Looking for Halloween activities for the family? Cape offers many frighteningly fun events
Spooky season is upon us! The Halloween candies are taking over grocery store shelves up and down the Cape. Decorations are being dug from that box shoved away in the garage or attic. Costumes are getting picked out from catalogs, online, and in Halloween stores or handmade by loving parents, grandparents and caregivers who just want to make the holiday special.
We're sure all of you parents are wondering what on earth you’re going to do for some Halloween fun the weekend before, trying to find time for trick-or-treating after the workday on Tuesday, Oct. 31. Having Halloween on a weekday is a buzzkill all around, as bedtimes must be met for school the next day and the workday doesn’t end any earlier because there are plastic pumpkins to be filled with chocolates and gummies — maybe even a toothbrush or two if you live near a dentist.
In an attempt to make Halloween a little easier and fun for the whole family, here are some spooky things to do with your kids for a scary good time.
How to have a fun Halloween with the kids on Cape Cod
Trick-or-Treat at Wicked at Wicks in Falmouth
Get your costumes ready because on Friday, Oct. 27, Falmouth’s Museums on the Green is hosting Wicked at Wicks, a Halloween celebration for the whole family. Trick-or-treat at some of the historical properties on the green, including the allegedly haunted house of Dr. Francis Wicks.
Once all the sweet treats have been collected and maybe a few tricks performed, relax with some pumpkin painting and storytelling before gearing up for the costume parade.
Wicked at Wicks will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Museums on the Green. Tickets are $10 per child and attendees must pre-register online at museumsonthegreen.org.
Explore the Haunted Forest in Wellfleet
If you’re an outdoorsy family or just looking for an excuse to get outdoors on a Friday evening, Mass Audubon’s Haunted Forest hike is for you!
Lead by lantern light, the guided tour will take you through the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary’s forest, where you will meet some nighttime creatures along the way. Flashlights, warm clothes, and good shoes are recommended for the hike and, as with any adventure into the wild, be sure to have bug and tick spray on hand.
Hikes are an hour long and the event is targeted for kids between the ages of 3 and 12, though everyone is invited to participate. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for children; infants 0 to 2 participate for free. The Haunted Forest tours will begin at 5:30 and end at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27. To register for the event, visit: www.massaudubon.org/
See a frighteningly fun show at Crosby Mansion in Brewster
A good spooktacular show is always a safe bet for some indoor Halloween fun. This year, the Crosby Mansion is hosting their Halloween Spooktacular Show all weekend long! Ghostly doormen will greet you upon arriving at the mansion. Then, get ready for a night of frights, fun and fantasy.
Showtimes are at 7 p.m. on Oct. 27 and 28 and at 3 p.m. on Oct. 29. Doors open 40 minutes prior to the show. Tickets are $13 per person and can be reserved online at www.crosbymansion.com/ or bought at the door.
Trick or Treat at the Shark Center in Chatham
Oh, do we have something for you if your little one loves sharks and Halloween! During Halloweekend, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy is opening up the Chatham Shark Center’s exhibit hall to trick-or-treaters. While collecting your sweet treats, get involved in some hands-on activities where you can learn about great white sharks, other sea creatures and shark scientists.
The shark-infested event is on Oct. 27 from 4 to 7 p.m. and Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pre-registration is required, and tickets can be bought online at https://www.atlanticwhiteshark.org/ Tickets are $6, but kids 5 and under get in free.
Go for a spooky Saturday Stroll in Brewster
If you’re looking for a more relaxing, yet still frighteningly fun Halloween event to do with the kids during Halloweekend, check out the Halloween Spooktacular Stroll at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.
Costumes are encouraged for the spooktacular Saturday as families explore the exhibits, stop at different treat spots and enjoy a game of pumpkin putt-putt or two. Visitors can also explore the museum's hay maze.
Oh, and be sure to bring your best joke with you and keep an eye out for the giant mushroom for a chance to win some prizes.
The Halloween Spooktacular Stroll is on Saturday, Oct. 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Admission is $8 per person at the door, but infants in arms get in free. No strollers are allowed at the event.
Enjoy a spooky seaside Halloween celebration in Chatham
Chatham Bars Inn is hosting two spooky events for their Seaside Halloween Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 28. In the morning, enjoy some pumpkin carving and trick-or-treat bag decorating from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Later on, it’s party time as the Bonfire Boo Bash and Trick-or-Treat Treasure Hunt kick off at 5 p.m. The treasure hunt is first, leading kids through a series of clues in order to find the Bonfire Boo Bash. At the bash, traditional Halloween activities such as bobbing for apples and eating doughnuts off a string will commence, along with some S'more roasting and a costume contest. The party ends at 8 p.m.
Admission is $35 per child for pumpkin carving and trick-or-treat bag decorating and $45 per child plus two adults for the Bonfire Boo Bash. Advance reservations are recommended and can be made by contacting the concierge at concierge@chathambarsinn.com, 508-945-6871.
Ghouls and goblins, get ready to haunt the common in Yarmouth Port
For families in the Yarmouth Port area looking to have a hauntingly good Halloween, the Yarmouth Port Common Halloween Haunt is back! On Halloween night, kids and families will have the chance to trick-or-treat at some of the common’s famed attractions, such as Thacher Hall and the Edward Gorey House.
At 5:30 p.m. Yarmouth Port Library staffers will tell spooky stories in the lower gallery of Thacher Hall.
The Yarmouth Port Common Halloween Haunt is free to attend and will run from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Halloween.
Get your monster mash on in Mashpee
Halloween at the Mashpee Commons is on Oct. 28! Throughout the day select stores will hand out candy to trick-or-treaters and a costume parade for pups and children will also take place.
The event is free to attend and goes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28 at the Mahspee Commons in Mashpee.
Visit the Pumpkin People in Kate Gould Park in Chatham
The Pumpkin People are back for another year in Kate Gould Park. Through the end of October, the Pumpkin People will be on display showing off their orange heads and wicked outfits.
The Pumpkin People are free to visit at Kate Gould Park, located at 15 Chatham Bars Ave. in Chatham.
Trunk or Treat in Wellfleet
Would it be Halloween without a trunk or treat? In Wellfleet, the trunk or treat festival is back for its 15th year. Families can stop by the Wellfleet Drive-In Theater to check out the spookily decorated trunks, grab a few treats and enjoy free hot dogs and cider.
The trunk or threat festival is from 4 to 7 p.m. on Halloween at the Wellfleet Drive-In Theater on Route 6 in South Wellfleet. Admission is free.
Trick or Treat along Main Street in Hyannis
In Hyannis, Main Street becomes home for safe trick-or-treating on Halloween as businesses hand out treats to costume-clad kids.
Trick-or-treating begins at 4 and ends at 6 p.m. on Oct. 31.
Frankie Rowley covers entertainment and things to do. Contact her at frowley@capecodonline.com.
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: In the mood for Halloween fun? Here are some family events on Cape Cod
