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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261015T100000
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CREATED:20261005T024211Z
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SUMMARY:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October
DESCRIPTION:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October as merchants throughout the Mystic shopping village create their own characters\, compete for visitor votes\, and turn the walk between shops into a month-long outdoor fall display. \nScarecrows in the Village runs Oct. 1–31\, giving visitors the entire month to wander the brick pathways and find the scarecrows stationed outside participating businesses. Rather than bringing in a collection of professionally made decorations\, Olde Mistick Village puts its own merchants behind the creations. \nThat makes this less a single scheduled event than a temporary transformation of the Village. \nThe Merchants Build the Scarecrows\nThe fun is seeing what individual businesses come up with. \nParticipating Olde Mistick Village merchants create their own scarecrow displays\, which can make the decorations an extension of the personality of the shops themselves. The Village’s photos from previous displays show just how loosely the word “scarecrow” can be interpreted\, with the traditional straw-stuffed figure serving more as a starting point than a rule. \nSome are elaborate. Some are funny. Some lean into Halloween. \nAnd visitors aren’t merely looking at them. \nThey’re judging them. \nFind Your Favorites and Vote\nThroughout October\, QR codes placed around Olde Mistick Village allow visitors to vote for their favorite scarecrows. \nThe 2026 competition includes three categories: \nBest in Crow is the overall crowd-pleaser. \nMost Representative rewards the scarecrow that best captures the identity or personality of its participating Village business. \nMost Seaworthy gives the contest an appropriately Mystic category\, inviting merchants to work the area’s maritime character into their displays. \nThe voting turns what could have been simple seasonal decorations into a scavenger-hunt-like walk. Seeing one or two scarecrows isn’t really the point. The fun comes from exploring the Village\, comparing them and deciding which deserves a vote. \nA Different Way to See Olde Mistick Village\nOlde Mistick Village was designed to feel less like a conventional shopping center and more like a small New England village. \nInstead of a single enclosed mall\, shops and restaurants occupy individual buildings connected by pedestrian paths\, with landscaping\, ponds and gathering areas breaking up the property. \nThat’s particularly well suited to an event like this. \nThere isn’t a tent to enter or a designated exhibition area. The scarecrows become part of the landscape\, appearing as visitors move among shops and restaurants. \nIt also means there is no particular starting time or required route. Someone can spend 20 minutes hunting for scarecrows or make them part of a longer afternoon shopping\, eating and exploring the Village. \nOne Piece of a Much Bigger October in Mystic\nScarecrows in the Village also serves as something of a monthlong backdrop for Olde Mistick Village’s other fall activities. \nThe displays remain in place through Halloween on Oct. 31\, while the Village hosts additional October programming\, including its Apple Festival Oct. 17–18 and Trick or Treat in the Village Oct. 31. \nThat means the experience will change depending on when you visit. Early in October\, the scarecrows are essentially the opening act for fall. By Halloween weekend\, they’re part of a Village fully committed to the season. \nThere is also something appealingly low-key about this one. \nThere are no tickets to buy\, no performance time to hit and no need to devote an entire afternoon to it. Families can turn voting into a game with the kids. Adults can look for their favorite while shopping. Visitors coming for another Village event can simply add the scarecrows to the day. \nAnd because the displays remain up for an entire month\, this is one fall tradition where missing a particular Saturday doesn’t mean missing the event. \nThe only deadline that matters is Halloween. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Scarecrows in the Village\nDates: Thursday\, Oct. 1–Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Olde Mistick Village\nAddress: 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free\nFormat: Monthlong outdoor scarecrow display created by participating Village merchants\nVoting: QR-code voting available throughout October\n2026 Categories: Best in Crow\, Most Representative and Most Seaworthy\nWho It’s For: All ages; particularly easy to combine with a family visit\, shopping or dining\nSchedule: Displays can be viewed during Village operating hours; individual businesses and restaurants may keep different hours\nRelated October Events: Apple Festival\, Oct. 17–18; Trick or Treat in the Village\, Oct. 31\nFinal Day: Halloween\, Oct. 31\nWeather: The scarecrows are displayed outdoors\, so dress for conditions \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/scarecrows-take-over-olde-mistick-village-for-the-month-of-october/2026-10-15/
LOCATION:Olde Mistick Village\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Olde Mistick Village
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Scarecrows-Take-Over-Olde-Mistick-Village-for-the-Month-of-October.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261015T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261015T200000
DTSTAMP:20260929T024550Z
CREATED:20260929T024550Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260929T024550Z
UID:10009190-1792083600-1792094400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Pumpkin Passage Turns The Dinosaur Place Into a Glowing Halloween Playground
DESCRIPTION:Pumpkin Passage Turns The Dinosaur Place Into a Glowing Halloween Playground beginning Oct. 3\, when the dinosaurs stay up after dark\, and The Dinosaur Place in Montville transforms its prehistoric trails into a month-long Halloween world filled with glowing dinosaurs\, illuminated pumpkins\, mythical creatures\, live entertainers\, inflatables\, games\, and marshmallows around the fire. \nAnd despite all the ingredients that could make this terrifying — darkness\, enormous dinosaurs and Halloween — Pumpkin Passage is deliberately aimed at families with young children. \nThis is the eighth year for the annual event at Nature’s Art Village\, and rather than building a haunted attraction around jump scares and monsters\, the park uses its existing dinosaurs as the backdrop for a nighttime Halloween adventure kids can explore with their parents. \nThe result lands somewhere between a Halloween light walk\, an outdoor carnival\, and a visit to The Dinosaur Place after everybody forgot to tell the dinosaurs it was bedtime. \nWait Until the Sun Goes Down\nThe centerpiece is the illuminated trail. \nFamilies walk among glowing dinosaurs\, pumpkins and mythical creatures as Halloween lighting transforms the wooded attraction after dark. The Dinosaur Place is already home to more than 100 life-sized dinosaurs\, including animatronic creatures\, spread across its trails and attractions. Once daylight disappears\, those familiar prehistoric residents become part of the Halloween scenery. \nBut walking the trail is only part of the night. \nPumpkin Passage spreads activities throughout the grounds\, including the Jurassic Jungle bounce house\, a towering 20-foot Funhouse Super Slide\, an inflatable corn maze and other inflatables. \nThere are also lawn games and activities\, including inflatable axe throwing\, cornhole\, Connect 4 and Who’s Your Pumpkin. \nThen there are the pumpkins. \nAmong the more unusual attractions is an original performance by a family of singing animatronic pumpkins — which seems exactly like the sort of wonderfully odd Halloween creation children will either talk about for the rest of the month or insist on seeing again immediately. \nEvery Night Adds Live Entertainment\nPumpkin Passage isn’t exactly the same experience every night. \nThe Dinosaur Place is scheduling live entertainers throughout the run\, with the entertainment changing depending on the date. The lineup includes face painting and glitter tattoos\, balloon twisting\, a petting zoo\, DJs\, light performers\, stilt walkers and other specialty entertainment. \nThat means families planning around a particular performer should check the night’s entertainment schedule before choosing a date rather than assuming every attraction appears at every performance. \nThe regular attractions\, however\, give families plenty to do beyond the scheduled shows. \nOne of the simplest may also be one of the nicest on a cool October night: free marshmallow roasting around the fire pit\, including marshmallows and roasting sticks. S’mores kits\, hot apple cider and cocoa are available as extras. \nFood trucks rotate through Pumpkin Passage as well\, with different vendors scheduled during the month. The published lineup includes pizza\, barbecue\, burgers\, tacos\, Mexican street food\, ice cream\, shaved ice and other festival food. \nAnd because this is Halloween\, costumes are encouraged. \nHalloween for Kids Who Aren’t Looking to Be Terrified\nThe most important word in Pumpkin Passage may be friendly. \nThe event is specifically promoted as toddler- and kid-friendly. This isn’t the place to take a child who wants chainsaws\, blood\, actors leaping from behind trees and a terrifying haunted maze. \nIt’s almost the opposite. \nThe attraction uses the visual language of Halloween — darkness\, glowing pumpkins\, unusual creatures and dramatic lighting — without turning the night into a scare attraction. \nThat makes Pumpkin Passage an option for families whose children are excited about Halloween but aren’t ready for a traditional haunted house. \nIt also gives parents something considerably more substantial than walking around a parking lot collecting candy. Families can make an evening of it\, moving between the illuminated trail\, inflatables\, entertainment\, games\, food trucks and fire pit. \nAnd for a dinosaur-obsessed child\, there’s an obvious bonus: Halloween doesn’t replace the dinosaurs. \nIt joins them. \nThere Are 18 Chances to Go\nOpening night is Saturday\, Oct. 3\, but Pumpkin Passage continues throughout October and even spills into November. \nThe regular schedule includes Fridays\, Saturdays and Sundays beginning Oct. 3\, plus Columbus Day on Monday\, Oct. 12\, and three specially priced Thursday nights on Oct. 15\, 22 and 29. The final night is Sunday\, Nov. 1. \nPumpkin Passage begins at 5 p.m. each night. Friday and Saturday dates generally continue until 9 p.m.\, while Sundays\, the holiday Monday and specially scheduled Thursdays run until 8 p.m. \nOne caution when planning: some outside event calendars show slightly different times. The Dinosaur Place’s own current schedule says Pumpkin Passage begins at 5 p.m.\, so that’s the schedule we would use when planning a visit. \nThe Thursday nights are also less expensive than the regular weekend dates\, giving families some incentive to visit before Halloween weekend. \nOnline ticketing is required\, and reservations are strongly recommended because individual dates can sell out. \nFor families who already love The Dinosaur Place\, Pumpkin Passage offers something genuinely different from a daytime visit. And for children who want Halloween to feel magical rather than frightening\, glowing dinosaurs\, singing pumpkins\, bounce houses and marshmallows may be a pretty good place to start. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. To purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: 8th Annual Pumpkin Passage\nOpening Night: Saturday\, Oct. 3\, 2026\nFinal Night: Sunday\, Nov. 1\, 2026\nLocation: The Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art Village\nAddress: 1650 Hartford-New London Turnpike\, Montville\, CT 06370\nRegular Dates: Fridays\, Saturdays and Sundays beginning Oct. 3\nAdditional Dates: Monday\, Oct. 12; Thursdays\, Oct. 15\, 22 and 29; Sunday\, Nov. 1\nStart Time: 5 p.m.\nFriday & Saturday Hours: Generally 5–9 p.m.\nSunday & Select Weeknight Hours: Generally 5–8 p.m.\nRegular Admission: Children ages 2–12\, $29; ages 13+\, $27; children under 2 free\nSpecial Thursday Pricing: Reduced admission applies Oct. 15\, 22 and 29; check current ticketing for final price before purchasing\nTickets: Online ticketing only; advance reservations strongly recommended\nIncluded: Illuminated Halloween trail\, glowing dinosaurs and pumpkins\, inflatables\, lawn games\, singing animatronic pumpkins\, marshmallow roasting\, photo opportunities and scheduled entertainment\nFood: Rotating food trucks; additional treats and drinks available for purchase\nCostumes: Encouraged\nAudience: Designed as a kid- and toddler-friendly Halloween event\nParking: Free\nWeather: Outdoor event; management may close attractions because of adverse weather. If Pumpkin Passage is forced to close because of rain or lightning at the scheduled visit time\, ticket holders may be offered a rain check to rebook.\nPhone: 860-443-4367 \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/pumpkin-passage-turns-the-dinosaur-place-into-a-glowing-halloween-playground/2026-10-15/
LOCATION:The Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art Village\, 1650 Hartford-New London Tpke\, Montville\, 06370\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Dinosaur Place
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Pumpkin-Passage-Turns-The-Dinosaur-Place-Into-a-Glowing-Halloween-Playground.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261015T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261015T220000
DTSTAMP:20260927T214052Z
CREATED:20260927T210320Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260927T214052Z
UID:10008620-1792090800-1792101600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:The Ghost of Black Sam Turns a Real Pirate Shipwreck Into a Haunted Trail
DESCRIPTION:The Ghost of Black Sam Turns a Real Pirate Shipwreck Into a Haunted Trail begins Oct. 1 at Mystic KOA\, where one of New England’s most remarkable pirate stories becomes the inspiration for a monthlong nighttime Halloween attraction. \nThe outdoor trail runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays throughout October at the Mystic KOA Holiday campground in North Stonington. The premise is straightforward: visitors enter the darkness and walk a trail where\, according to the attraction’s story\, the ghost of pirate Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy still roams. \nBut unlike the invented killers and monsters behind many haunted attractions\, Black Sam was real. \nSo was his ship. \nAnd what happened to it during a violent New England storm in 1717 has become one of the great archaeological stories of the Golden Age of Piracy. \nThe Pirate Behind the Ghost\nSamuel Bellamy’s career as a pirate was remarkably short. \nBorn in England in 1689\, Bellamy emerged as a pirate captain during the early 18th century and spent roughly a year capturing ships in the Caribbean and along the Atlantic. \nHe was only 28 when he died. \nYet during that brief career\, Bellamy and his crew captured more than 50 vessels. His greatest prize came in early 1717 when his pirates seized the Whydah Gally near the Bahamas. \nThe Whydah had a darker history before Bellamy ever stepped aboard. \nBuilt in London\, the ship had been designed for the transatlantic slave trade. On its maiden voyage\, it sailed to the West African coast\, transported hundreds of enslaved people to the Caribbean and was returning toward England with the proceeds of that voyage when Bellamy captured it. \nIts size\, speed and firepower made it an ideal pirate flagship. \nBellamy took command. \nHe would have it for only about two months. \nA Nor’easter Off Cape Cod\nOn April 26\, 1717\, Bellamy and the Whydah were sailing north along the New England coast when they encountered a powerful nor’easter. \nThe ship was driven onto the shoals off what is now Wellfleet\, Massachusetts. \nThe Whydah broke apart. \nNearly everyone aboard died. \nThe wreck disappeared beneath Cape Cod’s shifting sands along with weapons\, coins\, silver and the accumulated possessions of Bellamy’s crew. \nFor generations\, the Whydah became part history and part legend. \nThen\, in 1984\, underwater explorer Barry Clifford and his team found the wreck off Wellfleet. The discovery was authenticated after divers recovered the ship’s bell bearing the name THE WHYDAH GALLY and the date 1716. \nThe Whydah became the first authenticated Golden Age pirate shipwreck ever recovered. \nArtifacts from the wreck continue to preserve a remarkably tangible connection to Bellamy and his crew more than 300 years after the storm. \nThat history gives The Ghost of Black Sam something most Halloween trails don’t have. \nIts monster once lived. \nFrom Shipwreck to Ghost Story\nThe haunting\, of course\, belongs to folklore rather than documented history. \nStories surrounding Bellamy have accumulated for centuries\, particularly around Cape Cod\, where the pirate’s death became entangled with tales of lost treasure\, restless spirits and a supposed doomed romance. \nModern retellings often connect Bellamy with a Cape Cod woman named Maria Hallett and describe him returning north to reunite with her when the Whydah was destroyed. \nIt’s a wonderfully gothic story. \nIt’s also one that historians have increasingly cautioned against treating as established fact. The romanticized Maria Hallett narrative developed long after Bellamy’s death\, and some details commonly repeated as pirate history are better understood as folklore. \nFor a haunted attraction\, however\, that collision of history and legend is precisely the point. \nThe Ghost of Black Sam takes the documented core — a young pirate captain\, a captured ship\, treasure\, a catastrophic nor’easter and a wreck beneath the waters of Cape Cod — and asks visitors to imagine that Bellamy never really left. \nHalloween Begins Oct. 1\nThe attraction opens Thursday\, Oct. 1\, effectively starting Halloween month on its first night. \nThe trail operates from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday throughout October\, culminating on Halloween night\, Saturday\, Oct. 31. \nMystic KOA Holiday sits at 118 Pendleton Hill Road in North Stonington\, providing the attraction with something difficult to manufacture inside a warehouse: actual woods and nighttime darkness. \nThe promotional material promises a spooky trail experience based on the legend of Black Sam Bellamy\, with lanterns\, pirates and the suggestion that something may still be wandering the trail. \nAdmission listed by the event is $20 for adults\, $10 for ages 11–16 and free for children under 10. The attraction is also free with a KOA campsite during a valid night of stay. \nIt’s a Halloween story with an unusually strong historical anchor. \nBlack Sam Bellamy doesn’t need an elaborate fictional origin story. \nMore than three centuries ago\, his pirate ship really did disappear into a nor’easter off New England. \nThe wreck really was found. \nAnd the treasure really was still there. \nWhat happens after dark in North Stonington is where history gives way to Halloween. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: The Ghost of Black Sam\nOpening Night: Thursday\, Oct. 1\, 2026\nRun: Thursdays through Sundays throughout October\, through Oct. 31\nTime: 7–10 p.m.\nVenue: Mystic KOA Holiday\nAddress: 118 Pendleton Hill Road\, North Stonington\, CT 06359\nAdmission: Adults $20; ages 11–16 $10; children under 10 free\nKOA Guests: Free with a KOA campsite during a valid night of stay\nExperience: Outdoor spooky trail inspired by the legend of pirate Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy\nEvent Contact: Mystic KOA Campground\, 860-599-5101 \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/the-ghost-of-black-sam-turns-a-real-pirate-shipwreck-into-a-haunted-trail/2026-10-15/
LOCATION:Mystic KOA\, 118 Pendleton Hill Rd\, North Stonington\, 06359\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic KOA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/The-Ghost-of-Black-Sam-Turns-a-Real-Pirate-Shipwreck-Into-a-Haunted-Trail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261016T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261016T210000
DTSTAMP:20261007T021547Z
CREATED:20261007T021547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261007T021547Z
UID:10009285-1792141200-1792184400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt beginning Friday\, Oct. 9\, sending participants from shop to shop in search of creatures hiding inside local businesses. \nThe premise is wonderfully simple: Adventure Mystic is “unleashing” monsters around town\, and it’s up to participants to find them. \nFrom Oct. 9 through Halloween\, participating businesses will display their favorite Halloween monster. Players pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map at Adventure Mystic\, then use it to track down the creatures scattered around town. \nFind the monster. Get the participating business owner’s signature. Then head off in search of the next one. \nThe Businesses Become the Game Board\nMystic is particularly well suited to a scavenger hunt like this because participants aren’t being sent around an enclosed attraction. The town itself becomes part of the experience. \nRather than completing the hunt in a single building or at a single event\, participants move among local businesses looking for the monsters identified on their maps. \nThat also makes Mystic Monsters unusually flexible for a Halloween event. There’s no single starting time or one night when everyone has to participate. The monsters remain on display from Oct. 9 through Oct. 31\, allowing families and other participants to work through the hunt on their own schedule. \nAnd Adventure Mystic has given the players an appropriately sinister name. \nThey’re the victims. \nFinish the Hunt and There Are Prizes Waiting\nCompleted maps are returned to Adventure Mystic\, where successful victims receive a limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker. \nThey’ll also receive a chance ticket for a drawing with several prizes. \nSix winners will receive autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins\, the Halloween picture book by author and illustrator Stephen Savage. Another prize is a $25 gift card from one of the participating local businesses. \nPublished in 2013\, Seven Orange Pumpkins is a Halloween counting book that turns seven jack-o’-lanterns into a playful countdown toward Halloween night. Savage is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator whose work includes dozens of books for young readers. \nThat makes the autographed books a particularly fitting prize for a hunt built around searching Mystic for Halloween creatures. \nCostumes and Social Media Can Add to the Hunt\nAdventure Mystic is encouraging participants to dress for the occasion\, so there’s no reason the monsters have to be the only creatures roaming around town. \nThe organizers are also offering bonus points for tagged social-media photos and posts\, adding another layer for people who want to document their hunt as they move between participating businesses. \nThe result is less a traditional scheduled event than a Halloween side quest running through Mystic for most of October. \nYou can tackle it in one outing\, work on it during several visits or simply add a few monster stops while you’re already downtown. \nJust remember to get those signatures. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt\nDates: Friday\, Oct. 9 through Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Adventure Mystic and participating businesses around Mystic\nHow to Start: Pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map from Adventure Mystic\nHow It Works: Visit participating businesses shown on the map\, locate their Halloween monsters and collect signatures from the business owners\nCompletion: Return the completed map to Adventure Mystic\nCompletion Prize: Limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker plus a chance ticket for the prize drawing\nDrawing Prizes: Six autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage and a $25 gift card from a participating local business\nCostumes: Encouraged\nBonus: Organizers say tagged social-media photos and posts can earn bonus points\nAdmission/Registration Fee: No fee is stated in the event announcement\nParticipating Businesses: The announcement does not provide a complete list; the official hunt map identifies participating locations. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/mystic-monsters-turns-downtown-businesses-into-a-month-long-halloween-scavenger-hunt/2026-10-16/
