Halloween is not canceled
October 13 - November 13
Nope, Halloween is not canceled: Your guide to dozens of events in the St. Louis area
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Trick-or-treating may look a little different during a pandemic, but the Halloween celebrations will go on.
Parks, museums, and most of the usual event organizers will make sure of it. Some activities, like Halloween parades in Edwardsville and Alton, were canceled, but other clever planners have adapted.
Six Flags St. Louis is offering HALLOWFEST, a socially distanced alternative to the theme park’s popular Fright Fest, which usually involves indoor haunted houses and close encounters with spooky creatures.
“It was a lot of thinking and talking and planning,” says spokeswoman Elizabeth Gotway, “but at the end of the day, people love Halloween in the park, so we had to find a way to do something for them.”
All haunted attractions and shows will be moved outdoors, and the “freaks” that usually sneak up and scare guests will be stationed behind picket fences for “freak encounters.” Storytime trails with socially distant treat chutes will replace traditional gatherings for children.
Costumes were remade using materials that can be laundered daily instead of dry cleaned weekly, and masks and makeup were altered so performers can also wear protective masks.
Grant’s Farm in south St. Louis County didn’t open at all this year for its regular season. Park employees used the extra time to plant trees, make repairs, add structures such as wildlife viewing stands, and revamp buildings for behind-the-scenes tours that visitors hopefully can enjoy in 2021.
As summer dragged on, the grounds were also transformed into a drive-thru Halloween experience, complete with dragons in the goat yard, a crashed UFO in the deer park, and glowing trees, pumpkins and campfires throughout. Tickets sold out before the attraction opened last week, but there is a waitlist.
This is the first time since the property’s public opening in 1954 that guests have been able to drive through the deer park area.
“This is a community outreach for us,” says Jeff Knapper, director of heritage for Anheuser-Busch InBev, which operates the attraction. “The farm is a community gem. We’ve heard from our people and our guests and our friends that they want to come. This is an opportunity for Anheuser-Busch to say, ‘Here’s a great experience for you guys.’ We’re going to do this the right way, in a safe way, in a high-quality way, and get all the St. Louis community back together for Halloween.”
City Museum usually invites guests to visit on Nov. 1 and toss pumpkins from the roof into a dumpster below. This year, the pumpkin patch will be available for three days, as well as trick-or-treating on Halloween at candy chutes placed throughout the museum.
“People need to break stuff right now,” says City Museum director Rick Erwin. “And they can do that with pumpkins.”
Erwin says he felt the staff needed the celebration to go on as much as the guests did.
“The museum is not the same right now — it’s not,” he says. “If I can bring back throwing pumpkins off the roof, then we know the museum has not lost its way.”
Indeed, the dumpster will be labeled “2020.”
👻 HAUNTED HOUSES AND GROWN-UP FUN
Creepyworld
This “screampark” features 13 different themed areas and a haunted hayride, and nearly all of Creepyworld is outdoors. New attractions include Sleepy Hollow 3D and a Vampire Crypt five-minute escape room. The park is operating this year with reduced staff, but 20 air-cannon scares have been added, along with safety precautions such as pulling back curtains between rooms and a line to help keep crowds spread apart.
When Select days through Nov. 7 • Where Creepyworld, 1400 South Old Highway 141, Fenton • How much $25 and up • More info scarefest.fearticket.com
Eureka Fear Farm
Take a ride on Farmer Bob’s Haunted Hayride, and get lost inside Red’s Corn Maze Massacre — there’s more than 100 acres of terror to explore. A corn maze and other family-friendly fall activities are available during the day.
When 7 p.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays, through Oct. 26 • Where Brookdale Farms, 8004 Twin Rivers Road, Eureka • How much $20 and up for haunted attractions; cash only • More infobrookdalefarmsinc.com
The Darkness
Now in its 27th year, the Darkness in Soulard opens with renovations that include 17 new scare-inducing scenes, such as Lair of the Spiders, Kingdom of the Witch and an Ice Cave. If you escape wanting more thrills, check out the new Monster Arcade and a new five-minute coffin escape room. Guests can also visit the St. Louis Escape Rooms next door, which includes new Dracula and Wizard of Oz rooms, as well as Silly Putter Mini Golf.
When Select days through Nov. 13 • Where The Darkness, 1525 South Eighth Street • How much$25 and up • More info thedarkness.com
Virtual CWE Halloween Costume Contest
Revelers usually fill the streets of the Central West End for a wild, sometimes raunchy Halloween party. This year, the neighborhood’s costume contest goes virtual, and viewers will be able to vote for their favorites to win $5,000 in cash and prizes. Contestants must register in advance for a private filming, where they will walk the runway in costume. The video will be released Oct. 29, and voters will choose the winners, who will be announced on Halloween night. Contestants must adhere to social distancing and health guidelines.
