Photo Courtesy of Valleyfair
Watch out for thrills and chills as Halloween approaches. There’s fearsome fun to be had all around the metro area this season.
Compiled by Ellie M. Bayrd
» ValleySCARE
Enter the Midwest’s largest amusement park for the Halloween Haunt, where ghosts and goblins lurk and “scare zones†aim to shock your socks off. Some regular fair rides remain open. Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Oct. 5-28, plus Oct. 29-31. Valleyfair, One Valleyfair Drive, Shakopee, 800-FUN-RIDE, www.valleyscare.com
» ZooBoo
Family-friendly fun that’s light on spooks can be found at the Como Zoo & Conservatory. More than 200 live costumed characters interact and entertain children. Oct. 20, 21, 26, 27 & 28. 1225 Estabrook Drive, St. Paul, 651-487-8200, www.comozooconservatory.org
» Boo Bash
Trick or treat along stately Grand Avenue before enjoying costume contests, hayrides and pumpkin carving. Begins at 10 a.m. on Oct. 27. Start at Grand Avenue and Snelling Avenue S., St. Paul, 651-699-0029.
» Trail of Terror
Fight the frights from the indoor maze, dare to take the haunted hayride or witness the magic and illusions of Dr. Spectre’s Freaky Side Show at this annual event. Oct. 12-15, 18-22, 26-29 & 31. Two miles south of Shakopee on Hwy 169, 800-966-8215, www.trailofterrorfest.com
» Terror Tours
Enter the Wabasha Street caves on the lookout for ghosts or hop on board a limo for a spooky ride. Ghosts Graves & Caves Tours, St. Paul, for more information visit www.wabashastreetcaves.com or call 651-224-1191. Haunted History Tours, St. Paul, for more information visit www.leeslimo.com or call 612-333-5466.
» Halloween Town
Anoka, Minn., is called “The Halloween Capitol of the World.†Festivities in the city last all month and include costume contests, pumpkin carving and parades. Twenty miles north of the Twin Cities, 763-421-7130,
www.anokahalloween.com
» Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
The University of Minnesota’s arboretum welcomes the change in season with several fall activities. Pick the university’s famed Honeycrisp apples at the AppleHouse (this month), seek out the Scarecrows on Parade (continuing) or explore your Passion for Pumpkins (opens Oct. 6). 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chanhassen, 952-443-1400, www.arboretum.umn.edu
» And Much More
The Great Pumpkin Festival
(Oct. 28), Landmark Center, 75 W. Fifth Street, St. Paul, 651-292-3233, www.landmarkcenter.org. Big Boo (Oct 26), Bakken Library & Museum, 3537 Zenith Avenue S., Minneapolis, 612-926-3878, www.thebakken.org. Sever’s Corn Maze (through Oct. 28), Near Canterbury Park off Hwy 169, Shakopee, 952-974-5000, www.severscornmaze.com