LOCATION:Downtown Mystic\, West Main Street\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Downtown Mystic
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Mystic-Monsters-Turns-Downtown-Businesses-Into-a-Month-Long-Halloween-Scavenger-Hunt.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261016T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261016T180000
DTSTAMP:20261005T024211Z
CREATED:20261005T024211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T024211Z
UID:10009249-1792144800-1792173600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October
DESCRIPTION:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October as merchants throughout the Mystic shopping village create their own characters\, compete for visitor votes\, and turn the walk between shops into a month-long outdoor fall display. \nScarecrows in the Village runs Oct. 1–31\, giving visitors the entire month to wander the brick pathways and find the scarecrows stationed outside participating businesses. Rather than bringing in a collection of professionally made decorations\, Olde Mistick Village puts its own merchants behind the creations. \nThat makes this less a single scheduled event than a temporary transformation of the Village. \nThe Merchants Build the Scarecrows\nThe fun is seeing what individual businesses come up with. \nParticipating Olde Mistick Village merchants create their own scarecrow displays\, which can make the decorations an extension of the personality of the shops themselves. The Village’s photos from previous displays show just how loosely the word “scarecrow” can be interpreted\, with the traditional straw-stuffed figure serving more as a starting point than a rule. \nSome are elaborate. Some are funny. Some lean into Halloween. \nAnd visitors aren’t merely looking at them. \nThey’re judging them. \nFind Your Favorites and Vote\nThroughout October\, QR codes placed around Olde Mistick Village allow visitors to vote for their favorite scarecrows. \nThe 2026 competition includes three categories: \nBest in Crow is the overall crowd-pleaser. \nMost Representative rewards the scarecrow that best captures the identity or personality of its participating Village business. \nMost Seaworthy gives the contest an appropriately Mystic category\, inviting merchants to work the area’s maritime character into their displays. \nThe voting turns what could have been simple seasonal decorations into a scavenger-hunt-like walk. Seeing one or two scarecrows isn’t really the point. The fun comes from exploring the Village\, comparing them and deciding which deserves a vote. \nA Different Way to See Olde Mistick Village\nOlde Mistick Village was designed to feel less like a conventional shopping center and more like a small New England village. \nInstead of a single enclosed mall\, shops and restaurants occupy individual buildings connected by pedestrian paths\, with landscaping\, ponds and gathering areas breaking up the property. \nThat’s particularly well suited to an event like this. \nThere isn’t a tent to enter or a designated exhibition area. The scarecrows become part of the landscape\, appearing as visitors move among shops and restaurants. \nIt also means there is no particular starting time or required route. Someone can spend 20 minutes hunting for scarecrows or make them part of a longer afternoon shopping\, eating and exploring the Village. \nOne Piece of a Much Bigger October in Mystic\nScarecrows in the Village also serves as something of a monthlong backdrop for Olde Mistick Village’s other fall activities. \nThe displays remain in place through Halloween on Oct. 31\, while the Village hosts additional October programming\, including its Apple Festival Oct. 17–18 and Trick or Treat in the Village Oct. 31. \nThat means the experience will change depending on when you visit. Early in October\, the scarecrows are essentially the opening act for fall. By Halloween weekend\, they’re part of a Village fully committed to the season. \nThere is also something appealingly low-key about this one. \nThere are no tickets to buy\, no performance time to hit and no need to devote an entire afternoon to it. Families can turn voting into a game with the kids. Adults can look for their favorite while shopping. Visitors coming for another Village event can simply add the scarecrows to the day. \nAnd because the displays remain up for an entire month\, this is one fall tradition where missing a particular Saturday doesn’t mean missing the event. \nThe only deadline that matters is Halloween. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Scarecrows in the Village\nDates: Thursday\, Oct. 1–Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Olde Mistick Village\nAddress: 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free\nFormat: Monthlong outdoor scarecrow display created by participating Village merchants\nVoting: QR-code voting available throughout October\n2026 Categories: Best in Crow\, Most Representative and Most Seaworthy\nWho It’s For: All ages; particularly easy to combine with a family visit\, shopping or dining\nSchedule: Displays can be viewed during Village operating hours; individual businesses and restaurants may keep different hours\nRelated October Events: Apple Festival\, Oct. 17–18; Trick or Treat in the Village\, Oct. 31\nFinal Day: Halloween\, Oct. 31\nWeather: The scarecrows are displayed outdoors\, so dress for conditions \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/scarecrows-take-over-olde-mistick-village-for-the-month-of-october/2026-10-16/
LOCATION:Olde Mistick Village\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Olde Mistick Village
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Scarecrows-Take-Over-Olde-Mistick-Village-for-the-Month-of-October.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261016T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261016T210000
DTSTAMP:20260929T024550Z
CREATED:20260929T024550Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260929T024550Z
UID:10009191-1792170000-1792184400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Pumpkin Passage Turns The Dinosaur Place Into a Glowing Halloween Playground
DESCRIPTION:Pumpkin Passage Turns The Dinosaur Place Into a Glowing Halloween Playground beginning Oct. 3\, when the dinosaurs stay up after dark\, and The Dinosaur Place in Montville transforms its prehistoric trails into a month-long Halloween world filled with glowing dinosaurs\, illuminated pumpkins\, mythical creatures\, live entertainers\, inflatables\, games\, and marshmallows around the fire. \nAnd despite all the ingredients that could make this terrifying — darkness\, enormous dinosaurs and Halloween — Pumpkin Passage is deliberately aimed at families with young children. \nThis is the eighth year for the annual event at Nature’s Art Village\, and rather than building a haunted attraction around jump scares and monsters\, the park uses its existing dinosaurs as the backdrop for a nighttime Halloween adventure kids can explore with their parents. \nThe result lands somewhere between a Halloween light walk\, an outdoor carnival\, and a visit to The Dinosaur Place after everybody forgot to tell the dinosaurs it was bedtime. \nWait Until the Sun Goes Down\nThe centerpiece is the illuminated trail. \nFamilies walk among glowing dinosaurs\, pumpkins and mythical creatures as Halloween lighting transforms the wooded attraction after dark. The Dinosaur Place is already home to more than 100 life-sized dinosaurs\, including animatronic creatures\, spread across its trails and attractions. Once daylight disappears\, those familiar prehistoric residents become part of the Halloween scenery. \nBut walking the trail is only part of the night. \nPumpkin Passage spreads activities throughout the grounds\, including the Jurassic Jungle bounce house\, a towering 20-foot Funhouse Super Slide\, an inflatable corn maze and other inflatables. \nThere are also lawn games and activities\, including inflatable axe throwing\, cornhole\, Connect 4 and Who’s Your Pumpkin. \nThen there are the pumpkins. \nAmong the more unusual attractions is an original performance by a family of singing animatronic pumpkins — which seems exactly like the sort of wonderfully odd Halloween creation children will either talk about for the rest of the month or insist on seeing again immediately. \nEvery Night Adds Live Entertainment\nPumpkin Passage isn’t exactly the same experience every night. \nThe Dinosaur Place is scheduling live entertainers throughout the run\, with the entertainment changing depending on the date. The lineup includes face painting and glitter tattoos\, balloon twisting\, a petting zoo\, DJs\, light performers\, stilt walkers and other specialty entertainment. \nThat means families planning around a particular performer should check the night’s entertainment schedule before choosing a date rather than assuming every attraction appears at every performance. \nThe regular attractions\, however\, give families plenty to do beyond the scheduled shows. \nOne of the simplest may also be one of the nicest on a cool October night: free marshmallow roasting around the fire pit\, including marshmallows and roasting sticks. S’mores kits\, hot apple cider and cocoa are available as extras. \nFood trucks rotate through Pumpkin Passage as well\, with different vendors scheduled during the month. The published lineup includes pizza\, barbecue\, burgers\, tacos\, Mexican street food\, ice cream\, shaved ice and other festival food. \nAnd because this is Halloween\, costumes are encouraged. \nHalloween for Kids Who Aren’t Looking to Be Terrified\nThe most important word in Pumpkin Passage may be friendly. \nThe event is specifically promoted as toddler- and kid-friendly. This isn’t the place to take a child who wants chainsaws\, blood\, actors leaping from behind trees and a terrifying haunted maze. \nIt’s almost the opposite. \nThe attraction uses the visual language of Halloween — darkness\, glowing pumpkins\, unusual creatures and dramatic lighting — without turning the night into a scare attraction. \nThat makes Pumpkin Passage an option for families whose children are excited about Halloween but aren’t ready for a traditional haunted house. \nIt also gives parents something considerably more substantial than walking around a parking lot collecting candy. Families can make an evening of it\, moving between the illuminated trail\, inflatables\, entertainment\, games\, food trucks and fire pit. \nAnd for a dinosaur-obsessed child\, there’s an obvious bonus: Halloween doesn’t replace the dinosaurs. \nIt joins them. \nThere Are 18 Chances to Go\nOpening night is Saturday\, Oct. 3\, but Pumpkin Passage continues throughout October and even spills into November. \nThe regular schedule includes Fridays\, Saturdays and Sundays beginning Oct. 3\, plus Columbus Day on Monday\, Oct. 12\, and three specially priced Thursday nights on Oct. 15\, 22 and 29. The final night is Sunday\, Nov. 1. \nPumpkin Passage begins at 5 p.m. each night. Friday and Saturday dates generally continue until 9 p.m.\, while Sundays\, the holiday Monday and specially scheduled Thursdays run until 8 p.m. \nOne caution when planning: some outside event calendars show slightly different times. The Dinosaur Place’s own current schedule says Pumpkin Passage begins at 5 p.m.\, so that’s the schedule we would use when planning a visit. \nThe Thursday nights are also less expensive than the regular weekend dates\, giving families some incentive to visit before Halloween weekend. \nOnline ticketing is required\, and reservations are strongly recommended because individual dates can sell out. \nFor families who already love The Dinosaur Place\, Pumpkin Passage offers something genuinely different from a daytime visit. And for children who want Halloween to feel magical rather than frightening\, glowing dinosaurs\, singing pumpkins\, bounce houses and marshmallows may be a pretty good place to start. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. To purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: 8th Annual Pumpkin Passage\nOpening Night: Saturday\, Oct. 3\, 2026\nFinal Night: Sunday\, Nov. 1\, 2026\nLocation: The Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art Village\nAddress: 1650 Hartford-New London Turnpike\, Montville\, CT 06370\nRegular Dates: Fridays\, Saturdays and Sundays beginning Oct. 3\nAdditional Dates: Monday\, Oct. 12; Thursdays\, Oct. 15\, 22 and 29; Sunday\, Nov. 1\nStart Time: 5 p.m.\nFriday & Saturday Hours: Generally 5–9 p.m.\nSunday & Select Weeknight Hours: Generally 5–8 p.m.\nRegular Admission: Children ages 2–12\, $29; ages 13+\, $27; children under 2 free\nSpecial Thursday Pricing: Reduced admission applies Oct. 15\, 22 and 29; check current ticketing for final price before purchasing\nTickets: Online ticketing only; advance reservations strongly recommended\nIncluded: Illuminated Halloween trail\, glowing dinosaurs and pumpkins\, inflatables\, lawn games\, singing animatronic pumpkins\, marshmallow roasting\, photo opportunities and scheduled entertainment\nFood: Rotating food trucks; additional treats and drinks available for purchase\nCostumes: Encouraged\nAudience: Designed as a kid- and toddler-friendly Halloween event\nParking: Free\nWeather: Outdoor event; management may close attractions because of adverse weather. If Pumpkin Passage is forced to close because of rain or lightning at the scheduled visit time\, ticket holders may be offered a rain check to rebook.\nPhone: 860-443-4367 \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/pumpkin-passage-turns-the-dinosaur-place-into-a-glowing-halloween-playground/2026-10-16/
LOCATION:The Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art Village\, 1650 Hartford-New London Tpke\, Montville\, 06370\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Dinosaur Place
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261016T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261016T203000
DTSTAMP:20261005T193645Z
CREATED:20260916T010757Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T193645Z
UID:10007892-1792177200-1792182600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours Takes Visitors Into One of Mystic’s Oldest Burial Grounds After Dark
DESCRIPTION:Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours turns a colonial burial ground into a lantern-lit journey through nearly four centuries of Mystic history on multiple nights this fall\, combining documented stories of war\, disease\, abolition\, slavery and early New England burial customs with the legends and reported paranormal activity that have accumulated around the cemetery. \nThe 1-hour-and-45-minute walking tours take place at Whitehall Burial Ground\, tucked just off Hendel Drive in Mystic. Rather than moving through downtown and stopping outside supposedly haunted buildings\, this Seaside Shadows tour spends the evening inside the historic cemetery itself. \nAnd this is not a one-night event. \nThe tours continue on Wednesday\, Friday and Sunday evenings through November\, with additional Saturday tours during October. September and October tours begin at 7 p.m.\, making this one CT Beacon event listing that can carry readers through much of the fall rather than disappearing after a single weekend. \nWhitehall Goes Back to the 1660s\nPart of what gives this particular ghost tour its atmosphere is that Whitehall Burial Ground really is old. \nThe burial ground dates to the 1660s\, when southeastern Connecticut was still a collection of small colonial settlements surrounded by a landscape that would have been almost unrecognizable to someone driving through Mystic today. \nFor generations\, Whitehall served as one of the area’s common burial places. \nThat changed during the 19th century as Americans began embracing the rural cemetery movement\, which replaced older\, compact burial grounds with larger landscaped cemeteries designed partly as places for reflection and remembrance. \nMystic’s Elm Grove Cemetery was established in 1853 during that transition. \nBy 1854\, Whitehall’s role as one of the community’s principal burial places was coming to an end. \nThe graves left behind\, however\, preserve a remarkably long stretch of local history. \nThis Is a Ghost Tour Built Around Real People\nSeaside Shadows describes the experience as a blend of history and mystery\, and that distinction matters. \nThis isn’t a haunted attraction filled with actors waiting behind tombstones. \nThe stories begin with actual people buried at Whitehall and events that shaped southeastern Connecticut. \nGuests hear about men connected to King Philip’s War\, the brutal 17th-century conflict between English colonists and Native peoples that devastated communities throughout New England. \nThe tour moves forward into the American Revolution and stories of Patriot defenders who met violent ends. \nIt also explores the lives of abolitionists\, enslaved and formerly enslaved people\, women and families whose stories provide a different perspective on Mystic’s early history than the familiar tales of ship captains and maritime commerce. \nThen things get stranger. \nYes\, There Are Vampires\nOne of the more unusual subjects woven into the tour is New England’s very real history of vampire scares. \nThese weren’t vampires in the Dracula sense. \nDuring outbreaks of tuberculosis\, then commonly called consumption\, some New England communities came to believe that a deceased family member might somehow be draining the life from surviving relatives. \nIn several documented cases during the 18th and 19th centuries\, bodies were exhumed and examined for signs that the dead were continuing to prey upon the living. \nSometimes organs were removed or burned. \nThe practices reflected communities trying to explain a devastating disease before modern medicine understood how tuberculosis spread. \nAgainst the backdrop of a centuries-old cemetery after dark\, it also provides the kind of history that doesn’t require much embellishment to become unsettling. \nGravestones Tell Their Own Stories\nVisitors aren’t simply hearing stories while walking past anonymous stones. \nEarly New England gravestones developed their own visual language. \nSkulls\, winged death’s heads\, cherubs and other carvings could communicate ideas about death\, mortality and the afterlife. The style and symbolism changed as religious beliefs and attitudes toward death evolved. \nThe tour uses the cemetery itself to introduce some of those burial traditions and grave markings. \nThat gives the walk another layer. \nYou’re not touring a recreation of colonial New England. \nThe objects you’re examining are the surviving pieces of it. \nThen History Gives Way to the Paranormal\nThis is still a ghost tour. \nSeaside Shadows incorporates accounts of paranormal experiences associated with Whitehall\, including reports of unexplained footsteps\, voices and apparitions. \nThe company’s guides also discuss experiences reported during previous tours. \nThose stories are presented alongside local folklore\, including the traditional figure of a Lady in White\, a recurring type of apparition found in legends throughout New England and far beyond it. \nWhether visitors interpret those accounts as paranormal activity\, folklore or the power of suggestion in a dark cemetery is entirely up to them. \nThe setting certainly does its share of the work. \nThere aren’t many environments naturally better suited to a ghost story than a colonial burial ground after sunset. \nCaptain John Gallup Connects Whitehall to a Violent Period of Colonial History\nAmong the historic figures associated with the tour is Captain John Gallup\, whose family was deeply connected to the early colonial history of the region. \nGallup served during King Philip’s War and was killed in 1675 during the Great Swamp Fight in Rhode Island\, one of the conflict’s bloodiest engagements. \nHis story opens the door to a much larger and more complicated period in New England history involving colonial expansion\, Native resistance\, warfare and the destruction of communities. \nOther stops explore the Woodbridge family\, Revolutionary War history and people whose lives intersected with abolition and emancipation. \nThe tour also includes the stories of Quash and Hannah Williams\, using their lives to explore Black history\, enslavement\, freedom and Native American history in the region. \nThat’s where the experience becomes considerably more interesting than simply compiling local ghost stories. \nThe cemetery becomes a timeline. \nMystic’s Ghost Tours Started With a Local Historian\nThe company behind the tour\, Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours\, was founded in 2013 by Connecticut author and historian Courtney McInvale Reardon. \nMcInvale wrote Haunted Mystic\, published the following year\, and built Seaside Shadows around the idea of combining historical research with local legends and paranormal accounts. \nThe company now operates several experiences\, including its Downtown Mystic Ghost Tour and haunted pub crawls\, but the graveyard tour is fundamentally different from walking through the village. \nDowntown Mystic still has traffic\, restaurants\, shops\, bars and people moving around. \nWhitehall after dark is another environment entirely. \nOctober Adds More Chances to Go\nThe schedule becomes more aggressive as Halloween approaches. \nDuring September and October\, the regular graveyard tours begin at 7 p.m. \nIn October\, Seaside Shadows adds Saturday performances at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.