When Filming 1-5 p.m. Oct. 24; video released Oct. 29; winners announced 10:30 p.m. Oct. 31 • Where Filming at the Chase Park Plaza, 212 North Kingshighway • How much $25-$50 entry fee • More info cwescene.com
Movie in the Graveyard: ‘The Exorcist’
This outdoor screening of “The Exorcist,” shown next to a foggy “cemetery” in Tower Grove Park, is guaranteed to send shivers down your spine. Each ticket includes a box of “spooky goodies.” Each 10-by-10-foot pod space is separated by a 10-foot aisle. Bring blankets, treats and drinks, and costumes are encouraged.
When 6:30 p.m. Oct. 31 • Where Tower Grove Park, Stone Shelter • How much $25 per person, must be purchased in groups of four • More info theexorcisttgp.eventbrite.com
👻 HAUNTED HISTORY
Spirits of the Past
Walk the paths of historic Lindenwood Park by lantern-light, and listen to “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and murder ballads at the chapel. The Historic Daniel Boone Home, where the noted frontiersman died in 1820, is the centerpiece of the village. This year’s event will feature guided experiences with a limited number of guests, and reserved tours are available between 6 and 9 p.m.
When 6-10:30 p.m. Oct. 17 • Where Historic Daniel Boone Home, 1868 Highway F, Defiance • How much $8-$10, reservations required • More info 636-798-2005; sccmo.org
Lemp Mansion
The most notorious mansion in St. Louis (three members of the Lemp family died by suicide there) is now a restaurant and inn, and its owners cultivate stories of the home’s hauntings. The mansion will throw a Halloween bash Oct. 31, a trivia night Oct. 16, and ghost huntings, history tours, and comedy-mystery dinners throughout the month.
When Various times • Where Lemp Mansion, 3322 DeMenil Place • How much $40 for table of four for trivia; $70 in advance for party • More info lempmansion.com
Campbell House by Candlelight
Learn with the members of the Mourning Society of St. Louis and sample funeral biscuits as you tour this historic home after hours. The mansion is decorated as it would have been for patriarch Robert Campbell’s 1879 funeral, with a casket sitting in the black-bunting-draped front parlor.
When 6-9 p.m. Oct. 30 • Where Campbell House Museum, 1508 Locust Street • How much $15 • More info campbellhousemuseum.org
An Evening in the Cemetery
Frederick Bates, Missouri’s second governor, is waiting to meet visitors at An Evening in the Cemetery at Faust Park. Tour Bates’ home and the family cemetery, where he was buried 194 years ago. Docents in period costumes will talk about mourning practices and superstitions. The home, Thornhill, is part of a village of 18 historic structures from around St. Louis County.
When 6:30-9 p.m. Oct. 23-24 • Where Thornhill at Faust Park, 15185 Olive Boulevard, Chesterfield • How much $5, free for children under 4 • More info 314-615-8328; stlouisco.com
Halloween at Faust Historic Village
Wander through the candlelit historic village at Faust Park, created from buildings brought there from all over St. Louis County, while you listen to storytellers and warm up at the campfire. No hayrides will be offered this year due to health restrictions, and masks are required.
When 6:30-10 p.m. Oct. 9-10 • Where Faust Historic Village at Faust Park, 15185 Olive Boulevard, Chesterfield • How much $5, free for ages 3 and under • More info 314-615-8328
Ghost Stories at Jefferson Barracks
Listen to costumed storytellers tell spooky tales at historic Jefferson Barracks, home to more than a few spectral beings. Bring your own blanket or chair, and meet at the Gold Star Shelter.
When 8 p.m. Oct. 24 • Where Jefferson Barracks Park, 345 North Road West • How much $5, registration required • More info 314-615-8800; jmagurany@stlouisco.com
Alton Hauntings
Alton is known as one of the most haunted small towns in America, and there’s no lack of books, ghost hunts and stately mansions to try and convince you. Troy Taylor has written more than 125 books about ghosts, crime and the unexplained in America, and several of them are about Alton. He owns American Hauntings, a company that offers hunts, tours and excursions across the country, including in Alton. There are plenty of walking and bus tours to choose from.
When Fridays and Saturdays, through Nov. 13; some tours are available year-round • WhereDepart from various locations in Alton • How much Prices vary • More infoaltonhauntings.com
Fox Theatre Ghost Tours
Join members of the St. Louis Paranormal Research Society for a tour of the Fox Theatre’s “hot spots” and stories about their ghost investigations. The tours will cover three levels of the auditorium and stage but won’t venture into the narrow, underground passageways this year.
When Select days through Oct. 26 • Where Fox Theatre, 527 North Grand Boulevard • How much $40 • More info metrotix.com
Chatillion-DeMenil Mansion
Join the experts online for “Mirrors and Mystics 3.0: Spooky Science and Spiritual Skills,” a discussion of topics including ethical implications of Frankenstein’s monster, spiritual practices of the Victorian era and tarot card readings. The $25 ticket includes access to all lectures, as well as a daytime tour of the mansion when it reopens.
When 6 p.m. Oct. 17, 5 p.m. Oct. 18 • Where demenil.org/mirrors-and-mystics • How much $15-$25
THERE ARE MORE PLACES TO ENJOY THIS SEASON. FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE.
The above is provided from the ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH.
Downtown is alive and it’s definitely the best place to be, check out the neighborhood and let the party continue!