where they have them.

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