\, giving visitors another opportunity to experience the cemetery during the height of spooky season. \nThe price also changes. \nRegular-season admission is $30 per person. October admission increases to $35. \nBecause this is a recurring event\, readers should select their preferred date and confirm the available time when purchasing tickets rather than assuming every night follows exactly the same schedule. \nThis Is a Walking Tour in a Real Cemetery\nThat last point is important. \nWhitehall is not a paved theme-park attraction. \nParticipants will be walking through an old burial ground after dark\, where the terrain can include uneven ground and other natural obstacles. \nSeaside Shadows recommends the experience for guests 11 and older and asks visitors to dress appropriately for the weather. \nIts participation waiver specifically identifies potential hazards including uneven or slippery surfaces\, cemetery terrain\, low lighting and inclement weather. \nGood walking shoes make considerably more sense here than dressing for Halloween. \nTours operate outdoors\, and Seaside Shadows generally runs its experiences rain or shine. Tickets are final except when the company cancels a tour. \nNearly Two Hours Between the Headstones\nThe current Seaside Shadows description puts the Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tour at approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. \nThat’s enough time to move beyond a handful of ghost stories. \nThe tour can reach into colonial warfare\, the Revolution\, disease\, abolition\, slavery\, emancipation\, local folklore\, cemetery symbolism and burial practices while still leaving room for the paranormal accounts that put “ghost” in the name. \nThere is even a final spooky surprise that Seaside Shadows deliberately doesn’t explain in advance. \nProbably best to leave that one buried. \nDetails\nEvent: Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours\nSeason: Through November 29\, 2026\nSeptember Schedule: Wednesdays\, Fridays and Sundays\nSeptember Start Time: 7 p.m.\nOctober Schedule: Regular Wednesday\, Friday and Sunday tours\, plus additional Saturday tours\nOctober Saturday Times: 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.\nLocation: Whitehall Burial Ground\nMeeting Point: Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground\nStreet: Hendel Drive\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nTour Length: Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes\nAdmission: $30 during the regular season; $35 in October\nRecommended Age: 11+\nFormat: Guided outdoor walking tour through a historic colonial burial ground\nTerrain: Cemetery terrain with uneven surfaces and low-light conditions\nWeather: Dress appropriately for outdoor conditions; tours generally operate rain or shine\nWhat to Wear: Comfortable walking shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather\nTickets: Advance ticket purchase is recommended; select the specific tour date and time when booking\nOrganizer: Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours\nPhone: 860-754-8923\nEmail: info@seasideshadows.com \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown. \n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/moonlit-mystic-graveyard-ghost-tours-takes-visitors-into-one-of-mystics-oldest-burial-grounds-after-dark/2026-10-16/
LOCATION:Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground\, Hendel Drive\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261016T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261016T220000
DTSTAMP:20260927T214052Z
CREATED:20260927T210320Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260927T214052Z
UID:10008621-1792177200-1792188000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:The Ghost of Black Sam Turns a Real Pirate Shipwreck Into a Haunted Trail
DESCRIPTION:The Ghost of Black Sam Turns a Real Pirate Shipwreck Into a Haunted Trail begins Oct. 1 at Mystic KOA\, where one of New England’s most remarkable pirate stories becomes the inspiration for a monthlong nighttime Halloween attraction. \nThe outdoor trail runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays throughout October at the Mystic KOA Holiday campground in North Stonington. The premise is straightforward: visitors enter the darkness and walk a trail where\, according to the attraction’s story\, the ghost of pirate Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy still roams. \nBut unlike the invented killers and monsters behind many haunted attractions\, Black Sam was real. \nSo was his ship. \nAnd what happened to it during a violent New England storm in 1717 has become one of the great archaeological stories of the Golden Age of Piracy. \nThe Pirate Behind the Ghost\nSamuel Bellamy’s career as a pirate was remarkably short. \nBorn in England in 1689\, Bellamy emerged as a pirate captain during the early 18th century and spent roughly a year capturing ships in the Caribbean and along the Atlantic. \nHe was only 28 when he died. \nYet during that brief career\, Bellamy and his crew captured more than 50 vessels. His greatest prize came in early 1717 when his pirates seized the Whydah Gally near the Bahamas. \nThe Whydah had a darker history before Bellamy ever stepped aboard. \nBuilt in London\, the ship had been designed for the transatlantic slave trade. On its maiden voyage\, it sailed to the West African coast\, transported hundreds of enslaved people to the Caribbean and was returning toward England with the proceeds of that voyage when Bellamy captured it. \nIts size\, speed and firepower made it an ideal pirate flagship. \nBellamy took command. \nHe would have it for only about two months. \nA Nor’easter Off Cape Cod\nOn April 26\, 1717\, Bellamy and the Whydah were sailing north along the New England coast when they encountered a powerful nor’easter. \nThe ship was driven onto the shoals off what is now Wellfleet\, Massachusetts. \nThe Whydah broke apart. \nNearly everyone aboard died. \nThe wreck disappeared beneath Cape Cod’s shifting sands along with weapons\, coins\, silver and the accumulated possessions of Bellamy’s crew. \nFor generations\, the Whydah became part history and part legend. \nThen\, in 1984\, underwater explorer Barry Clifford and his team found the wreck off Wellfleet. The discovery was authenticated after divers recovered the ship’s bell bearing the name THE WHYDAH GALLY and the date 1716. \nThe Whydah became the first authenticated Golden Age pirate shipwreck ever recovered. \nArtifacts from the wreck continue to preserve a remarkably tangible connection to Bellamy and his crew more than 300 years after the storm. \nThat history gives The Ghost of Black Sam something most Halloween trails don’t have. \nIts monster once lived. \nFrom Shipwreck to Ghost Story\nThe haunting\, of course\, belongs to folklore rather than documented history. \nStories surrounding Bellamy have accumulated for centuries\, particularly around Cape Cod\, where the pirate’s death became entangled with tales of lost treasure\, restless spirits and a supposed doomed romance. \nModern retellings often connect Bellamy with a Cape Cod woman named Maria Hallett and describe him returning north to reunite with her when the Whydah was destroyed. \nIt’s a wonderfully gothic story. \nIt’s also one that historians have increasingly cautioned against treating as established fact. The romanticized Maria Hallett narrative developed long after Bellamy’s death\, and some details commonly repeated as pirate history are better understood as folklore. \nFor a haunted attraction\, however\, that collision of history and legend is precisely the point. \nThe Ghost of Black Sam takes the documented core — a young pirate captain\, a captured ship\, treasure\, a catastrophic nor’easter and a wreck beneath the waters of Cape Cod — and asks visitors to imagine that Bellamy never really left. \nHalloween Begins Oct. 1\nThe attraction opens Thursday\, Oct. 1\, effectively starting Halloween month on its first night. \nThe trail operates from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday throughout October\, culminating on Halloween night\, Saturday\, Oct. 31. \nMystic KOA Holiday sits at 118 Pendleton Hill Road in North Stonington\, providing the attraction with something difficult to manufacture inside a warehouse: actual woods and nighttime darkness. \nThe promotional material promises a spooky trail experience based on the legend of Black Sam Bellamy\, with lanterns\, pirates and the suggestion that something may still be wandering the trail. \nAdmission listed by the event is $20 for adults\, $10 for ages 11–16 and free for children under 10. The attraction is also free with a KOA campsite during a valid night of stay. \nIt’s a Halloween story with an unusually strong historical anchor. \nBlack Sam Bellamy doesn’t need an elaborate fictional origin story. \nMore than three centuries ago\, his pirate ship really did disappear into a nor’easter off New England. \nThe wreck really was found. \nAnd the treasure really was still there. \nWhat happens after dark in North Stonington is where history gives way to Halloween. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: The Ghost of Black Sam\nOpening Night: Thursday\, Oct. 1\, 2026\nRun: Thursdays through Sundays throughout October\, through Oct. 31\nTime: 7–10 p.m.\nVenue: Mystic KOA Holiday\nAddress: 118 Pendleton Hill Road\, North Stonington\, CT 06359\nAdmission: Adults $20; ages 11–16 $10; children under 10 free\nKOA Guests: Free with a KOA campsite during a valid night of stay\nExperience: Outdoor spooky trail inspired by the legend of pirate Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy\nEvent Contact: Mystic KOA Campground\, 860-599-5101 \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/the-ghost-of-black-sam-turns-a-real-pirate-shipwreck-into-a-haunted-trail/2026-10-16/
LOCATION:Mystic KOA\, 118 Pendleton Hill Rd\, North Stonington\, 06359\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic KOA
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T210000
DTSTAMP:20261007T021547Z
CREATED:20261007T021547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261007T021547Z
UID:10009286-1792227600-1792270800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt beginning Friday\, Oct. 9\, sending participants from shop to shop in search of creatures hiding inside local businesses. \nThe premise is wonderfully simple: Adventure Mystic is “unleashing” monsters around town\, and it’s up to participants to find them. \nFrom Oct. 9 through Halloween\, participating businesses will display their favorite Halloween monster. Players pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map at Adventure Mystic\, then use it to track down the creatures scattered around town. \nFind the monster. Get the participating business owner’s signature. Then head off in search of the next one. \nThe Businesses Become the Game Board\nMystic is particularly well suited to a scavenger hunt like this because participants aren’t being sent around an enclosed attraction. The town itself becomes part of the experience. \nRather than completing the hunt in a single building or at a single event\, participants move among local businesses looking for the monsters identified on their maps. \nThat also makes Mystic Monsters unusually flexible for a Halloween event. There’s no single starting time or one night when everyone has to participate. The monsters remain on display from Oct. 9 through Oct. 31\, allowing families and other participants to work through the hunt on their own schedule. \nAnd Adventure Mystic has given the players an appropriately sinister name. \nThey’re the victims. \nFinish the Hunt and There Are Prizes Waiting\nCompleted maps are returned to Adventure Mystic\, where successful victims receive a limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker. \nThey’ll also receive a chance ticket for a drawing with several prizes. \nSix winners will receive autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins\, the Halloween picture book by author and illustrator Stephen Savage. Another prize is a $25 gift card from one of the participating local businesses. \nPublished in 2013\, Seven Orange Pumpkins is a Halloween counting book that turns seven jack-o’-lanterns into a playful countdown toward Halloween night. Savage is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator whose work includes dozens of books for young readers. \nThat makes the autographed books a particularly fitting prize for a hunt built around searching Mystic for Halloween creatures. \nCostumes and Social Media Can Add to the Hunt\nAdventure Mystic is encouraging participants to dress for the occasion\, so there’s no reason the monsters have to be the only creatures roaming around town. \nThe organizers are also offering bonus points for tagged social-media photos and posts\, adding another layer for people who want to document their hunt as they move between participating businesses. \nThe result is less a traditional scheduled event than a Halloween side quest running through Mystic for most of October. \nYou can tackle it in one outing\, work on it during several visits or simply add a few monster stops while you’re already downtown. \nJust remember to get those signatures. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt\nDates: Friday\, Oct. 9 through Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Adventure Mystic and participating businesses around Mystic\nHow to Start: Pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map from Adventure Mystic\nHow It Works: Visit participating businesses shown on the map\, locate their Halloween monsters and collect signatures from the business owners\nCompletion: Return the completed map to Adventure Mystic\nCompletion Prize: Limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker plus a chance ticket for the prize drawing\nDrawing Prizes: Six autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage and a $25 gift card from a participating local business\nCostumes: Encouraged\nBonus: Organizers say tagged social-media photos and posts can earn bonus points\nAdmission/Registration Fee: No fee is stated in the event announcement\nParticipating Businesses: The announcement does not provide a complete list; the official hunt map identifies participating locations. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/mystic-monsters-turns-downtown-businesses-into-a-month-long-halloween-scavenger-hunt/2026-10-17/
LOCATION:Downtown Mystic\, West Main Street\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Downtown Mystic
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T180000
DTSTAMP:20261005T024211Z
CREATED:20261005T024211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T024211Z
UID:10009250-1792231200-1792260000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October
DESCRIPTION:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October as merchants throughout the Mystic shopping village create their own characters\, compete for visitor votes\, and turn the walk between shops into a month-long outdoor fall display. \nScarecrows in the Village runs Oct. 1–31\, giving visitors the entire month to wander the brick pathways and find the scarecrows stationed outside participating businesses. Rather than bringing in a collection of professionally made decorations\, Olde Mistick Village puts its own merchants behind the creations. \nThat makes this less a single scheduled event than a temporary transformation of the Village. \nThe Merchants Build the Scarecrows\nThe fun is seeing what individual businesses come up with. \nParticipating Olde Mistick Village merchants create their own scarecrow displays\, which can make the decorations an extension of the personality of the shops themselves. The Village’s photos from previous displays show just how loosely the word “scarecrow” can be interpreted\, with the traditional straw-stuffed figure serving more as a starting point than a rule. \nSome are elaborate. Some are funny. Some lean into Halloween. \nAnd visitors aren’t merely looking at them. \nThey’re judging them. \nFind Your Favorites and Vote\nThroughout October\, QR codes placed around Olde Mistick Village allow visitors to vote for their favorite scarecrows. \nThe 2026 competition includes three categories: \nBest in Crow is the overall crowd-pleaser. \nMost Representative rewards the scarecrow that best captures the identity or personality of its participating Village business. \nMost Seaworthy gives the contest an appropriately Mystic category\, inviting merchants to work the area’s maritime character into their displays. \nThe voting turns what could have been simple seasonal decorations into a scavenger-hunt-like walk. Seeing one or two scarecrows isn’t really the point. The fun comes from exploring the Village\, comparing them and deciding which deserves a vote. \nA Different Way to See Olde Mistick Village\nOlde Mistick Village was designed to feel less like a conventional shopping center and more like a small New England village. \nInstead of a single enclosed mall\, shops and restaurants occupy individual buildings connected by pedestrian paths\, with landscaping\, ponds and gathering areas breaking up the property. \nThat’s particularly well suited to an event like this. \nThere isn’t a tent to enter or a designated exhibition area. The scarecrows become part of the landscape\, appearing as visitors move among shops and restaurants. \nIt also means there is no particular starting time or required route. Someone can spend 20 minutes hunting for scarecrows or make them part of a longer afternoon shopping\, eating and exploring the Village. \nOne Piece of a Much Bigger October in Mystic\nScarecrows in the Village also serves as something of a monthlong backdrop for Olde Mistick Village’s other fall activities. \nThe displays remain in place through Halloween on Oct. 31\, while the Village hosts additional October programming\, including its Apple Festival Oct. 17–18 and Trick or Treat in the Village Oct. 31. \nThat means the experience will change depending on when you visit. Early in October\, the scarecrows are essentially the opening act for fall. By Halloween weekend\, they’re part of a Village fully committed to the season. \nThere is also something appealingly low-key about this one. \nThere are no tickets to buy\, no performance time to hit and no need to devote an entire afternoon to it. Families can turn voting into a game with the kids. Adults can look for their favorite while shopping. Visitors coming for another Village event can simply add the scarecrows to the day. \nAnd because the displays remain up for an entire month\, this is one fall tradition where missing a particular Saturday doesn’t mean missing the event. \nThe only deadline that matters is Halloween. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Scarecrows in the Village\nDates: Thursday\, Oct. 1–Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Olde Mistick Village\nAddress: 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free\nFormat: Monthlong outdoor scarecrow display created by participating Village merchants\nVoting: QR-code voting available throughout October\n2026 Categories: Best in Crow\, Most Representative and Most Seaworthy\nWho It’s For: All ages; particularly easy to combine with a family visit\, shopping or dining\nSchedule: Displays can be viewed during Village operating hours; individual businesses and restaurants may keep different hours\nRelated October Events: Apple Festival\, Oct. 17–18; Trick or Treat in the Village\, Oct. 31\nFinal Day: Halloween\, Oct. 31\nWeather: The scarecrows are displayed outdoors\, so dress for conditions \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/scarecrows-take-over-olde-mistick-village-for-the-month-of-october/2026-10-17/
LOCATION:Olde Mistick Village\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Olde Mistick Village
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Scarecrows-Take-Over-Olde-Mistick-Village-for-the-Month-of-October.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T180000
DTSTAMP:20261007T024150Z
CREATED:20261007T024150Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261007T024150Z
UID:10009301-1792245600-1792260000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Witches Take Over the Mystic River for an Eighth Annual Halloween Paddle and Coat Drive
