BIG List of Halloween Fun in Southeast Michigan 2014

October is one of the best months of the years…Beautiful leaves falling to the ground, hot apple cider, and of course dressing up to trick-or-treat. I had a great time putting this big list of Halloween fun in southeast Michigan this month, and can’t wait to attend some of the events. Please note most cities have their own downtown trick-or-treating events, so check out your city’s website…I couldn’t list them all 😉

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So, without further ado, a BIG list of Halloween and fall-inspired fun happening in October!

October 3-5 — Trenton Scarecrow Festival {Trenton} — A fall festival with fun for the entire family, complete with contests, prizes, games, arts & crafts, scarecrow building, a dog costume contest, live music, a carnival and more. FREE.

October 4 —  Ghoultide Gathering {Chelsea} — This looks like a really neat event! Three dozen artists will gather to sell unique style Halloween items such as paper-mache sculptures, paintings, art dolls, pottery, soft sculpture, ornaments, and wood carving. Admission is $5. Children 10 and under are free.

October 4 — Autumn Magic at Independence Oaks {Clarkston} — From 2–4 p.m., bring the family for some sweet, colorful autumn magic. Press apples into cider, enjoy a fall snack and craft a leaf- print T-shirt. Experience the magic of nature in the fall with a naturalist-led walk, song and activities in beautiful Independence Oaks County Park. Bring a light colored T-shirt for printing. $5/person.

October 4-5 — Fall Festival at Kensington Metropark {Milford} — Enjoy a fun-filled weekend of activities for the whole family. Tour the farm and view demonstrations, entertainment by Rosco the Clown, and more. Also, take a hayride to and from the pumpkin patch to pick your perfect pumpkin. Many activities are free with park entry.

October 4-26 — Upland Hills Farm Harvest Festival {Oxford} — The Upland Hills Farm Fall Harvest Festival takes place every Saturday and Sunday in October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Enjoy cider and donuts, visit the animals, milk a cow, watch a farm demonstration, be amazed at Baffling Bill’s Magic Show, enjoy a hayride in the woods, walk the storybook trail, pick a pumpkin, or take a pony ride! Admission to the farm is $9 per person. Children 24 months and under are free. {Admission includes magic show, farm show, hayride, storybook trail, visiting the animals, and milk a cow.}

October 4,11, 26 — Fall at the Farm at Northfolk Outback {Webberville} — Games, horseback rides, petting zoo, kids train, pumpkin decorating and more. $12/person, age 2 and under are free. Book ahead of time, as these weekends fill up quick!

October 4-31 — Ghosts & Goodies at Huckleberry Railroad and Crossroads Village {Flint} — Follow the blinking pumpkin lights to trick-or-treat at 20 candy stops throughout Crossroads Village. Walk through the Enchanted Forest, find your way through a Halloween straw maze, take a ride through the autumn countryside on the famous Huckleberry Ghost Train Express and then take in a magic show in the Opera House. Admission is $10-$13 for adults and children 12 months and up. Visit link above for tickets and detailed timing.

October 10-12,  17-19, 24-26 — Zoo Boo at the Detroit Zoo {Royal Oak} — The Detroit Zoo’s annual “merry-not-scary,” Zoo Boo celebration features a half-mile trick-or-treat trail through the front of the park, complete with live entertainment, a Ghouly Games Tent, the Haunted Reptile House and the Zombie Zone featuring ghostly games and spooky activities sure to send a chill up your spine! Zoo boo is held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Advance ticket purchase is encouraged. Tickets are $8/person, ages 2 and up. Parking is $6.

October 10-12, 17-19, 24-26 — Hallowe’en in Greenfield Village {Dearborn} — Stroll down streets and alleys haunted by over 1,000 carved jack-o’-lanterns and lavishly costumed characters during America’s most spooktacular Halloween event. This is a kid-friendly, nightmare-free Halloween gathering. Tickets rain or shine, and advance purchase is recommended {some slots are already sold out}. Admission is $15. Children 2 and under are free.

