Connecticut has plenty of trunk or treats, club crawls, dance parties and other familiar Halloween activities. But the state also has a history of witches, haunted houses and other creepy activities dating back centuries.
Here’s a sampling of only-in-Connecticut Halloween events, based on local legends, cemetery strolls and historical society horrors.
Things That Go Bump in the Night
Nathan Hale Homestead, 2299 South St., Coventry
A candlelit tour of the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse and cornfield, with site-specific ghost stories. The homestead was featured on an episode of the Syfy Channel series “Ghost Hunters.” Oct. 24, 25 and 31 at 7 p.m. $25. Reservations required. ctlandmarks.org.
Light Into the Dungeon: A Jack-o-lantern Experience
New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine, 115 Newgate Road, East Granby
It’s a former prison with mining areas full of bats, but it gets even creepier. Those imprisoned at Old New-Gate prison were incarcerated in pitch darkness inside the adjacent copper mines. This event illuminates that horrific experience with over 300 professionally carved jack-o-lanterns lighting the self-guided (but closely monitored) 100-yard trail. Advance tickets required. Through Oct. 27, with hourly blocks between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. $20, $10 for 17 and younger. portal.ct.gov.
Hallowed History Lantern Tour
Cedar Hill Cemetery, 453 Fairfield Ave., Hartford
A lantern-lit 50-75 minute mile-long tour of Hartford’s Cedar Hill Cemetery, full of spooky local lore takes place Oct. 25 between 6 and 9 p.m. Reservation required. $20. cedarhillcemetery.org.
Hartford Courant file
West Hartford Hauntings offers a 45-minute tour of Old North Cemetery where notable dead residents come to life. (Hartford Courant file)
West Hartford Hauntings
Old North Cemetery, 80 North Main Street, West Hartford
A 45-minute tour of Old North Cemetery where notable dead residents come to life is conducted by the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society. Tours depart every 15 minutes between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 24, 25 and 26. $25, $20 Noah Webster House members. noahwebsterhouse.org.
Paranormal Pub Crawl
Seaside Shadows Tours, Mystic
The Seaside Shadows haunted house tour company leads a 2 1/2-hour tour of downtown Mystic focusing on ghostly town history. It’s specifically a tour of local pubs and the offerings of the Mystic-based Barley Head Brewery. Oct. 25 starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets need to be purchased in advance. Age 21 and over, $65. seasideshadows.com.
Connecticut Cryptids
Howard’s Bookstore, 25 Main St., Torrington
For their superlative collection of supernatural Connecticut lore, “Connecticut Cryptids,” writer Patrick Scalisi and illustrator Valerie Ruby-Omen researched and personally visited the sites where some of the strangest creatures in state history were allegedly sighted. The book was published a year ago and is being given an anniversary event at Howard’s Bookstore in Torrington on Oct. 25 from 5 to 9 p.m. as part of the city’s “Halloween Hoopla” celebration. Free. howardsbookstore.com.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond Ball
Keeney Memorial Cultural Center, 200 Main St., Wethersfield
“The Witch of Blackbird Pond” is a 1958 novel for young readers by Elizabeth George Speare. It’s fiction but is inspired by real-life witch trials that happened in Wethersfield in the late 1600s. The town has begun holding an annual “The Witch of Blackbird Pond Ball” to support educational programming at Keeney Memorial Cultural Center. Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. This year’s ball is preceded by a “patron hour” at 6 p.m. $75, $100 patrons. wethersfieldhistory.org.
Ghost Walk Tours
Memento Mori Cemetery, 115-125 Main St., Farmington
A one-hour program where “living history interpreters” from the historic Stanley-Whitman House tell of dead residents lying in the Farmington cemetery known as Memento Mori. Oct. 26 at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. For ages 12 and up. Rain location is the Stanley-Whitman House. $25. s-wh.org/memento-mori.
‘Wicked Bridgeport’
North Branch Library, 3455 Madison Ave., Bridgeport
Bridgeport Community Historical Society hosts a free talk by “Wicked Bridgeport” author Michael Bielawa, who focuses some of the more sordid and supernatural happenings in the city’s past. Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. bridgeportcthistorical.org.
Paranoia: The Witchcraft Trials in Colonial Connecticut
Ancient Burying Ground, 60 Gold St., Hartford
Christine Jewell leads a tour of the Ancient Burying Ground and talks about the purported witches who were persecuted in Hartford in the 17th century. One of a series of programs the Ancient Burying Ground Association is hosting on “Witchcraft Panic in Colonial Connecticut.” Oct. 23 at 1 p.m., Oct. 26 at 11 a.m. and Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. $10. ancientburyingground.com.
