From creepy mansions and pitch-black mazes to secluded towns and haunted hayrides, the Twin Cities has all you need for a wicked Halloween. Buwahahaha!
» Some of the Twin Cities’ loudest Halloween screams come from the poor souls navigating the Trail of Terror—a fright-filled, three-quarter-mile indoor maze. And true thrill-seekers can amplify their night with a haunted hayride or a trip through the Halls of Horror. Oct. 12-15, 19-22, 26-29 & 31 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. 800-966-8215 or www.trailofterrorfest.com
For 11 nights this month, Valleyfair amusement park is better known as the Halloween Haunt at ValleySCARE. Get your scare on with a zombie graveyard and 200 live monsters; four spine-chilling mazes; sinister shows by fire dancers, a hypnotist and an illusionist; and a Trick-or-Treat Trail for the little devils. Oct. 6-8, 13-15, 20-22, 27-29 & 31. 952-445-6500 or www.valleyfair.com
» Presented by Lee’s Limos, the Haunted History Tours begin at Forepaugh’s restaurant in downtown St. Paul and continue with a limo ride throughout the city. An experienced tour guide gives visitors background on the ghost stories of St. Paul, pointing out spots of “sightings” such as government buildings, Summit Avenue mansions and historic theaters. Reservations required. 651-462-5466 or www.leeslimo.com
» Departing from the Wabasha Street Caves in St. Paul, the Ghosts, Graves & Caves Tour is “designed to give you a shiver and not a heart attack.” Your hosts—who may include insane nurses, fortunetellers or vampires—share tales of ghostly sites, mobster massacres and historic cemeteries during this adventure via deluxe motorcoach. Reservations required. 651-292-1220 or www.wabashastreetcaves.com
» An evening tour at the Mill City Museum, The Minneapolis Horror: Tales from the Night Shift features dramatized readings about the hazards of working the graveyard shift at the historic Washburn A Mill. Hear accounts of the deadly 1878 mill explosion and the perilous man-lift elevator, then shake off your fears with an evening view of the riverfront district from the observation deck. Oct. 24 & 27 at 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 612-341-7555 or www.millcitymuseum.org
Prone to nightmares?
Then check out these G-rated attractions.
» Every October, the city of Anoka, Minn., lives up to its reputation as the “Halloween Capital of the World” with the Anoka Halloween festival. The two-week celebration includes three parades, house decorating contests, cemetery tours, an “orange tie ball,” pumpkin carving and much more.
763-421-7130 or www.anokahalloween.com
» Thanks to The World’s Largest Indoor Trick-or-Treat at the Mall of America, kids across the Twin Cities are trading in their pitiful pumpkin baskets for super-size grocery bags. The candy giving commences on Halloween night at the Rotunda, complete with a costume contest. After kids have hit up the 200-plus stores for treats, they can round out their Halloween revels at The Park at MOA. 952-883-8800 or www.mallofamerica.com
» St. Paul comes alive with magic, storytelling, children’s choir music, art projects, candy, costumes and more when the Great Pumpkin Festival hits the historic Landmark Center on Oct. 29. 651-292-3233 or www.landmarkcenter.org
» During the Cub Foods ZooBoo, the grounds of Como Zoo transform into a make-believe world of more than 200 costumed characters, puppet shows, storytelling, scarecrows and dancing—with trick-or-treating to boot. Costumes encouraged. Oct. 21, 22, 27, 28 & 29. 651-487-8226 or www.comozooconservatory.org