October 11 — How-To Halloween {Lansing} — This first-time event will celebrate the holiday’s DIY ethic featuring huge displays, great music and everything you want to know about making your own ghoulish props, decorations, make-up and baked goods. So break out your best homemade costumes, bring your friends and be a part of the creative celebration. Admission is $5 for adults and children 3 and up.

October 11-12 — Apple Butter Festival at the Fenner Nature Center {Lansing} — Treat yourself to old-fashioned family fun. Help stir the enormous kettle of apple butter, crank the cider press, taste different apple varieties, and observe heritage craftspeople demonstrating their skills. Great food, live music and beautiful fall colors abound. Parking is $5/vehicle, festival admission is FREE.

October 13 — Stonewall Pumpkin Festival at Van Hoosen Farm {Rochester Hills} — From 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., guests are invited to carve a pumpkin and place it on the stone walls surrounding the Museum property. After the evening lighting, guests can take their pumpkin home. Other activities include make-and-take art projects with the Paint Creek Center for the Arts, hayrides, a pioneer playground with Friends of Dinosaur Hill, music featuring a 1 p.m. performance by Guy Louis, food, a hay jump, tours of the Dairy Barn exhibits, and more. Admission $ 7/person and includes a pumpkin. Kids 2 and under are free.

October 18 — Fall Fest at 2|42 {Brighton} — 2|42 Community Church is excited to provide a FREE Fall Festival for families. Bring your friends to eat fall foods, play games, jump in inflatables, climb rock walls, enjoy a juggler, fire trucks, petting farm, hay rides, paint pumpkins and many more exciting activities. FREE. {Do not need to be a member of the church to attend…We love this place, and we’re Catholic!}

October 18-19, 25-26 — Saginaw Zoo Boo {Saginaw} — Put on your costumes and trick-or-treat your way through the decorated zoo! Load your treat bag with goodies from various vendors and booths. Watch Dr. Slime, the mad scientist, put on a mysterious, scientific show! Ticket price includes zoo admission, train and carousel ride, Dr. Slime Show, and trick-or-treating. Zoo members and the general public: $7 discount tickets available through October 17th. October 18th and after tickets are $9.

October 18-19, 25-26 — Boo at the Zoo at Potter Park {Lansing} — Little ghouls and boys will enjoy an afternoon of spooktacular fun. There will be tons of activities for everyone to enjoy, including a straw maze, live animal presentations, hayrides and the (in)famous Boo Tunnel. Come dressed in their spookiest, scariest, or prettiest Halloween costumes! Included in general admission pricing, which ranges from $2-$10. Children under 3 are FREE.

October 19 —  Modern Mom & Baby Fall Family Show {Livonia} — Visit for a fun day of shopping and activities for the entire family, including Trick-or-Treating, a costume fashion show, storybook reading, coloring contest, Jack-O-Lantern contest and more. Admission is $5.

October 23 — 23rd Annual Auburn Hills Halloween Trail {Auburn Hills} — From 6-7:30 p.m., children 12 and under are invited to “Trick or Treat” down the Halloween Trail in Civic Center Park, visit the talking pumpkin and enjoy a magic show in the Community Center. This event is FREE to all children in costume.

October 23 — Great Pumpkin Walk {Lansing} — Families are encouraged to bring their children to downtown in costume to receive free door-to-door treats from more than 50 friendly downtown merchants from 5-7 p.m. Each year, more than 1,000 trick-or-treaters pack downtown sidewalks for this safe and fun trick-or-treating event. FREE.

October 24 — Monster Splash at Howell Aquatic Center {Howell} — Visit the Howell Aquatic Center for a Monster Splashin’ good time! Take a stroll through our cupcake graveyard, visit the fortune teller, walk inside a haunted sunken ship, participate in a Walk the Plank Cannon Ball Contest, and much more. $4/child, adults are free.