DESCRIPTION:Witches Take Over the Mystic River for an Eighth Annual Halloween Paddle and Coat Drive on Saturday\, Oct. 17\, when costumed paddlers trade broomsticks for kayaks and paddleboards for one of Mystic’s more unusual Halloween traditions. \nAdventure Mystic’s annual Witch Paddle brings witches\, warlocks\, goblins\, ghouls and whatever other creatures people can dream up onto the Mystic River for three hours of paddling\, costumes and community fundraising. \nAnd after eight years\, this isn’t simply a group of people deciding it would be funny to paddle around wearing pointy hats. \nThe Witch Paddle has become a genuine Mystic Halloween tradition. \nFrom a Few Witches to an Annual Mystic Spectacle\nAdventure Mystic traces its Witch Paddle back to 2019\, and photographs from the event’s early years show exactly why the idea caught on. \nA flotilla of witches moving along the Mystic River is difficult to ignore. \nBy October 2020\, the second annual paddle was already being documented as costumed participants gathered at Adventure Mystic before heading onto the river. The event continued growing\, reaching its sixth year in 2024 and seventh in 2025. \nNow Adventure Mystic is preparing to launch the witches for an eighth time. \nThis year’s paddle runs from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday\, Oct. 17\, beginning at Adventure Mystic at 15 Holmes St. \nCostumes aren’t restricted to witches. Organizers are encouraging anything witchy\, spooky\, funny\, creepy\, creative or completely over the top. \nThere is some incentive to put in the effort: prizes will be awarded to the top three costumes. \nThis One Is for Experienced Paddlers\nThe costumes may be ridiculous. The water requirements aren’t. \nAdventure Mystic specifically describes this as an event for experienced paddlers only\, and participants need to bring their own equipment. \nKayaks\, paddleboards\, canoes and pedal kayaks are welcome\, but there are no rentals for the event. Each paddler needs the appropriate equipment\, including their own PFD\, paddle and leash. \nAnyone younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult. \nThat experience requirement is worth taking seriously in October. Halloween costumes add another consideration when you’re balancing on a paddleboard or maneuvering a kayak\, and Mystic River water temperatures are considerably less forgiving in fall than during the middle of summer. \nThe result should be a great spectacle from shore\, but the people wearing the witch hats on the water need to know what they’re doing. \nThe Coat Drive Gives the Witches a Mission\nThere’s another reason for gathering beyond the fun. \nParticipants are asked to bring a new or gently used coat for the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center\, continuing the charitable component that has accompanied the Witch Paddle for years. \nThe Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center has served the region since 1985 and provides assistance to residents of Mystic\, Stonington\, Pawcatuck\, North Stonington and Westerly. \nIts work extends well beyond clothing. The nonprofit provides food and household necessities\, utility and housing assistance\, senior transportation and other support for local residents experiencing financial hardship. \nThat makes the coat drive particularly local: coats collected during an afternoon on the Mystic River go to an organization serving people in the same communities surrounding it. \nThe Party Continues Back on Land\nNobody has to immediately take off the witch hat once the boats come out of the water. \nAdventure Mystic is following the paddle with a BBQ and DJ after-party\, and participants are invited to bring a side dish or snack to share. \nThat turns the afternoon into something closer to a Halloween gathering than simply a three-hour paddle. \nThe registration fee is $25 per person\, and advance registration is mandatory. There are no walk-ups or day-of registrations. \nAdventure Mystic’s current booking information says registration closes at 3 p.m. Friday\, Oct. 16\, the day before the event. \nIf Saturday’s weather refuses to cooperate with the witches\, the rain date is Sunday\, Oct. 18\, from 3 to 6 p.m. \nFor everyone else\, there is always the option of watching from dry land as a coven of witches paddles through Mystic. \nTo register\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: 8th Annual Witch Paddle & Coat Drive\nDate: Saturday\, Oct. 17\, 2026\nTime: 3–6 p.m.\nLocation: Adventure Mystic\nAddress: 15 Holmes St.\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nPrice: $25 per person\nExperience: Experienced paddlers only\nBoats: Bring your own kayak\, paddleboard\, canoe or pedal kayak; no rentals are available\nRequired Equipment: Participants must bring their own PFD\, paddle and leash\nAge: Participants younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult\nRegistration: Required in advance; no walk-ups or day-of registration\nRegistration Deadline: 3 p.m. Friday\, Oct. 16\nCostumes: Halloween costumes strongly encouraged; prizes for the top three costumes\nCoat Drive: Bring a new or gently used coat for the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center\nAfter Party: BBQ and DJ following the paddle; participants may bring a side dish or snack to share\nRain Date: Sunday\, Oct. 18\, 3–6 p.me \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/witches-take-over-the-mystic-river-for-an-eighth-annual-halloween-paddle-and-coat-drive/
LOCATION:Adventure Mystic\, 15 Holmes Street\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Adventure Mystic
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Witches-Take-Over-the-Mystic-River-for-an-Eighth-Annual-Halloween-Paddle-and-Coat-Drive.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T200000
DTSTAMP:20261006T211205Z
CREATED:20261006T211205Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261006T211205Z
UID:10009276-1792254600-1792267200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Frights & Lights Turns North Stonington’s Main Street Into a Halloween Block Party
DESCRIPTION:Frights & Lights Turns North Stonington’s Main Street Into a Halloween Block Party Saturday\, Oct. 17\, with an evening that starts with food\, vendors and music before an illuminated procession of decorated cars\, trucks\, Jeeps and just about anything else on wheels rolls through town. \nThis will be the seventh annual Frights & Lights Halloween Block Party & Light Parade\, and unlike a traditional parade where spectators arrive\, watch everything pass and go home\, North Stonington builds an entire evening around it. \nThe block party begins at 4:30 p.m. along Main Street\, giving the village two hours to fill with food\, vendors\, music\, costumes and neighbors before the parade steps off at 6:30. \nThen the lights start moving. \nA Halloween Parade Where Almost Anything Can Join In\nPart of the fun is that Frights & Lights doesn’t require participants to show up with a professionally built parade float. \nOrganizers are actively looking for vehicles of practically every description. \nGolf carts can join. So can cars\, Jeeps\, trucks and tractors. \nThe common denominator is Halloween and lights. \nThat creates a very different visual experience after dark as decorated vehicles make their way through North Stonington covered in strings of lights\, glowing Halloween decorations and whatever else their owners can devise. \nThe parade is scheduled to step off at 6:30 p.m.\, travel through the Meadow Wood/Kingswood neighborhood and then make its way toward Main Street\, where it is expected to arrive at approximately 7:30 p.m. \nThat means visitors don’t necessarily have to choose between the party and the parade. The block party comes first\, the procession leaves and returns\, and Main Street becomes the gathering point again as darkness settles over the village. \nFrights & Lights Started During the Pandemic\nThe event has an unusual origin story. \nNorth Stonington resident Jennifer Strunk created Frights & Lights during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way for the community to celebrate Halloween and gather when many of the usual traditions had become difficult or impossible. \nThe idea survived the circumstances that created it. \nNorth Stonington’s own Education Foundation now credits Strunk with creating several local cultural events and specifically points to Frights & Lights as something that continued growing beyond the pandemic. \nBy 2023\, the event had become significant enough that the North Stonington Board of Selectmen publicly congratulated Strunk on its success. \nWhat began as a solution to an unusual Halloween has turned into a town tradition. \nMain Street Gets the Party Started\nThe parade may provide the evening’s biggest spectacle\, but it isn’t the entire event. \nBeginning at 4:30 p.m.\, Main Street becomes the center of the celebration with food\, vendors\, music and socializing. \nOrganizers are also recruiting crafters\, sellers\, food trucks\, psychics and musicians for the 2026 edition\, suggesting the street festival portion is intended to be considerably more than a waiting area for the parade. \nA Trunk or Treat is also planned\, although organizers say additional details are still coming. \nCostumes are encouraged\, and the event is deliberately designed for both adults and children rather than functioning solely as a kids’ Halloween activity. \nThat gives Frights & Lights a nice progression as the afternoon becomes evening. \nCome while it’s still light for the vendors and food. Stay as costumes\, decorated vehicles and Halloween lights begin looking considerably better after sunset. \nThen find a spot for the parade. \nSeven Years Later\, the Original Idea Still Works\nThere’s something wonderfully uncomplicated about Frights & Lights. \nIt doesn’t require a haunted attraction\, elaborate ticketing system or massive production. \nDecorate the town. Decorate the vehicles. Put people in costumes. Bring everyone to Main Street. Turn on the lights when it gets dark. \nWhat North Stonington discovered during the pandemic was that the formula worked. \nSeven Halloweens later\, they’re still doing it. \nadeaMuster location – North Stonington Elementary School parking lot. \nLineup begins at 5:00pm.\n\nParade Route \n\nExit NSES\, turn left onto Rt 2 W\nLeft onto Mystic Road\nLeft onto Meadow Wood Drive\, continuing onto Pinecrest (big loop)\nLeft onto Old Colony Rd\nRight onto Kingswood Drive\nRight onto Mystic Road\nRight onto Rt 2 E\nSharp left onto Main Street at the Raina’s Red Onion Pizza intersection\nRight onto Main Street\nLeft onto Main Street at Shunock River Brewery\nFolks participating in the trunk or treat will pull into the Main Street parking circle at the Education Center and follow volunteer directions to the NEW location for trunk or treat. All other parade vehicles may either leave\, or pull off to the side of Main Street and completely shut down their vehicles.\n\nHEAD’S UP!\n\nNOTHING may be thrown from the parade vehicles AT ANY TIME. Spectators (kids) running into the road to collect candy during a night parade is extremely dangerous and puts future parades at risk of being canceled.\nDetails\nEvent: Frights & Lights Halloween Block Party & Light Parade\nDate: Saturday\, Oct. 17\, 2026\nBlock Party Begins: 4:30 p.m.\nParade Steps Off: 6:30 p.m.\nParade Arrives on Main Street: Approximately 7:30 p.m.\nEvent End: Approximately 8 p.m.\nLocation: Main Street\, North Stonington\, CT\nListed Address: 100 Main St.\, North Stonington\, CT 06359\nAdmission: Free\nActivities: Halloween light parade\, block party\, food\, vendors\, music and socializing\nTrunk or Treat: Planned; additional details are still to be announced\nCostumes: Welcome\nAges: Adults and children\nParade Route: Includes the Meadow Wood/Kingswood neighborhood before arriving on Main Street\nParade Vehicles: Organizers welcome a broad variety of entries\, including golf carts\, cars\, Jeeps\, trucks and tractors\nVendor/Participant Registration: Organizers are accepting inquiries from vendors\, crafters\, food trucks\, psychics\, musicians and parade participants\nContact: NSLightParade@gmail.com \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/frights-lights-turns-north-stoningtons-main-street-into-a-halloween-block-party/
LOCATION:Main Street North Stonington\, Main Street\, North Stonington\, 06359\, United States
CATEGORIES:Main Street North Stonington
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Frights-anf-Lights-Turns-North-Stoningtons-Main-Street-Into-a-Halloween-Block-Party.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T210000
DTSTAMP:20260929T024550Z
CREATED:20260929T024550Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260929T024550Z
UID:10009192-1792256400-1792270800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Pumpkin Passage Turns The Dinosaur Place Into a Glowing Halloween Playground
DESCRIPTION:Pumpkin Passage Turns The Dinosaur Place Into a Glowing Halloween Playground beginning Oct. 3\, when the dinosaurs stay up after dark\, and The Dinosaur Place in Montville transforms its prehistoric trails into a month-long Halloween world filled with glowing dinosaurs\, illuminated pumpkins\, mythical creatures\, live entertainers\, inflatables\, games\, and marshmallows around the fire. \nAnd despite all the ingredients that could make this terrifying — darkness\, enormous dinosaurs and Halloween — Pumpkin Passage is deliberately aimed at families with young children. \nThis is the eighth year for the annual event at Nature’s Art Village\, and rather than building a haunted attraction around jump scares and monsters\, the park uses its existing dinosaurs as the backdrop for a nighttime Halloween adventure kids can explore with their parents. \nThe result lands somewhere between a Halloween light walk\, an outdoor carnival\, and a visit to The Dinosaur Place after everybody forgot to tell the dinosaurs it was bedtime. \nWait Until the Sun Goes Down\nThe centerpiece is the illuminated trail. \nFamilies walk among glowing dinosaurs\, pumpkins and mythical creatures as Halloween lighting transforms the wooded attraction after dark. The Dinosaur Place is already home to more than 100 life-sized dinosaurs\, including animatronic creatures\, spread across its trails and attractions. Once daylight disappears\, those familiar prehistoric residents become part of the Halloween scenery. \nBut walking the trail is only part of the night. \nPumpkin Passage spreads activities throughout the grounds\, including the Jurassic Jungle bounce house\, a towering 20-foot Funhouse Super Slide\, an inflatable corn maze and other inflatables. \nThere are also lawn games and activities\, including inflatable axe throwing\, cornhole\, Connect 4 and Who’s Your Pumpkin. \nThen there are the pumpkins. \nAmong the more unusual attractions is an original performance by a family of singing animatronic pumpkins — which seems exactly like the sort of wonderfully odd Halloween creation children will either talk about for the rest of the month or insist on seeing again immediately. \nEvery Night Adds Live Entertainment\nPumpkin Passage isn’t exactly the same experience every night. \nThe Dinosaur Place is scheduling live entertainers throughout the run\, with the entertainment changing depending on the date. The lineup includes face painting and glitter tattoos\, balloon twisting\, a petting zoo\, DJs\, light performers\, stilt walkers and other specialty entertainment. \nThat means families planning around a particular performer should check the night’s entertainment schedule before choosing a date rather than assuming every attraction appears at every performance. \nThe regular attractions\, however\, give families plenty to do beyond the scheduled shows. \nOne of the simplest may also be one of the nicest on a cool October night: free marshmallow roasting around the fire pit\, including marshmallows and roasting sticks. S’mores kits\, hot apple cider and cocoa are available as extras. \nFood trucks rotate through Pumpkin Passage as well\, with different vendors scheduled during the month. The published lineup includes pizza\, barbecue\, burgers\, tacos\, Mexican street food\, ice cream\, shaved ice and other festival food. \nAnd because this is Halloween\, costumes are encouraged. \nHalloween for Kids Who Aren’t Looking to Be Terrified\nThe most important word in Pumpkin Passage may be friendly. \nThe event is specifically promoted as toddler- and kid-friendly. This isn’t the place to take a child who wants chainsaws\, blood\, actors leaping from behind trees and a terrifying haunted maze. \nIt’s almost the opposite. \nThe attraction uses the visual language of Halloween — darkness\, glowing pumpkins\, unusual creatures and dramatic lighting — without turning the night into a scare attraction. \nThat makes Pumpkin Passage an option for families whose children are excited about Halloween but aren’t ready for a traditional haunted house. \nIt also gives parents something considerably more substantial than walking around a parking lot collecting candy. Families can make an evening of it\, moving between the illuminated trail\, inflatables\, entertainment\, games\, food trucks and fire pit. \nAnd for a dinosaur-obsessed child\, there’s an obvious bonus: Halloween doesn’t replace the dinosaurs. \nIt joins them. \nThere Are 18 Chances to Go\nOpening night is Saturday\, Oct. 3\, but Pumpkin Passage continues throughout October and even spills into November. \nThe regular schedule includes Fridays\, Saturdays and Sundays beginning Oct. 3\, plus Columbus Day on Monday\, Oct. 12\, and three specially priced Thursday nights on Oct. 15\, 22 and 29. The final night is Sunday\, Nov. 1. \nPumpkin Passage begins at 5 p.m. each night. Friday and Saturday dates generally continue until 9 p.m.\, while Sundays\, the holiday Monday and specially scheduled Thursdays run until 8 p.m. \nOne caution when planning: some outside event calendars show slightly different times. The Dinosaur Place’s own current schedule says Pumpkin Passage begins at 5 p.m.\, so that’s the schedule we would use when planning a visit. \nThe Thursday nights are also less expensive than the regular weekend dates\, giving families some incentive to visit before Halloween weekend. \nOnline ticketing is required\, and reservations are strongly recommended because individual dates can sell out. \nFor families who already love The Dinosaur Place\, Pumpkin Passage offers something genuinely different from a daytime visit. And for children who want Halloween to feel magical rather than frightening\, glowing dinosaurs\, singing pumpkins\, bounce houses and marshmallows may be a pretty good place to start. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. To purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: 8th Annual Pumpkin Passage\nOpening Night: Saturday\, Oct. 3\, 2026\nFinal Night: Sunday\, Nov. 1\, 2026\nLocation: The Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art Village\nAddress: 1650 Hartford-New London Turnpike\, Montville\, CT 06370\nRegular Dates: Fridays\, Saturdays and Sundays beginning Oct. 3\nAdditional Dates: Monday\, Oct. 12; Thursdays\, Oct. 15\, 22 and 29; Sunday\, Nov. 1\nStart Time: 5 p.m.\nFriday & Saturday Hours: Generally 5–9 p.m.\nSunday & Select Weeknight Hours: Generally 5–8 p.m.\nRegular Admission: Children ages 2–12\, $29; ages 13+\, $27; children under 2 free\nSpecial Thursday Pricing: Reduced admission applies Oct. 15\, 22 and 29; check current ticketing for final price before purchasing\nTickets: Online ticketing only; advance reservations strongly recommended\nIncluded: Illuminated Halloween trail\, glowing dinosaurs and pumpkins\, inflatables\, lawn games\, singing animatronic pumpkins\, marshmallow roasting\, photo opportunities and scheduled entertainment\nFood: Rotating food trucks; additional treats and drinks available for purchase\nCostumes: Encouraged\nAudience: Designed as a kid- and toddler-friendly Halloween event\nParking: Free\nWeather: Outdoor event; management may close attractions because of adverse weather. If Pumpkin Passage is forced to close because of rain or lightning at the scheduled visit time\, ticket holders may be offered a rain check to rebook.\nPhone: 860-443-4367 \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/pumpkin-passage-turns-the-dinosaur-place-into-a-glowing-halloween-playground/2026-10-17/
LOCATION:The Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art Village\, 1650 Hartford-New London Tpke\, Montville\, 06370\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Dinosaur Place
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Pumpkin-Passage-Turns-The-Dinosaur-Place-Into-a-Glowing-Halloween-Playground.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T203000
DTSTAMP:20261005T193645Z
CREATED:20260916T010757Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T193645Z
UID:10007893-1792263600-1792269000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours Takes Visitors Into One of Mystic’s Oldest Burial Grounds After Dark
DESCRIPTION:Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours turns a colonial burial ground into a lantern-lit journey through nearly four centuries of Mystic history on multiple nights this fall\, combining documented stories of war\, disease\, abolition\, slavery and early New England burial customs with the legends and reported paranormal activity that have accumulated around the cemetery. \nThe 1-hour-and-45-minute walking tours take place at Whitehall Burial Ground\, tucked just off Hendel Drive in Mystic. Rather than moving through downtown and stopping outside supposedly haunted buildings\, this Seaside Shadows tour spends the evening inside the historic cemetery itself. \nAnd this is not a one-night event. \nThe tours continue on Wednesday\, Friday and Sunday evenings through November\, with additional Saturday tours during October. September and October tours begin at 7 p.m.