Best Halloween Events

There’s enough thrills and chills for everyone at Boo at the Zoo! Climb aboard for a spoooooky safari express train ride, trick or treat throughout the Zoo, take a ghostly carousel ride, get up close and personal with some creepy crawly creatures inside the Wildlife Education Center, find your way through the upgraded hay maze, get lost inside a mythological world in the Aquatics Building and enjoy tasty seasonal fall café items all while decked out in your favorite Halloween costume in a family friendly festive environment. In lieu of the haunted trail, the train ride will re-enter the Zoo this year and take over the haunted trail for a spooky safari themed ride! It’s slightly scary fun for all ages! Boo at the Zoo admission is $10/adult and $7/child for zoo members. Non-members’ admission for Boo at the Zoo is $15/adult and $12/child. Rides are included in the price of admission. Children under 3 are free. October 16th – 18th, 23rd – 25th, and the 30th from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Some of the best pumpkin events before Halloween are a must see for the family! Have you ever been to Pumpkintown? Your GPS won’t recognize Pumpkintown, Connecticut, but keep your eyes peeled as you drive through East Hampton on Route 66. When you see adorable orange-headed beings at the side of the road, you’ve found New England’s most whimsical Halloween attraction. Pumpkintown USA is the rare destination that amuses all ages, even the littlest zomboys and ghouls. And more characters await on a 20-minute hayride. Affordable admission fees benefit the Sandy Peszynski Breast Cancer Foundation, now through October 31st.

Lines can be long at Providence, Rhode Island’s Roger Williams Park Zoo, but the artistry on display will mesmerize you. This isn’t simply an outdoor gallery of 5,000 illuminated jack-o-lanterns (some 125 of which are intricately etched); special effects transform zoo pathways into a Halloween fantasyland. Artisan carvers from Passion for Pumpkins whittle rinds throughout the show’s run to keep the display fresh, nightly until November 1st.

For one day, New Hampshire becomes the Jack-o-Lantern Epicenter of the World. The Keene Pumpkin Festival, this year relocated to Laconia, NH, collected Guinness World Records for years following the the event’s 1991 founding, but in 2006, a one-time event on Boston Common captured the crown. Then … after a tense, hushed moment, jack-o-lantern jubilation erupted once again when Keene mayor Kendall Lane announced 2013’s total had finally squashed Boston’s record. Traditions from Keene—including the signature tower stacked with glowing faces and ingenious designs— have been transplanted to Laconia, and new fun awaits during the build-up to another official Guinness World Record attempt. So head north on October 24th for this world acclaimed event!