October 24 — Superheroes of the Woods at Red Oaks County Park {Madison Heights} — From 7–8:30 p.m., families are invited to come dressed as your favorite superhero to discover the many ways that animals and plants survive and thrive in their environments. There will be games, an exploratory nature walk and a supersnack! All ages welcome for this family fun event. $3/person.

October 24 — Eerie Experiments at Longway Planetarium {Flint} — From 6-7 p.m., families with kids ages 8 and up are invited to have a howlin’ good time at Longway Planetarium’s annual Halloween party!  Make a glow-in –the-dark monster hand, a color-changing potion, flying ghosts, and build a candy catapult along with other fun, fast-paced activities and demonstrations.  Top it all off with pizza, pop, and candy. Registration required. Cost: $12 per person, $40 for family of 4, $11 for members.

October 25 — Happy Halloween Hayrides at Independence Oaks County Park {Clarkston} — On Saturday, Oct. 25, 10 a.m.–noon OR 1-3 p.m., celebrate Halloween early with this day of family fun. Enjoy a hayride through the park, cider and donuts by a crackling fire, crafts, and learn the truth about some of Michigan’s creepy critters through LIVE animal exhibits. Get in the “spirit” by wearing a costume! $6/person.

October 25 — Legend of Sleepy Howell {Howell} —  Visit downtown Howell for FREE activities including trick or treating at candy stations and many business booths offering giveaways, games, and prizes; costume contests, live music, hay rides, creepy campfires and s’mores, entertainers, a hay maze, inflatables for kids and teens, food vendors, a free outdoor showing of The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad, the Headless Horseman 5K/10K, and much more!

October 25 — Boo at the Zoo at The Great Lakes Zoological Society {Ann Arbor} — This family-friendly event includes a not-so-spooky trail, trick-or-treating, animal activities, music and more! $7/adults, $5/child.

October 25 — Spooktacular Halloween Party at English Gardens {Ann Arbor, Clinton Township, Dearborn Heights, Eastpointe, Royal Oak and West Bloomfield} — Come dressed in your Halloween costume and bring a pre-decorated pumpkin for judging in our annual contest. Geared for kids ages 3 thru 12. FREE. {Thanks for sharing, Bargains to Bounty!}

October 26 — Annual Family Halloween Party at the Natural History Museum {Ann Arbor} — From Noon-5 p.m., have a Halloween that’s fun, safe — and educational as well! By combining entertaining activities with informal science learning, the Museum’s Family Halloween Party has become one of the most popular Halloween activities in the area. Partygoers will journey through the Museum, discovering special stations and displays full of hands-on activities. Many favorite stations will be back, along with new stations, and live animals. The party is suitable for all ages, and is FREE! No reservations or tickets are necessary, but costumes are encourage.

October 26 – Little Goblins Night Out at Ford House {Grosse Pointe Shores} — Bring your little goblins to Ford House for an evening of classic Halloween fun. Drawing on Halloween traditions from the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s, the grounds will be glowing and growling with all sorts of kid-friendly entertainment. Time slots available will be 4:30 p.m. 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10/person.

October 26 — Spooktacular in Royal Oak {Royal Oak} — Downtown Royal Oak presents the annual Spooktacular event for the whole family! Parents are invited to bring their children in their Halloween costumes for trick-or-treating at downtown businesses from 2-4 p.m. Trick-or-Treat at over 50 downtown businesses, plus enjoy special savings, treats and more! FREE.

October 29 — Halloween Preschool Skate at Rollerama {Brighton} — From 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., get on your costume and visit Rollerama with your little one and get a skating lesson, groove to the music, and get a treat. $7/child.

October 31 — Halloween Treat Parade {Ann Arbor} — The 13th annual Treat Parade in downtown Ann Arbor welcomes your little costumed characters to local businesses with greets and treats. Join the fun from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. FREE.

What are your favorite Halloween events? Let me know and I’ll add them in!