\, making this one CT Beacon event listing that can carry readers through much of the fall rather than disappearing after a single weekend. \nWhitehall Goes Back to the 1660s\nPart of what gives this particular ghost tour its atmosphere is that Whitehall Burial Ground really is old. \nThe burial ground dates to the 1660s\, when southeastern Connecticut was still a collection of small colonial settlements surrounded by a landscape that would have been almost unrecognizable to someone driving through Mystic today. \nFor generations\, Whitehall served as one of the area’s common burial places. \nThat changed during the 19th century as Americans began embracing the rural cemetery movement\, which replaced older\, compact burial grounds with larger landscaped cemeteries designed partly as places for reflection and remembrance. \nMystic’s Elm Grove Cemetery was established in 1853 during that transition. \nBy 1854\, Whitehall’s role as one of the community’s principal burial places was coming to an end. \nThe graves left behind\, however\, preserve a remarkably long stretch of local history. \nThis Is a Ghost Tour Built Around Real People\nSeaside Shadows describes the experience as a blend of history and mystery\, and that distinction matters. \nThis isn’t a haunted attraction filled with actors waiting behind tombstones. \nThe stories begin with actual people buried at Whitehall and events that shaped southeastern Connecticut. \nGuests hear about men connected to King Philip’s War\, the brutal 17th-century conflict between English colonists and Native peoples that devastated communities throughout New England. \nThe tour moves forward into the American Revolution and stories of Patriot defenders who met violent ends. \nIt also explores the lives of abolitionists\, enslaved and formerly enslaved people\, women and families whose stories provide a different perspective on Mystic’s early history than the familiar tales of ship captains and maritime commerce. \nThen things get stranger. \nYes\, There Are Vampires\nOne of the more unusual subjects woven into the tour is New England’s very real history of vampire scares. \nThese weren’t vampires in the Dracula sense. \nDuring outbreaks of tuberculosis\, then commonly called consumption\, some New England communities came to believe that a deceased family member might somehow be draining the life from surviving relatives. \nIn several documented cases during the 18th and 19th centuries\, bodies were exhumed and examined for signs that the dead were continuing to prey upon the living. \nSometimes organs were removed or burned. \nThe practices reflected communities trying to explain a devastating disease before modern medicine understood how tuberculosis spread. \nAgainst the backdrop of a centuries-old cemetery after dark\, it also provides the kind of history that doesn’t require much embellishment to become unsettling. \nGravestones Tell Their Own Stories\nVisitors aren’t simply hearing stories while walking past anonymous stones. \nEarly New England gravestones developed their own visual language. \nSkulls\, winged death’s heads\, cherubs and other carvings could communicate ideas about death\, mortality and the afterlife. The style and symbolism changed as religious beliefs and attitudes toward death evolved. \nThe tour uses the cemetery itself to introduce some of those burial traditions and grave markings. \nThat gives the walk another layer. \nYou’re not touring a recreation of colonial New England. \nThe objects you’re examining are the surviving pieces of it. \nThen History Gives Way to the Paranormal\nThis is still a ghost tour. \nSeaside Shadows incorporates accounts of paranormal experiences associated with Whitehall\, including reports of unexplained footsteps\, voices and apparitions. \nThe company’s guides also discuss experiences reported during previous tours. \nThose stories are presented alongside local folklore\, including the traditional figure of a Lady in White\, a recurring type of apparition found in legends throughout New England and far beyond it. \nWhether visitors interpret those accounts as paranormal activity\, folklore or the power of suggestion in a dark cemetery is entirely up to them. \nThe setting certainly does its share of the work. \nThere aren’t many environments naturally better suited to a ghost story than a colonial burial ground after sunset. \nCaptain John Gallup Connects Whitehall to a Violent Period of Colonial History\nAmong the historic figures associated with the tour is Captain John Gallup\, whose family was deeply connected to the early colonial history of the region. \nGallup served during King Philip’s War and was killed in 1675 during the Great Swamp Fight in Rhode Island\, one of the conflict’s bloodiest engagements. \nHis story opens the door to a much larger and more complicated period in New England history involving colonial expansion\, Native resistance\, warfare and the destruction of communities. \nOther stops explore the Woodbridge family\, Revolutionary War history and people whose lives intersected with abolition and emancipation. \nThe tour also includes the stories of Quash and Hannah Williams\, using their lives to explore Black history\, enslavement\, freedom and Native American history in the region. \nThat’s where the experience becomes considerably more interesting than simply compiling local ghost stories. \nThe cemetery becomes a timeline. \nMystic’s Ghost Tours Started With a Local Historian\nThe company behind the tour\, Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours\, was founded in 2013 by Connecticut author and historian Courtney McInvale Reardon. \nMcInvale wrote Haunted Mystic\, published the following year\, and built Seaside Shadows around the idea of combining historical research with local legends and paranormal accounts. \nThe company now operates several experiences\, including its Downtown Mystic Ghost Tour and haunted pub crawls\, but the graveyard tour is fundamentally different from walking through the village. \nDowntown Mystic still has traffic\, restaurants\, shops\, bars and people moving around. \nWhitehall after dark is another environment entirely. \nOctober Adds More Chances to Go\nThe schedule becomes more aggressive as Halloween approaches. \nDuring September and October\, the regular graveyard tours begin at 7 p.m. \nIn October\, Seaside Shadows adds Saturday performances at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.\, giving visitors another opportunity to experience the cemetery during the height of spooky season. \nThe price also changes. \nRegular-season admission is $30 per person. October admission increases to $35. \nBecause this is a recurring event\, readers should select their preferred date and confirm the available time when purchasing tickets rather than assuming every night follows exactly the same schedule. \nThis Is a Walking Tour in a Real Cemetery\nThat last point is important. \nWhitehall is not a paved theme-park attraction. \nParticipants will be walking through an old burial ground after dark\, where the terrain can include uneven ground and other natural obstacles. \nSeaside Shadows recommends the experience for guests 11 and older and asks visitors to dress appropriately for the weather. \nIts participation waiver specifically identifies potential hazards including uneven or slippery surfaces\, cemetery terrain\, low lighting and inclement weather. \nGood walking shoes make considerably more sense here than dressing for Halloween. \nTours operate outdoors\, and Seaside Shadows generally runs its experiences rain or shine. Tickets are final except when the company cancels a tour. \nNearly Two Hours Between the Headstones\nThe current Seaside Shadows description puts the Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tour at approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. \nThat’s enough time to move beyond a handful of ghost stories. \nThe tour can reach into colonial warfare\, the Revolution\, disease\, abolition\, slavery\, emancipation\, local folklore\, cemetery symbolism and burial practices while still leaving room for the paranormal accounts that put “ghost” in the name. \nThere is even a final spooky surprise that Seaside Shadows deliberately doesn’t explain in advance. \nProbably best to leave that one buried. \nDetails\nEvent: Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours\nSeason: Through November 29\, 2026\nSeptember Schedule: Wednesdays\, Fridays and Sundays\nSeptember Start Time: 7 p.m.\nOctober Schedule: Regular Wednesday\, Friday and Sunday tours\, plus additional Saturday tours\nOctober Saturday Times: 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.\nLocation: Whitehall Burial Ground\nMeeting Point: Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground\nStreet: Hendel Drive\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nTour Length: Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes\nAdmission: $30 during the regular season; $35 in October\nRecommended Age: 11+\nFormat: Guided outdoor walking tour through a historic colonial burial ground\nTerrain: Cemetery terrain with uneven surfaces and low-light conditions\nWeather: Dress appropriately for outdoor conditions; tours generally operate rain or shine\nWhat to Wear: Comfortable walking shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather\nTickets: Advance ticket purchase is recommended; select the specific tour date and time when booking\nOrganizer: Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours\nPhone: 860-754-8923\nEmail: info@seasideshadows.com \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown. \n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/moonlit-mystic-graveyard-ghost-tours-takes-visitors-into-one-of-mystics-oldest-burial-grounds-after-dark/2026-10-17/1/
LOCATION:Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground\, Hendel Drive\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Moonlit-Mystic-Graveyard-Ghost-Tours-Takes-Visitors-Into-One-of-Mystics-Oldest-Burial-Grounds-After-Dark.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T220000
DTSTAMP:20260927T214052Z
CREATED:20260927T210320Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260927T214052Z
UID:10008622-1792263600-1792274400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:The Ghost of Black Sam Turns a Real Pirate Shipwreck Into a Haunted Trail
DESCRIPTION:The Ghost of Black Sam Turns a Real Pirate Shipwreck Into a Haunted Trail begins Oct. 1 at Mystic KOA\, where one of New England’s most remarkable pirate stories becomes the inspiration for a monthlong nighttime Halloween attraction. \nThe outdoor trail runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays throughout October at the Mystic KOA Holiday campground in North Stonington. The premise is straightforward: visitors enter the darkness and walk a trail where\, according to the attraction’s story\, the ghost of pirate Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy still roams. \nBut unlike the invented killers and monsters behind many haunted attractions\, Black Sam was real. \nSo was his ship. \nAnd what happened to it during a violent New England storm in 1717 has become one of the great archaeological stories of the Golden Age of Piracy. \nThe Pirate Behind the Ghost\nSamuel Bellamy’s career as a pirate was remarkably short. \nBorn in England in 1689\, Bellamy emerged as a pirate captain during the early 18th century and spent roughly a year capturing ships in the Caribbean and along the Atlantic. \nHe was only 28 when he died. \nYet during that brief career\, Bellamy and his crew captured more than 50 vessels. His greatest prize came in early 1717 when his pirates seized the Whydah Gally near the Bahamas. \nThe Whydah had a darker history before Bellamy ever stepped aboard. \nBuilt in London\, the ship had been designed for the transatlantic slave trade. On its maiden voyage\, it sailed to the West African coast\, transported hundreds of enslaved people to the Caribbean and was returning toward England with the proceeds of that voyage when Bellamy captured it. \nIts size\, speed and firepower made it an ideal pirate flagship. \nBellamy took command. \nHe would have it for only about two months. \nA Nor’easter Off Cape Cod\nOn April 26\, 1717\, Bellamy and the Whydah were sailing north along the New England coast when they encountered a powerful nor’easter. \nThe ship was driven onto the shoals off what is now Wellfleet\, Massachusetts. \nThe Whydah broke apart. \nNearly everyone aboard died. \nThe wreck disappeared beneath Cape Cod’s shifting sands along with weapons\, coins\, silver and the accumulated possessions of Bellamy’s crew. \nFor generations\, the Whydah became part history and part legend. \nThen\, in 1984\, underwater explorer Barry Clifford and his team found the wreck off Wellfleet. The discovery was authenticated after divers recovered the ship’s bell bearing the name THE WHYDAH GALLY and the date 1716. \nThe Whydah became the first authenticated Golden Age pirate shipwreck ever recovered. \nArtifacts from the wreck continue to preserve a remarkably tangible connection to Bellamy and his crew more than 300 years after the storm. \nThat history gives The Ghost of Black Sam something most Halloween trails don’t have. \nIts monster once lived. \nFrom Shipwreck to Ghost Story\nThe haunting\, of course\, belongs to folklore rather than documented history. \nStories surrounding Bellamy have accumulated for centuries\, particularly around Cape Cod\, where the pirate’s death became entangled with tales of lost treasure\, restless spirits and a supposed doomed romance. \nModern retellings often connect Bellamy with a Cape Cod woman named Maria Hallett and describe him returning north to reunite with her when the Whydah was destroyed. \nIt’s a wonderfully gothic story. \nIt’s also one that historians have increasingly cautioned against treating as established fact. The romanticized Maria Hallett narrative developed long after Bellamy’s death\, and some details commonly repeated as pirate history are better understood as folklore. \nFor a haunted attraction\, however\, that collision of history and legend is precisely the point. \nThe Ghost of Black Sam takes the documented core — a young pirate captain\, a captured ship\, treasure\, a catastrophic nor’easter and a wreck beneath the waters of Cape Cod — and asks visitors to imagine that Bellamy never really left. \nHalloween Begins Oct. 1\nThe attraction opens Thursday\, Oct. 1\, effectively starting Halloween month on its first night. \nThe trail operates from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday throughout October\, culminating on Halloween night\, Saturday\, Oct. 31. \nMystic KOA Holiday sits at 118 Pendleton Hill Road in North Stonington\, providing the attraction with something difficult to manufacture inside a warehouse: actual woods and nighttime darkness. \nThe promotional material promises a spooky trail experience based on the legend of Black Sam Bellamy\, with lanterns\, pirates and the suggestion that something may still be wandering the trail. \nAdmission listed by the event is $20 for adults\, $10 for ages 11–16 and free for children under 10. The attraction is also free with a KOA campsite during a valid night of stay. \nIt’s a Halloween story with an unusually strong historical anchor. \nBlack Sam Bellamy doesn’t need an elaborate fictional origin story. \nMore than three centuries ago\, his pirate ship really did disappear into a nor’easter off New England. \nThe wreck really was found. \nAnd the treasure really was still there. \nWhat happens after dark in North Stonington is where history gives way to Halloween. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: The Ghost of Black Sam\nOpening Night: Thursday\, Oct. 1\, 2026\nRun: Thursdays through Sundays throughout October\, through Oct. 31\nTime: 7–10 p.m.\nVenue: Mystic KOA Holiday\nAddress: 118 Pendleton Hill Road\, North Stonington\, CT 06359\nAdmission: Adults $20; ages 11–16 $10; children under 10 free\nKOA Guests: Free with a KOA campsite during a valid night of stay\nExperience: Outdoor spooky trail inspired by the legend of pirate Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy\nEvent Contact: Mystic KOA Campground\, 860-599-5101 \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/the-ghost-of-black-sam-turns-a-real-pirate-shipwreck-into-a-haunted-trail/2026-10-17/
LOCATION:Mystic KOA\, 118 Pendleton Hill Rd\, North Stonington\, 06359\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic KOA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/The-Ghost-of-Black-Sam-Turns-a-Real-Pirate-Shipwreck-Into-a-Haunted-Trail.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T210000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261017T223000
DTSTAMP:20261005T193645Z
CREATED:20260916T010757Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T193645Z
UID:10007894-1792270800-1792276200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours Takes Visitors Into One of Mystic’s Oldest Burial Grounds After Dark
DESCRIPTION:Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours turns a colonial burial ground into a lantern-lit journey through nearly four centuries of Mystic history on multiple nights this fall\, combining documented stories of war\, disease\, abolition\, slavery and early New England burial customs with the legends and reported paranormal activity that have accumulated around the cemetery. \nThe 1-hour-and-45-minute walking tours take place at Whitehall Burial Ground\, tucked just off Hendel Drive in Mystic. Rather than moving through downtown and stopping outside supposedly haunted buildings\, this Seaside Shadows tour spends the evening inside the historic cemetery itself. \nAnd this is not a one-night event. \nThe tours continue on Wednesday\, Friday and Sunday evenings through November\, with additional Saturday tours during October. September and October tours begin at 7 p.m.\, making this one CT Beacon event listing that can carry readers through much of the fall rather than disappearing after a single weekend. \nWhitehall Goes Back to the 1660s\nPart of what gives this particular ghost tour its atmosphere is that Whitehall Burial Ground really is old. \nThe burial ground dates to the 1660s\, when southeastern Connecticut was still a collection of small colonial settlements surrounded by a landscape that would have been almost unrecognizable to someone driving through Mystic today. \nFor generations\, Whitehall served as one of the area’s common burial places. \nThat changed during the 19th century as Americans began embracing the rural cemetery movement\, which replaced older\, compact burial grounds with larger landscaped cemeteries designed partly as places for reflection and remembrance. \nMystic’s Elm Grove Cemetery was established in 1853 during that transition. \nBy 1854\, Whitehall’s role as one of the community’s principal burial places was coming to an end. \nThe graves left behind\, however\, preserve a remarkably long stretch of local history. \nThis Is a Ghost Tour Built Around Real People\nSeaside Shadows describes the experience as a blend of history and mystery\, and that distinction matters. \nThis isn’t a haunted attraction filled with actors waiting behind tombstones. \nThe stories begin with actual people buried at Whitehall and events that shaped southeastern Connecticut. \nGuests hear about men connected to King Philip’s War\, the brutal 17th-century conflict between English colonists and Native peoples that devastated communities throughout New England. \nThe tour moves forward into the American Revolution and stories of Patriot defenders who met violent ends. \nIt also explores the lives of abolitionists\, enslaved and formerly enslaved people\, women and families whose stories provide a different perspective on Mystic’s early history than the familiar tales of ship captains and maritime commerce. \nThen things get stranger. \nYes\, There Are Vampires\nOne of the more unusual subjects woven into the tour is New England’s very real history of vampire scares. \nThese weren’t vampires in the Dracula sense. \nDuring outbreaks of tuberculosis\, then commonly called consumption\, some New England communities came to believe that a deceased family member might somehow be draining the life from surviving relatives. \nIn several documented cases during the 18th and 19th centuries\, bodies were exhumed and examined for signs that the dead were continuing to prey upon the living. \nSometimes organs were removed or burned. \nThe practices reflected communities trying to explain a devastating disease before modern medicine understood how tuberculosis spread. \nAgainst the backdrop of a centuries-old cemetery after dark\, it also provides the kind of history that doesn’t require much embellishment to become unsettling. \nGravestones Tell Their Own Stories\nVisitors aren’t simply hearing stories while walking past anonymous stones. \nEarly New England gravestones developed their own visual language. \nSkulls\, winged death’s heads\, cherubs and other carvings could communicate ideas about death\, mortality and the afterlife. The style and symbolism changed as religious beliefs and attitudes toward death evolved. \nThe tour uses the cemetery itself to introduce some of those burial traditions and grave markings. \nThat gives the walk another layer. \nYou’re not touring a recreation of colonial New England. \nThe objects you’re examining are the surviving pieces of it. \nThen History Gives Way to the Paranormal\nThis is still a ghost tour. \nSeaside Shadows incorporates accounts of paranormal experiences associated with Whitehall\, including reports of unexplained footsteps\, voices and apparitions. \nThe company’s guides also discuss experiences reported during previous tours. \nThose stories are presented alongside local folklore\, including the traditional figure of a Lady in White\, a recurring type of apparition found in legends throughout New England and far beyond it. \nWhether visitors interpret those accounts as paranormal activity\, folklore or the power of suggestion in a dark cemetery is entirely up to them. \nThe setting certainly does its share of the work. \nThere aren’t many environments naturally better suited to a ghost story than a colonial burial ground after sunset. \nCaptain John Gallup Connects Whitehall to a Violent Period of Colonial History\nAmong the historic figures associated with the tour is Captain John Gallup\, whose family was deeply connected to the early colonial history of the region. \nGallup served during King Philip’s War and was killed in 1675 during the Great Swamp Fight in Rhode Island\, one of the conflict’s bloodiest engagements. \nHis story opens the door to a much larger and more complicated period in New England history involving colonial expansion\, Native resistance\, warfare and the destruction of communities. \nOther stops explore the Woodbridge family\, Revolutionary War history and people whose lives intersected with abolition and emancipation. \nThe tour also includes the stories of Quash and Hannah Williams\, using their lives to explore Black history\, enslavement\, freedom and Native American history in the region. \nThat’s where the experience becomes considerably more interesting than simply compiling local ghost stories. \nThe cemetery becomes a timeline. \nMystic’s Ghost Tours Started With a Local Historian\nThe company behind the tour\, Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours\, was founded in 2013 by Connecticut author and historian Courtney McInvale Reardon. \nMcInvale wrote Haunted Mystic\, published the following year\, and built Seaside Shadows around the idea of combining historical research with local legends and paranormal accounts. \nThe company now operates several experiences\, including its Downtown Mystic Ghost Tour and haunted pub crawls\, but the graveyard tour is fundamentally different from walking through the village. \nDowntown Mystic still has traffic\, restaurants\, shops\, bars and people moving around. \nWhitehall after dark is another environment entirely. \nOctober Adds More Chances to Go\nThe schedule becomes more aggressive as Halloween approaches. \nDuring September and October\, the regular graveyard tours begin at 7 p.m. \nIn October\, Seaside Shadows adds Saturday performances at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.\, giving visitors another opportunity to experience the cemetery during the height of spooky season. \nThe price also changes. \nRegular-season admission is $30 per person. October admission increases to $35. \nBecause this is a recurring event\, readers should select their preferred date and confirm the available time when purchasing tickets rather than assuming every night follows exactly the same schedule. \nThis Is a Walking Tour in a Real Cemetery\nThat last point is important. \nWhitehall is not a paved theme-park attraction. \nParticipants will be walking through an old burial ground after dark\, where the terrain can include uneven ground and other natural obstacles. \nSeaside Shadows recommends the experience for guests 11 and older and asks visitors to dress appropriately for the weather. \nIts participation waiver specifically identifies potential hazards including uneven or slippery surfaces\, cemetery terrain\, low lighting and inclement weather. \nGood walking shoes make considerably more sense here than dressing for Halloween. \nTours operate outdoors\, and Seaside Shadows generally runs its experiences rain or shine. Tickets are final except when the company cancels a tour. \nNearly Two Hours Between the Headstones\nThe current Seaside Shadows description puts the Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tour at approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. \nThat’s enough time to move beyond a handful of ghost stories. \nThe tour can reach into colonial warfare\, the Revolution\, disease\, abolition\, slavery\, emancipation\, local folklore\, cemetery symbolism and burial practices while still leaving room for the paranormal accounts that put “ghost” in the name. \nThere is even a final spooky surprise that Seaside Shadows deliberately doesn’t explain in advance. \nProbably best to leave that one buried. \nDetails\nEvent: Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours\nSeason: Through November 29\, 2026\nSeptember Schedule: Wednesdays\, Fridays and Sundays\nSeptember Start Time: 7 p.m.\nOctober Schedule: Regular Wednesday\, Friday and Sunday tours\, plus additional Saturday tours\nOctober Saturday Times: 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.\nLocation: Whitehall Burial Ground\nMeeting Point: Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground\nStreet: Hendel Drive\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nTour Length: Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes\nAdmission: $30 during the regular season; $35 in October\nRecommended Age: 11+\nFormat: Guided outdoor walking tour through a historic colonial burial ground\nTerrain: Cemetery terrain with uneven surfaces and low-light conditions\nWeather: Dress appropriately for outdoor conditions; tours generally operate rain or shine\nWhat to Wear: Comfortable walking shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather\nTickets: Advance ticket purchase is recommended; select the specific tour date and time when booking\nOrganizer: Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours\nPhone: 860-754-8923\nEmail: info@seasideshadows.com \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown. \n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/moonlit-mystic-graveyard-ghost-tours-takes-visitors-into-one-of-mystics-oldest-burial-grounds-after-dark/2026-10-17/2/
LOCATION:Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground\, Hendel Drive\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Moonlit-Mystic-Graveyard-Ghost-Tours-Takes-Visitors-Into-One-of-Mystics-Oldest-Burial-Grounds-After-Dark.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261018T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261018T210000
DTSTAMP:20261007T021547Z
CREATED:20261007T021547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261007T021547Z
UID:10009287-1792314000-1792357200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt beginning Friday\, Oct. 9\, sending participants from shop to shop in search of creatures hiding inside local businesses. \nThe premise is wonderfully simple: Adventure Mystic is “unleashing” monsters around town\, and it’s up to participants to find them. \nFrom Oct. 9 through Halloween\, participating businesses will display their favorite Halloween monster. Players pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map at Adventure Mystic\, then use it to track down the creatures scattered around town. \nFind the monster. Get the participating business owner’s signature. Then head off in search of the next one. \nThe Businesses Become the Game Board\nMystic is particularly well suited to a scavenger hunt like this because participants aren’t being sent around an enclosed attraction. The town itself becomes part of the experience. \nRather than completing the hunt in a single building or at a single event\, participants move among local businesses looking for the monsters identified on their maps. \nThat also makes Mystic Monsters unusually flexible for a Halloween event. There’s no single starting time or one night when everyone has to participate. The monsters remain on display from Oct. 9 through Oct. 31\, allowing families and other participants to work through the hunt on their own schedule. \nAnd Adventure Mystic has given the players an appropriately sinister name. \nThey’re the victims. \nFinish the Hunt and There Are Prizes Waiting\nCompleted maps are returned to Adventure Mystic\, where successful victims receive a limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker. \nThey’ll also receive a chance ticket for a drawing with several prizes. \nSix winners will receive autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins\, the Halloween picture book by author and illustrator Stephen Savage. Another prize is a $25 gift card from one of the participating local businesses. \nPublished in 2013\, Seven Orange Pumpkins is a Halloween counting book that turns seven jack-o’-lanterns into a playful countdown toward Halloween night. Savage is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator whose work includes dozens of books for young readers. \nThat makes the autographed books a particularly fitting prize for a hunt built around searching Mystic for Halloween creatures. \nCostumes and Social Media Can Add to the Hunt\nAdventure Mystic is encouraging participants to dress for the occasion\, so there’s no reason the monsters have to be the only creatures roaming around town. \nThe organizers are also offering bonus points for tagged social-media photos and posts\, adding another layer for people who want to document their hunt as they move between participating businesses. \nThe result is less a traditional scheduled event than a Halloween side quest running through Mystic for most of October. \nYou can tackle it in one outing\, work on it during several visits or simply add a few monster stops while you’re already downtown. \nJust remember to get those signatures. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt\nDates: Friday\, Oct. 9 through Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Adventure Mystic and participating businesses around Mystic\nHow to Start: Pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map from Adventure Mystic\nHow It Works: Visit participating businesses shown on the map\, locate their Halloween monsters and collect signatures from the business owners\nCompletion: Return the completed map to Adventure Mystic\nCompletion Prize: Limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker plus a chance ticket for the prize drawing\nDrawing Prizes: Six autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage and a $25 gift card from a participating local business\nCostumes: Encouraged\nBonus: Organizers say tagged social-media photos and posts can earn bonus points\nAdmission/Registration Fee: No fee is stated in the event announcement\nParticipating Businesses: The announcement does not provide a complete list; the official hunt map identifies participating locations. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/mystic-monsters-turns-downtown-businesses-into-a-month-long-halloween-scavenger-hunt/2026-10-18/
LOCATION:Downtown Mystic\, West Main Street\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Downtown Mystic
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Mystic-Monsters-Turns-Downtown-Businesses-Into-a-Month-Long-Halloween-Scavenger-Hunt.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261018T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261018T180000
DTSTAMP:20261005T024211Z
CREATED:20261005T024211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T024211Z
UID:10009251-1792321200-1792346400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October
DESCRIPTION:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October as merchants throughout the Mystic shopping village create their own characters\, compete for visitor votes\, and turn the walk between shops into a month-long outdoor fall display. \nScarecrows in the Village runs Oct. 1–31\, giving visitors the entire month to wander the brick pathways and find the scarecrows stationed outside participating businesses. Rather than bringing in a collection of professionally made decorations\, Olde Mistick Village puts its own merchants behind the creations. \nThat makes this less a single scheduled event than a temporary transformation of the Village. \nThe Merchants Build the Scarecrows\nThe fun is seeing what individual businesses come up with. \nParticipating Olde Mistick Village merchants create their own scarecrow displays\, which can make the decorations an extension of the personality of the shops themselves. The Village’s photos from previous displays show just how loosely the word “scarecrow” can be interpreted\, with the traditional straw-stuffed figure serving more as a starting point than a rule. \nSome are elaborate. Some are funny. Some lean into Halloween. \nAnd visitors aren’t merely looking at them. \nThey’re judging them. \nFind Your Favorites and Vote\nThroughout October\, QR codes placed around Olde Mistick Village allow visitors to vote for their favorite scarecrows. \nThe 2026 competition includes three categories: \nBest in Crow is the overall crowd-pleaser. \nMost Representative rewards the scarecrow that best captures the identity or personality of its participating Village business. \nMost Seaworthy gives the contest an appropriately Mystic category\, inviting merchants to work the area’s maritime character into their displays. \nThe voting turns what could have been simple seasonal decorations into a scavenger-hunt-like walk. Seeing one or two scarecrows isn’t really the point. The fun comes from exploring the Village\, comparing them and deciding which deserves a vote. \nA Different Way to See Olde Mistick Village\nOlde Mistick Village was designed to feel less like a conventional shopping center and more like a small New England village. \nInstead of a single enclosed mall\, shops and restaurants occupy individual buildings connected by pedestrian paths\, with landscaping\, ponds and gathering areas breaking up the property. \nThat’s particularly well suited to an event like this. \nThere isn’t a tent to enter or a designated exhibition area. The scarecrows become part of the landscape\, appearing as visitors move among shops and restaurants. \nIt also means there is no particular starting time or required route. Someone can spend 20 minutes hunting for scarecrows or make them part of a longer afternoon shopping\, eating and exploring the Village. \nOne Piece of a Much Bigger October in Mystic\nScarecrows in the Village also serves as something of a monthlong backdrop for Olde Mistick Village’s other fall activities. \nThe displays remain in place through Halloween on Oct. 31\, while the Village hosts additional October programming\, including its Apple Festival Oct. 17–18 and Trick or Treat in the Village Oct. 31. \nThat means the experience will change depending on when you visit. Early in October\, the scarecrows are essentially the opening act for fall. By Halloween weekend\, they’re part of a Village fully committed to the season. \nThere is also something appealingly low-key about this one. \nThere are no tickets to buy\, no performance time to hit and no need to devote an entire afternoon to it. Families can turn voting into a game with the kids. Adults can look for their favorite while shopping. Visitors coming for another Village event can simply add the scarecrows to the day. \nAnd because the displays remain up for an entire month\, this is one fall tradition where missing a particular Saturday doesn’t mean missing the event. \nThe only deadline that matters is Halloween. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Scarecrows in the Village\nDates: Thursday\, Oct. 1–Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Olde Mistick Village\nAddress: 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free\nFormat: Monthlong outdoor scarecrow display created by participating Village merchants\nVoting: QR-code voting available throughout October\n2026 Categories: Best in Crow\, Most Representative and Most Seaworthy\nWho It’s For: All ages; particularly easy to combine with a family visit\, shopping or dining\nSchedule: Displays can be viewed during Village operating hours; individual businesses and restaurants may keep different hours\nRelated October Events: Apple Festival\, Oct. 17–18; Trick or Treat in the Village\, Oct. 31\nFinal Day: Halloween\, Oct. 31\nWeather: The scarecrows are displayed outdoors\, so dress for conditions \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/scarecrows-take-over-olde-mistick-village-for-the-month-of-october/2026-10-18/
LOCATION:Olde Mistick Village\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Olde Mistick Village
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261018T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261018T210000
DTSTAMP:20260929T024550Z
CREATED:20260929T024550Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260929T024550Z
UID:10009193-1792342800-1792357200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Pumpkin Passage Turns The Dinosaur Place Into a Glowing Halloween Playground
DESCRIPTION:Pumpkin Passage Turns The Dinosaur Place Into a Glowing Halloween Playground beginning Oct. 3\, when the dinosaurs stay up after dark\, and The Dinosaur Place in Montville transforms its prehistoric trails into a month-long Halloween world filled with glowing dinosaurs\, illuminated pumpkins\, mythical creatures\, live entertainers\, inflatables\, games\, and marshmallows around the fire. \nAnd despite all the ingredients that could make this terrifying — darkness\, enormous dinosaurs and Halloween — Pumpkin Passage is deliberately aimed at families with young children. \nThis is the eighth year for the annual event at Nature’s Art Village\, and rather than building a haunted attraction around jump scares and monsters\, the park uses its existing dinosaurs as the backdrop for a nighttime Halloween adventure kids can explore with their parents. \nThe result lands somewhere between a Halloween light walk\, an outdoor carnival\, and a visit to The Dinosaur Place after everybody forgot to tell the dinosaurs it was bedtime. \nWait Until the Sun Goes Down\nThe centerpiece is the illuminated trail. \nFamilies walk among glowing dinosaurs\, pumpkins and mythical creatures as Halloween lighting transforms the wooded attraction after dark. The Dinosaur Place is already home to more than 100 life-sized dinosaurs\, including animatronic creatures\, spread across its trails and attractions. Once daylight disappears\, those familiar prehistoric residents become part of the Halloween scenery. \nBut walking the trail is only part of the night. \nPumpkin Passage spreads activities throughout the grounds\, including the Jurassic Jungle bounce house\, a towering 20-foot Funhouse Super Slide\, an inflatable corn maze and other inflatables. \nThere are also lawn games and activities\, including inflatable axe throwing\, cornhole\, Connect 4 and Who’s Your Pumpkin. \nThen there are the pumpkins. \nAmong the more unusual attractions is an original performance by a family of singing animatronic pumpkins — which seems exactly like the sort of wonderfully odd Halloween creation children will either talk about for the rest of the month or insist on seeing again immediately. \nEvery Night Adds Live Entertainment\nPumpkin Passage isn’t exactly the same experience every night. \nThe Dinosaur Place is scheduling live entertainers throughout the run\, with the entertainment changing depending on the date. The lineup includes face painting and glitter tattoos\, balloon twisting\, a petting zoo\, DJs\, light performers\, stilt walkers and other specialty entertainment. \nThat means families planning around a particular performer should check the night’s entertainment schedule before choosing a date rather than assuming every attraction appears at every performance. \nThe regular attractions\, however\, give families plenty to do beyond the scheduled shows. \nOne of the simplest may also be one of the nicest on a cool October night: free marshmallow roasting around the fire pit\, including marshmallows and roasting sticks. S’mores kits\, hot apple cider and cocoa are available as extras. \nFood trucks rotate through Pumpkin Passage as well\, with different vendors scheduled during the month. The published lineup includes pizza\, barbecue\, burgers\, tacos\, Mexican street food\, ice cream\, shaved ice and other festival food. \nAnd because this is Halloween\, costumes are encouraged. \nHalloween for Kids Who Aren’t Looking to Be Terrified\nThe most important word in Pumpkin Passage may be friendly. \nThe event is specifically promoted as toddler- and kid-friendly. This isn’t the place to take a child who wants chainsaws\, blood\, actors leaping from behind trees and a terrifying haunted maze. \nIt’s almost the opposite. \nThe attraction uses the visual language of Halloween — darkness\, glowing pumpkins\, unusual creatures and dramatic lighting — without turning the night into a scare attraction. \nThat makes Pumpkin Passage an option for families whose children are excited about Halloween but aren’t ready for a traditional haunted house. \nIt also gives parents something considerably more substantial than walking around a parking lot collecting candy. Families can make an evening of it\, moving between the illuminated trail\, inflatables\, entertainment\, games\, food trucks and fire pit. \nAnd for a dinosaur-obsessed child\, there’s an obvious bonus: Halloween doesn’t replace the dinosaurs. \nIt joins them. \nThere Are 18 Chances to Go\nOpening night is Saturday\, Oct. 3\, but Pumpkin Passage continues throughout October and even spills into November. \nThe regular schedule includes Fridays\, Saturdays and Sundays beginning Oct. 3\, plus Columbus Day on Monday\, Oct. 12\, and three specially priced Thursday nights on Oct. 15\, 22 and 29. The final night is Sunday\, Nov. 1. \nPumpkin Passage begins at 5 p.m. each night. Friday and Saturday dates generally continue until 9 p.m.\, while Sundays\, the holiday Monday and specially scheduled Thursdays run until 8 p.m. \nOne caution when planning: some outside event calendars show slightly different times. The Dinosaur Place’s own current schedule says Pumpkin Passage begins at 5 p.m.\, so that’s the schedule we would use when planning a visit. \nThe Thursday nights are also less expensive than the regular weekend dates\, giving families some incentive to visit before Halloween weekend. \nOnline ticketing is required\, and reservations are strongly recommended because individual dates can sell out. \nFor families who already love The Dinosaur Place\, Pumpkin Passage offers something genuinely different from a daytime visit. And for children who want Halloween to feel magical rather than frightening\, glowing dinosaurs\, singing pumpkins\, bounce houses and marshmallows may be a pretty good place to start. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. To purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \nDetails\nEvent: 8th Annual Pumpkin Passage\nOpening Night: Saturday\, Oct. 3\, 2026\nFinal Night: Sunday\, Nov. 1\, 2026\nLocation: The Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art Village\nAddress: 1650 Hartford-New London Turnpike\, Montville\, CT 06370\nRegular Dates: Fridays\, Saturdays and Sundays beginning Oct. 3\nAdditional Dates: Monday\, Oct. 12; Thursdays\, Oct. 15\, 22 and 29; Sunday\, Nov. 1\nStart Time: 5 p.m.\nFriday & Saturday Hours: Generally 5–9 p.m.\nSunday & Select Weeknight Hours: Generally 5–8 p.m.\nRegular Admission: Children ages 2–12\, $29; ages 13+\, $27; children under 2 free\nSpecial Thursday Pricing: Reduced admission applies Oct. 15\, 22 and 29; check current ticketing for final price before purchasing\nTickets: Online ticketing only; advance reservations strongly recommended\nIncluded: Illuminated Halloween trail\, glowing dinosaurs and pumpkins\, inflatables\, lawn games\, singing animatronic pumpkins\, marshmallow roasting\, photo opportunities and scheduled entertainment\nFood: Rotating food trucks; additional treats and drinks available for purchase\nCostumes: Encouraged\nAudience: Designed as a kid- and toddler-friendly Halloween event\nParking: Free\nWeather: Outdoor event; management may close attractions because of adverse weather. If Pumpkin Passage is forced to close because of rain or lightning at the scheduled visit time\, ticket holders may be offered a rain check to rebook.\nPhone: 860-443-4367 \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/pumpkin-passage-turns-the-dinosaur-place-into-a-glowing-halloween-playground/2026-10-18/
LOCATION:The Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art Village\, 1650 Hartford-New London Tpke\, Montville\, 06370\, United States
CATEGORIES:The Dinosaur Place
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261018T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261018T203000
DTSTAMP:20261005T193645Z
CREATED:20260916T010757Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T193645Z
UID:10007895-1792350000-1792355400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours Takes Visitors Into One of Mystic’s Oldest Burial Grounds After Dark
DESCRIPTION:Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours turns a colonial burial ground into a lantern-lit journey through nearly four centuries of Mystic history on multiple nights this fall\, combining documented stories of war\, disease\, abolition\, slavery and early New England burial customs with the legends and reported paranormal activity that have accumulated around the cemetery. \nThe 1-hour-and-45-minute walking tours take place at Whitehall Burial Ground\, tucked just off Hendel Drive in Mystic. Rather than moving through downtown and stopping outside supposedly haunted buildings\, this Seaside Shadows tour spends the evening inside the historic cemetery itself. \nAnd this is not a one-night event. \nThe tours continue on Wednesday\, Friday and Sunday evenings through November\, with additional Saturday tours during October. September and October tours begin at 7 p.m.\, making this one CT Beacon event listing that can carry readers through much of the fall rather than disappearing after a single weekend. \nWhitehall Goes Back to the 1660s\nPart of what gives this particular ghost tour its atmosphere is that Whitehall Burial Ground really is old. \nThe burial ground dates to the 1660s\, when southeastern Connecticut was still a collection of small colonial settlements surrounded by a landscape that would have been almost unrecognizable to someone driving through Mystic today. \nFor generations\, Whitehall served as one of the area’s common burial places. \nThat changed during the 19th century as Americans began embracing the rural cemetery movement\, which replaced older\, compact burial grounds with larger landscaped cemeteries designed partly as places for reflection and remembrance. \nMystic’s Elm Grove Cemetery was established in 1853 during that transition. \nBy 1854\, Whitehall’s role as one of the community’s principal burial places was coming to an end. \nThe graves left behind\, however\, preserve a remarkably long stretch of local history. \nThis Is a Ghost Tour Built Around Real People\nSeaside Shadows describes the experience as a blend of history and mystery\, and that distinction matters. \nThis isn’t a haunted attraction filled with actors waiting behind tombstones. \nThe stories begin with actual people buried at Whitehall and events that shaped southeastern Connecticut. \nGuests hear about men connected to King Philip’s War\, the brutal 17th-century conflict between English colonists and Native peoples that devastated communities throughout New England. \nThe tour moves forward into the American Revolution and stories of Patriot defenders who met violent ends. \nIt also explores the lives of abolitionists\, enslaved and formerly enslaved people\, women and families whose stories provide a different perspective on Mystic’s early history than the familiar tales of ship captains and maritime commerce. \nThen things get stranger. \nYes\, There Are Vampires\nOne of the more unusual subjects woven into the tour is New England’s very real history of vampire scares. \nThese weren’t vampires in the Dracula sense. \nDuring outbreaks of tuberculosis\, then commonly called consumption\, some New England communities came to believe that a deceased family member might somehow be draining the life from surviving relatives. \nIn several documented cases during the 18th and 19th centuries\, bodies were exhumed and examined for signs that the dead were continuing to prey upon the living. \nSometimes organs were removed or burned. \nThe practices reflected communities trying to explain a devastating disease before modern medicine understood how tuberculosis spread. \nAgainst the backdrop of a centuries-old cemetery after dark\, it also provides the kind of history that doesn’t require much embellishment to become unsettling. \nGravestones Tell Their Own Stories\nVisitors aren’t simply hearing stories while walking past anonymous stones. \nEarly New England gravestones developed their own visual language. \nSkulls\, winged death’s heads\, cherubs and other carvings could communicate ideas about death\, mortality and the afterlife. The style and symbolism changed as religious beliefs and attitudes toward death evolved. \nThe tour uses the cemetery itself to introduce some of those burial traditions and grave markings. \nThat gives the walk another layer. \nYou’re not touring a recreation of colonial New England. \nThe objects you’re examining are the surviving pieces of it. \nThen History Gives Way to the Paranormal\nThis is still a ghost tour. \nSeaside Shadows incorporates accounts of paranormal experiences associated with Whitehall\, including reports of unexplained footsteps\, voices and apparitions. \nThe company’s guides also discuss experiences reported during previous tours. \nThose stories are presented alongside local folklore\, including the traditional figure of a Lady in White\, a recurring type of apparition found in legends throughout New England and far beyond it. \nWhether visitors interpret those accounts as paranormal activity\, folklore or the power of suggestion in a dark cemetery is entirely up to them. \nThe setting certainly does its share of the work. \nThere aren’t many environments naturally better suited to a ghost story than a colonial burial ground after sunset. \nCaptain John Gallup Connects Whitehall to a Violent Period of Colonial History\nAmong the historic figures associated with the tour is Captain John Gallup\, whose family was deeply connected to the early colonial history of the region. \nGallup served during King Philip’s War and was killed in 1675 during the Great Swamp Fight in Rhode Island\, one of the conflict’s bloodiest engagements. \nHis story opens the door to a much larger and more complicated period in New England history involving colonial expansion\, Native resistance\, warfare and the destruction of communities. \nOther stops explore the Woodbridge family\, Revolutionary War history and people whose lives intersected with abolition and emancipation. \nThe tour also includes the stories of Quash and Hannah Williams\, using their lives to explore Black history\, enslavement\, freedom and Native American history in the region. \nThat’s where the experience becomes considerably more interesting than simply compiling local ghost stories. \nThe cemetery becomes a timeline. \nMystic’s Ghost Tours Started With a Local Historian\nThe company behind the tour\, Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours\, was founded in 2013 by Connecticut author and historian Courtney McInvale Reardon. \nMcInvale wrote Haunted Mystic\, published the following year\, and built Seaside Shadows around the idea of combining historical research with local legends and paranormal accounts. \nThe company now operates several experiences\, including its Downtown Mystic Ghost Tour and haunted pub crawls\, but the graveyard tour is fundamentally different from walking through the village. \nDowntown Mystic still has traffic\, restaurants\, shops\, bars and people moving around. \nWhitehall after dark is another environment entirely. \nOctober Adds More Chances to Go\nThe schedule becomes more aggressive as Halloween approaches. \nDuring September and October\, the regular graveyard tours begin at 7 p.m. \nIn October\, Seaside Shadows adds Saturday performances at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.\, giving visitors another opportunity to experience the cemetery during the height of spooky season. \nThe price also changes. \nRegular-season admission is $30 per person. October admission increases to $35. \nBecause this is a recurring event\, readers should select their preferred date and confirm the available time when purchasing tickets rather than assuming every night follows exactly the same schedule. \nThis Is a Walking Tour in a Real Cemetery\nThat last point is important. \nWhitehall is not a paved theme-park attraction. \nParticipants will be walking through an old burial ground after dark\, where the terrain can include uneven ground and other natural obstacles. \nSeaside Shadows recommends the experience for guests 11 and older and asks visitors to dress appropriately for the weather. \nIts participation waiver specifically identifies potential hazards including uneven or slippery surfaces\, cemetery terrain\, low lighting and inclement weather. \nGood walking shoes make considerably more sense here than dressing for Halloween. \nTours operate outdoors\, and Seaside Shadows generally runs its experiences rain or shine. Tickets are final except when the company cancels a tour. \nNearly Two Hours Between the Headstones\nThe current Seaside Shadows description puts the Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tour at approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. \nThat’s enough time to move beyond a handful of ghost stories. \nThe tour can reach into colonial warfare\, the Revolution\, disease\, abolition\, slavery\, emancipation\, local folklore\, cemetery symbolism and burial practices while still leaving room for the paranormal accounts that put “ghost” in the name. \nThere is even a final spooky surprise that Seaside Shadows deliberately doesn’t explain in advance. \nProbably best to leave that one buried. \nDetails\nEvent: Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours\nSeason: Through November 29\, 2026\nSeptember Schedule: Wednesdays\, Fridays and Sundays\nSeptember Start Time: 7 p.m.\nOctober Schedule: Regular Wednesday\, Friday and Sunday tours\, plus additional Saturday tours\nOctober Saturday Times: 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.\nLocation: Whitehall Burial Ground\nMeeting Point: Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground\nStreet: Hendel Drive\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nTour Length: Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes\nAdmission: $30 during the regular season; $35 in October\nRecommended Age: 11+\nFormat: Guided outdoor walking tour through a historic colonial burial ground\nTerrain: Cemetery terrain with uneven surfaces and low-light conditions\nWeather: Dress appropriately for outdoor conditions; tours generally operate rain or shine\nWhat to Wear: Comfortable walking shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather\nTickets: Advance ticket purchase is recommended; select the specific tour date and time when booking\nOrganizer: Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours\nPhone: 860-754-8923\nEmail: info@seasideshadows.com \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown. \n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/moonlit-mystic-graveyard-ghost-tours-takes-visitors-into-one-of-mystics-oldest-burial-grounds-after-dark/2026-10-18/
LOCATION:Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground\, Hendel Drive\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261018T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261018T220000
DTSTAMP:20260927T214052Z
CREATED:20260927T210320Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260927T214052Z
UID:10008623-1792350000-1792360800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:The Ghost of Black Sam Turns a Real Pirate Shipwreck Into a Haunted Trail
DESCRIPTION:The Ghost of Black Sam Turns a Real Pirate Shipwreck Into a Haunted Trail begins Oct. 1 at Mystic KOA\, where one of New England’s most remarkable pirate stories becomes the inspiration for a monthlong nighttime Halloween attraction. \nThe outdoor trail runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays throughout October at the Mystic KOA Holiday campground in North Stonington. The premise is straightforward: visitors enter the darkness and walk a trail where\, according to the attraction’s story\, the ghost of pirate Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy still roams. \nBut unlike the invented killers and monsters behind many haunted attractions\, Black Sam was real. \nSo was his ship. \nAnd what happened to it during a violent New England storm in 1717 has become one of the great archaeological stories of the Golden Age of Piracy. \nThe Pirate Behind the Ghost\nSamuel Bellamy’s career as a pirate was remarkably short. \nBorn in England in 1689\, Bellamy emerged as a pirate captain during the early 18th century and spent roughly a year capturing ships in the Caribbean and along the Atlantic. \nHe was only 28 when he died. \nYet during that brief career\, Bellamy and his crew captured more than 50 vessels. His greatest prize came in early 1717 when his pirates seized the Whydah Gally near the Bahamas. \nThe Whydah had a darker history before Bellamy ever stepped aboard. \nBuilt in London\, the ship had been designed for the transatlantic slave trade. On its maiden voyage\, it sailed to the West African coast\, transported hundreds of enslaved people to the Caribbean and was returning toward England with the proceeds of that voyage when Bellamy captured it. \nIts size\, speed and firepower made it an ideal pirate flagship. \nBellamy took command. \nHe would have it for only about two months. \nA Nor’easter Off Cape Cod\nOn April 26\, 1717\, Bellamy and the Whydah were sailing north along the New England coast when they encountered a powerful nor’easter. \nThe ship was driven onto the shoals off what is now Wellfleet\, Massachusetts. \nThe Whydah broke apart. \nNearly everyone aboard died. \nThe wreck disappeared beneath Cape Cod’s shifting sands along with weapons\, coins\, silver and the accumulated possessions of Bellamy’s crew. \nFor generations\, the Whydah became part history and part legend. \nThen\, in 1984\, underwater explorer Barry Clifford and his team found the wreck off Wellfleet. The discovery was authenticated after divers recovered the ship’s bell bearing the name THE WHYDAH GALLY and the date 1716. \nThe Whydah became the first authenticated Golden Age pirate shipwreck ever recovered. \nArtifacts from the wreck continue to preserve a remarkably tangible connection to Bellamy and his crew more than 300 years after the storm. \nThat history gives The Ghost of Black Sam something most Halloween trails don’t have. \nIts monster once lived. \nFrom Shipwreck to Ghost Story\nThe haunting\, of course\, belongs to folklore rather than documented history. \nStories surrounding Bellamy have accumulated for centuries\, particularly around Cape Cod\, where the pirate’s death became entangled with tales of lost treasure\, restless spirits and a supposed doomed romance. \nModern retellings often connect Bellamy with a Cape Cod woman named Maria Hallett and describe him returning north to reunite with her when the Whydah was destroyed. \nIt’s a wonderfully gothic story. \nIt’s also one that historians have increasingly cautioned against treating as established fact. The romanticized Maria Hallett narrative developed long after Bellamy’s death\, and some details commonly repeated as pirate history are better understood as folklore. \nFor a haunted attraction\, however\, that collision of history and legend is precisely the point. \nThe Ghost of Black Sam takes the documented core — a young pirate captain\, a captured ship\, treasure\, a catastrophic nor’easter and a wreck beneath the waters of Cape Cod — and asks visitors to imagine that Bellamy never really left. \nHalloween Begins Oct. 1\nThe attraction opens Thursday\, Oct. 1\, effectively starting Halloween month on its first night. \nThe trail operates from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday throughout October\, culminating on Halloween night\, Saturday\, Oct. 31. \nMystic KOA Holiday sits at 118 Pendleton Hill Road in North Stonington\, providing the attraction with something difficult to manufacture inside a warehouse: actual woods and nighttime darkness. \nThe promotional material promises a spooky trail experience based on the legend of Black Sam Bellamy\, with lanterns\, pirates and the suggestion that something may still be wandering the trail. \nAdmission listed by the event is $20 for adults\, $10 for ages 11–16 and free for children under 10. The attraction is also free with a KOA campsite during a valid night of stay. \nIt’s a Halloween story with an unusually strong historical anchor. \nBlack Sam Bellamy doesn’t need an elaborate fictional origin story. \nMore than three centuries ago\, his pirate ship really did disappear into a nor’easter off New England. \nThe wreck really was found. \nAnd the treasure really was still there. \nWhat happens after dark in North Stonington is where history gives way to Halloween. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: The Ghost of Black Sam\nOpening Night: Thursday\, Oct. 1\, 2026\nRun: Thursdays through Sundays throughout October\, through Oct. 31\nTime: 7–10 p.m.\nVenue: Mystic KOA Holiday\nAddress: 118 Pendleton Hill Road\, North Stonington\, CT 06359\nAdmission: Adults $20; ages 11–16 $10; children under 10 free\nKOA Guests: Free with a KOA campsite during a valid night of stay\nExperience: Outdoor spooky trail inspired by the legend of pirate Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy\nEvent Contact: Mystic KOA Campground\, 860-599-5101 \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/the-ghost-of-black-sam-turns-a-real-pirate-shipwreck-into-a-haunted-trail/2026-10-18/
LOCATION:Mystic KOA\, 118 Pendleton Hill Rd\, North Stonington\, 06359\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mystic KOA
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/The-Ghost-of-Black-Sam-Turns-a-Real-Pirate-Shipwreck-Into-a-Haunted-Trail.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261019T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261019T210000
DTSTAMP:20261007T021547Z
CREATED:20261007T021547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261007T021547Z
UID:10009288-1792400400-1792443600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt beginning Friday\, Oct. 9\, sending participants from shop to shop in search of creatures hiding inside local businesses. \nThe premise is wonderfully simple: Adventure Mystic is “unleashing” monsters around town\, and it’s up to participants to find them. \nFrom Oct. 9 through Halloween\, participating businesses will display their favorite Halloween monster. Players pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map at Adventure Mystic\, then use it to track down the creatures scattered around town. \nFind the monster. Get the participating business owner’s signature. Then head off in search of the next one. \nThe Businesses Become the Game Board\nMystic is particularly well suited to a scavenger hunt like this because participants aren’t being sent around an enclosed attraction. The town itself becomes part of the experience. \nRather than completing the hunt in a single building or at a single event\, participants move among local businesses looking for the monsters identified on their maps. \nThat also makes Mystic Monsters unusually flexible for a Halloween event. There’s no single starting time or one night when everyone has to participate. The monsters remain on display from Oct. 9 through Oct. 31\, allowing families and other participants to work through the hunt on their own schedule. \nAnd Adventure Mystic has given the players an appropriately sinister name. \nThey’re the victims. \nFinish the Hunt and There Are Prizes Waiting\nCompleted maps are returned to Adventure Mystic\, where successful victims receive a limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker. \nThey’ll also receive a chance ticket for a drawing with several prizes. \nSix winners will receive autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins\, the Halloween picture book by author and illustrator Stephen Savage. Another prize is a $25 gift card from one of the participating local businesses. \nPublished in 2013\, Seven Orange Pumpkins is a Halloween counting book that turns seven jack-o’-lanterns into a playful countdown toward Halloween night. Savage is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator whose work includes dozens of books for young readers. \nThat makes the autographed books a particularly fitting prize for a hunt built around searching Mystic for Halloween creatures. \nCostumes and Social Media Can Add to the Hunt\nAdventure Mystic is encouraging participants to dress for the occasion\, so there’s no reason the monsters have to be the only creatures roaming around town. \nThe organizers are also offering bonus points for tagged social-media photos and posts\, adding another layer for people who want to document their hunt as they move between participating businesses. \nThe result is less a traditional scheduled event than a Halloween side quest running through Mystic for most of October. \nYou can tackle it in one outing\, work on it during several visits or simply add a few monster stops while you’re already downtown. \nJust remember to get those signatures. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt\nDates: Friday\, Oct. 9 through Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Adventure Mystic and participating businesses around Mystic\nHow to Start: Pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map from Adventure Mystic\nHow It Works: Visit participating businesses shown on the map\, locate their Halloween monsters and collect signatures from the business owners\nCompletion: Return the completed map to Adventure Mystic\nCompletion Prize: Limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker plus a chance ticket for the prize drawing\nDrawing Prizes: Six autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage and a $25 gift card from a participating local business\nCostumes: Encouraged\nBonus: Organizers say tagged social-media photos and posts can earn bonus points\nAdmission/Registration Fee: No fee is stated in the event announcement\nParticipating Businesses: The announcement does not provide a complete list; the official hunt map identifies participating locations. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/mystic-monsters-turns-downtown-businesses-into-a-month-long-halloween-scavenger-hunt/2026-10-19/
LOCATION:Downtown Mystic\, West Main Street\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Downtown Mystic
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Mystic-Monsters-Turns-Downtown-Businesses-Into-a-Month-Long-Halloween-Scavenger-Hunt.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261019T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261019T180000
DTSTAMP:20261005T024211Z
CREATED:20261005T024211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T024211Z
UID:10009252-1792404000-1792432800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October
DESCRIPTION:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October as merchants throughout the Mystic shopping village create their own characters\, compete for visitor votes\, and turn the walk between shops into a month-long outdoor fall display. \nScarecrows in the Village runs Oct. 1–31\, giving visitors the entire month to wander the brick pathways and find the scarecrows stationed outside participating businesses. Rather than bringing in a collection of professionally made decorations\, Olde Mistick Village puts its own merchants behind the creations. \nThat makes this less a single scheduled event than a temporary transformation of the Village. \nThe Merchants Build the Scarecrows\nThe fun is seeing what individual businesses come up with. \nParticipating Olde Mistick Village merchants create their own scarecrow displays\, which can make the decorations an extension of the personality of the shops themselves. The Village’s photos from previous displays show just how loosely the word “scarecrow” can be interpreted\, with the traditional straw-stuffed figure serving more as a starting point than a rule. \nSome are elaborate. Some are funny. Some lean into Halloween. \nAnd visitors aren’t merely looking at them. \nThey’re judging them. \nFind Your Favorites and Vote\nThroughout October\, QR codes placed around Olde Mistick Village allow visitors to vote for their favorite scarecrows. \nThe 2026 competition includes three categories: \nBest in Crow is the overall crowd-pleaser. \nMost Representative rewards the scarecrow that best captures the identity or personality of its participating Village business. \nMost Seaworthy gives the contest an appropriately Mystic category\, inviting merchants to work the area’s maritime character into their displays. \nThe voting turns what could have been simple seasonal decorations into a scavenger-hunt-like walk. Seeing one or two scarecrows isn’t really the point. The fun comes from exploring the Village\, comparing them and deciding which deserves a vote. \nA Different Way to See Olde Mistick Village\nOlde Mistick Village was designed to feel less like a conventional shopping center and more like a small New England village. \nInstead of a single enclosed mall\, shops and restaurants occupy individual buildings connected by pedestrian paths\, with landscaping\, ponds and gathering areas breaking up the property. \nThat’s particularly well suited to an event like this. \nThere isn’t a tent to enter or a designated exhibition area. The scarecrows become part of the landscape\, appearing as visitors move among shops and restaurants. \nIt also means there is no particular starting time or required route. Someone can spend 20 minutes hunting for scarecrows or make them part of a longer afternoon shopping\, eating and exploring the Village. \nOne Piece of a Much Bigger October in Mystic\nScarecrows in the Village also serves as something of a monthlong backdrop for Olde Mistick Village’s other fall activities. \nThe displays remain in place through Halloween on Oct. 31\, while the Village hosts additional October programming\, including its Apple Festival Oct. 17–18 and Trick or Treat in the Village Oct. 31. \nThat means the experience will change depending on when you visit. Early in October\, the scarecrows are essentially the opening act for fall. By Halloween weekend\, they’re part of a Village fully committed to the season. \nThere is also something appealingly low-key about this one. \nThere are no tickets to buy\, no performance time to hit and no need to devote an entire afternoon to it. Families can turn voting into a game with the kids. Adults can look for their favorite while shopping. Visitors coming for another Village event can simply add the scarecrows to the day. \nAnd because the displays remain up for an entire month\, this is one fall tradition where missing a particular Saturday doesn’t mean missing the event. \nThe only deadline that matters is Halloween. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Scarecrows in the Village\nDates: Thursday\, Oct. 1–Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Olde Mistick Village\nAddress: 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free\nFormat: Monthlong outdoor scarecrow display created by participating Village merchants\nVoting: QR-code voting available throughout October\n2026 Categories: Best in Crow\, Most Representative and Most Seaworthy\nWho It’s For: All ages; particularly easy to combine with a family visit\, shopping or dining\nSchedule: Displays can be viewed during Village operating hours; individual businesses and restaurants may keep different hours\nRelated October Events: Apple Festival\, Oct. 17–18; Trick or Treat in the Village\, Oct. 31\nFinal Day: Halloween\, Oct. 31\nWeather: The scarecrows are displayed outdoors\, so dress for conditions \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/scarecrows-take-over-olde-mistick-village-for-the-month-of-october/2026-10-19/
LOCATION:Olde Mistick Village\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Olde Mistick Village
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Scarecrows-Take-Over-Olde-Mistick-Village-for-the-Month-of-October.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T210000
DTSTAMP:20261007T021547Z
CREATED:20261007T021547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261007T021547Z
UID:10009289-1792486800-1792530000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt beginning Friday\, Oct. 9\, sending participants from shop to shop in search of creatures hiding inside local businesses. \nThe premise is wonderfully simple: Adventure Mystic is “unleashing” monsters around town\, and it’s up to participants to find them. \nFrom Oct. 9 through Halloween\, participating businesses will display their favorite Halloween monster. Players pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map at Adventure Mystic\, then use it to track down the creatures scattered around town. \nFind the monster. Get the participating business owner’s signature. Then head off in search of the next one. \nThe Businesses Become the Game Board\nMystic is particularly well suited to a scavenger hunt like this because participants aren’t being sent around an enclosed attraction. The town itself becomes part of the experience. \nRather than completing the hunt in a single building or at a single event\, participants move among local businesses looking for the monsters identified on their maps. \nThat also makes Mystic Monsters unusually flexible for a Halloween event. There’s no single starting time or one night when everyone has to participate. The monsters remain on display from Oct. 9 through Oct. 31\, allowing families and other participants to work through the hunt on their own schedule. \nAnd Adventure Mystic has given the players an appropriately sinister name. \nThey’re the victims. \nFinish the Hunt and There Are Prizes Waiting\nCompleted maps are returned to Adventure Mystic\, where successful victims receive a limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker. \nThey’ll also receive a chance ticket for a drawing with several prizes. \nSix winners will receive autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins\, the Halloween picture book by author and illustrator Stephen Savage. Another prize is a $25 gift card from one of the participating local businesses. \nPublished in 2013\, Seven Orange Pumpkins is a Halloween counting book that turns seven jack-o’-lanterns into a playful countdown toward Halloween night. Savage is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator whose work includes dozens of books for young readers. \nThat makes the autographed books a particularly fitting prize for a hunt built around searching Mystic for Halloween creatures. \nCostumes and Social Media Can Add to the Hunt\nAdventure Mystic is encouraging participants to dress for the occasion\, so there’s no reason the monsters have to be the only creatures roaming around town. \nThe organizers are also offering bonus points for tagged social-media photos and posts\, adding another layer for people who want to document their hunt as they move between participating businesses. \nThe result is less a traditional scheduled event than a Halloween side quest running through Mystic for most of October. \nYou can tackle it in one outing\, work on it during several visits or simply add a few monster stops while you’re already downtown. \nJust remember to get those signatures. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt\nDates: Friday\, Oct. 9 through Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Adventure Mystic and participating businesses around Mystic\nHow to Start: Pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map from Adventure Mystic\nHow It Works: Visit participating businesses shown on the map\, locate their Halloween monsters and collect signatures from the business owners\nCompletion: Return the completed map to Adventure Mystic\nCompletion Prize: Limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker plus a chance ticket for the prize drawing\nDrawing Prizes: Six autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage and a $25 gift card from a participating local business\nCostumes: Encouraged\nBonus: Organizers say tagged social-media photos and posts can earn bonus points\nAdmission/Registration Fee: No fee is stated in the event announcement\nParticipating Businesses: The announcement does not provide a complete list; the official hunt map identifies participating locations. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/mystic-monsters-turns-downtown-businesses-into-a-month-long-halloween-scavenger-hunt/2026-10-20/
LOCATION:Downtown Mystic\, West Main Street\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Downtown Mystic
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Mystic-Monsters-Turns-Downtown-Businesses-Into-a-Month-Long-Halloween-Scavenger-Hunt.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T180000
DTSTAMP:20261005T024211Z
CREATED:20261005T024211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T024211Z
UID:10009253-1792490400-1792519200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October
DESCRIPTION:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October as merchants throughout the Mystic shopping village create their own characters\, compete for visitor votes\, and turn the walk between shops into a month-long outdoor fall display. \nScarecrows in the Village runs Oct. 1–31\, giving visitors the entire month to wander the brick pathways and find the scarecrows stationed outside participating businesses. Rather than bringing in a collection of professionally made decorations\, Olde Mistick Village puts its own merchants behind the creations. \nThat makes this less a single scheduled event than a temporary transformation of the Village. \nThe Merchants Build the Scarecrows\nThe fun is seeing what individual businesses come up with. \nParticipating Olde Mistick Village merchants create their own scarecrow displays\, which can make the decorations an extension of the personality of the shops themselves. The Village’s photos from previous displays show just how loosely the word “scarecrow” can be interpreted\, with the traditional straw-stuffed figure serving more as a starting point than a rule. \nSome are elaborate. Some are funny. Some lean into Halloween. \nAnd visitors aren’t merely looking at them. \nThey’re judging them. \nFind Your Favorites and Vote\nThroughout October\, QR codes placed around Olde Mistick Village allow visitors to vote for their favorite scarecrows. \nThe 2026 competition includes three categories: \nBest in Crow is the overall crowd-pleaser. \nMost Representative rewards the scarecrow that best captures the identity or personality of its participating Village business. \nMost Seaworthy gives the contest an appropriately Mystic category\, inviting merchants to work the area’s maritime character into their displays. \nThe voting turns what could have been simple seasonal decorations into a scavenger-hunt-like walk. Seeing one or two scarecrows isn’t really the point. The fun comes from exploring the Village\, comparing them and deciding which deserves a vote. \nA Different Way to See Olde Mistick Village\nOlde Mistick Village was designed to feel less like a conventional shopping center and more like a small New England village. \nInstead of a single enclosed mall\, shops and restaurants occupy individual buildings connected by pedestrian paths\, with landscaping\, ponds and gathering areas breaking up the property. \nThat’s particularly well suited to an event like this. \nThere isn’t a tent to enter or a designated exhibition area. The scarecrows become part of the landscape\, appearing as visitors move among shops and restaurants. \nIt also means there is no particular starting time or required route. Someone can spend 20 minutes hunting for scarecrows or make them part of a longer afternoon shopping\, eating and exploring the Village. \nOne Piece of a Much Bigger October in Mystic\nScarecrows in the Village also serves as something of a monthlong backdrop for Olde Mistick Village’s other fall activities. \nThe displays remain in place through Halloween on Oct. 31\, while the Village hosts additional October programming\, including its Apple Festival Oct. 17–18 and Trick or Treat in the Village Oct. 31. \nThat means the experience will change depending on when you visit. Early in October\, the scarecrows are essentially the opening act for fall. By Halloween weekend\, they’re part of a Village fully committed to the season. \nThere is also something appealingly low-key about this one. \nThere are no tickets to buy\, no performance time to hit and no need to devote an entire afternoon to it. Families can turn voting into a game with the kids. Adults can look for their favorite while shopping. Visitors coming for another Village event can simply add the scarecrows to the day. \nAnd because the displays remain up for an entire month\, this is one fall tradition where missing a particular Saturday doesn’t mean missing the event. \nThe only deadline that matters is Halloween. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Scarecrows in the Village\nDates: Thursday\, Oct. 1–Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Olde Mistick Village\nAddress: 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free\nFormat: Monthlong outdoor scarecrow display created by participating Village merchants\nVoting: QR-code voting available throughout October\n2026 Categories: Best in Crow\, Most Representative and Most Seaworthy\nWho It’s For: All ages; particularly easy to combine with a family visit\, shopping or dining\nSchedule: Displays can be viewed during Village operating hours; individual businesses and restaurants may keep different hours\nRelated October Events: Apple Festival\, Oct. 17–18; Trick or Treat in the Village\, Oct. 31\nFinal Day: Halloween\, Oct. 31\nWeather: The scarecrows are displayed outdoors\, so dress for conditions \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/scarecrows-take-over-olde-mistick-village-for-the-month-of-october/2026-10-20/
LOCATION:Olde Mistick Village\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Olde Mistick Village
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Scarecrows-Take-Over-Olde-Mistick-Village-for-the-Month-of-October.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261021T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261021T210000
DTSTAMP:20261007T021547Z
CREATED:20261007T021547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261007T021547Z
UID:10009290-1792573200-1792616400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt beginning Friday\, Oct. 9\, sending participants from shop to shop in search of creatures hiding inside local businesses. \nThe premise is wonderfully simple: Adventure Mystic is “unleashing” monsters around town\, and it’s up to participants to find them. \nFrom Oct. 9 through Halloween\, participating businesses will display their favorite Halloween monster. Players pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map at Adventure Mystic\, then use it to track down the creatures scattered around town. \nFind the monster. Get the participating business owner’s signature. Then head off in search of the next one. \nThe Businesses Become the Game Board\nMystic is particularly well suited to a scavenger hunt like this because participants aren’t being sent around an enclosed attraction. The town itself becomes part of the experience. \nRather than completing the hunt in a single building or at a single event\, participants move among local businesses looking for the monsters identified on their maps. \nThat also makes Mystic Monsters unusually flexible for a Halloween event. There’s no single starting time or one night when everyone has to participate. The monsters remain on display from Oct. 9 through Oct. 31\, allowing families and other participants to work through the hunt on their own schedule. \nAnd Adventure Mystic has given the players an appropriately sinister name. \nThey’re the victims. \nFinish the Hunt and There Are Prizes Waiting\nCompleted maps are returned to Adventure Mystic\, where successful victims receive a limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker. \nThey’ll also receive a chance ticket for a drawing with several prizes. \nSix winners will receive autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins\, the Halloween picture book by author and illustrator Stephen Savage. Another prize is a $25 gift card from one of the participating local businesses. \nPublished in 2013\, Seven Orange Pumpkins is a Halloween counting book that turns seven jack-o’-lanterns into a playful countdown toward Halloween night. Savage is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator whose work includes dozens of books for young readers. \nThat makes the autographed books a particularly fitting prize for a hunt built around searching Mystic for Halloween creatures. \nCostumes and Social Media Can Add to the Hunt\nAdventure Mystic is encouraging participants to dress for the occasion\, so there’s no reason the monsters have to be the only creatures roaming around town. \nThe organizers are also offering bonus points for tagged social-media photos and posts\, adding another layer for people who want to document their hunt as they move between participating businesses. \nThe result is less a traditional scheduled event than a Halloween side quest running through Mystic for most of October. \nYou can tackle it in one outing\, work on it during several visits or simply add a few monster stops while you’re already downtown. \nJust remember to get those signatures. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt\nDates: Friday\, Oct. 9 through Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Adventure Mystic and participating businesses around Mystic\nHow to Start: Pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map from Adventure Mystic\nHow It Works: Visit participating businesses shown on the map\, locate their Halloween monsters and collect signatures from the business owners\nCompletion: Return the completed map to Adventure Mystic\nCompletion Prize: Limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker plus a chance ticket for the prize drawing\nDrawing Prizes: Six autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage and a $25 gift card from a participating local business\nCostumes: Encouraged\nBonus: Organizers say tagged social-media photos and posts can earn bonus points\nAdmission/Registration Fee: No fee is stated in the event announcement\nParticipating Businesses: The announcement does not provide a complete list; the official hunt map identifies participating locations. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/mystic-monsters-turns-downtown-businesses-into-a-month-long-halloween-scavenger-hunt/2026-10-21/
LOCATION:Downtown Mystic\, West Main Street\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Downtown Mystic
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Mystic-Monsters-Turns-Downtown-Businesses-Into-a-Month-Long-Halloween-Scavenger-Hunt.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261021T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261021T180000
DTSTAMP:20261005T024211Z
CREATED:20261005T024211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T024211Z
UID:10009254-1792576800-1792605600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October
DESCRIPTION:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October as merchants throughout the Mystic shopping village create their own characters\, compete for visitor votes\, and turn the walk between shops into a month-long outdoor fall display. \nScarecrows in the Village runs Oct. 1–31\, giving visitors the entire month to wander the brick pathways and find the scarecrows stationed outside participating businesses. Rather than bringing in a collection of professionally made decorations\, Olde Mistick Village puts its own merchants behind the creations. \nThat makes this less a single scheduled event than a temporary transformation of the Village. \nThe Merchants Build the Scarecrows\nThe fun is seeing what individual businesses come up with. \nParticipating Olde Mistick Village merchants create their own scarecrow displays\, which can make the decorations an extension of the personality of the shops themselves. The Village’s photos from previous displays show just how loosely the word “scarecrow” can be interpreted\, with the traditional straw-stuffed figure serving more as a starting point than a rule. \nSome are elaborate. Some are funny. Some lean into Halloween. \nAnd visitors aren’t merely looking at them. \nThey’re judging them. \nFind Your Favorites and Vote\nThroughout October\, QR codes placed around Olde Mistick Village allow visitors to vote for their favorite scarecrows. \nThe 2026 competition includes three categories: \nBest in Crow is the overall crowd-pleaser. \nMost Representative rewards the scarecrow that best captures the identity or personality of its participating Village business. \nMost Seaworthy gives the contest an appropriately Mystic category\, inviting merchants to work the area’s maritime character into their displays. \nThe voting turns what could have been simple seasonal decorations into a scavenger-hunt-like walk. Seeing one or two scarecrows isn’t really the point. The fun comes from exploring the Village\, comparing them and deciding which deserves a vote. \nA Different Way to See Olde Mistick Village\nOlde Mistick Village was designed to feel less like a conventional shopping center and more like a small New England village. \nInstead of a single enclosed mall\, shops and restaurants occupy individual buildings connected by pedestrian paths\, with landscaping\, ponds and gathering areas breaking up the property. \nThat’s particularly well suited to an event like this. \nThere isn’t a tent to enter or a designated exhibition area. The scarecrows become part of the landscape\, appearing as visitors move among shops and restaurants. \nIt also means there is no particular starting time or required route. Someone can spend 20 minutes hunting for scarecrows or make them part of a longer afternoon shopping\, eating and exploring the Village. \nOne Piece of a Much Bigger October in Mystic\nScarecrows in the Village also serves as something of a monthlong backdrop for Olde Mistick Village’s other fall activities. \nThe displays remain in place through Halloween on Oct. 31\, while the Village hosts additional October programming\, including its Apple Festival Oct. 17–18 and Trick or Treat in the Village Oct. 31. \nThat means the experience will change depending on when you visit. Early in October\, the scarecrows are essentially the opening act for fall. By Halloween weekend\, they’re part of a Village fully committed to the season. \nThere is also something appealingly low-key about this one. \nThere are no tickets to buy\, no performance time to hit and no need to devote an entire afternoon to it. Families can turn voting into a game with the kids. Adults can look for their favorite while shopping. Visitors coming for another Village event can simply add the scarecrows to the day. \nAnd because the displays remain up for an entire month\, this is one fall tradition where missing a particular Saturday doesn’t mean missing the event. \nThe only deadline that matters is Halloween. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Scarecrows in the Village\nDates: Thursday\, Oct. 1–Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Olde Mistick Village\nAddress: 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free\nFormat: Monthlong outdoor scarecrow display created by participating Village merchants\nVoting: QR-code voting available throughout October\n2026 Categories: Best in Crow\, Most Representative and Most Seaworthy\nWho It’s For: All ages; particularly easy to combine with a family visit\, shopping or dining\nSchedule: Displays can be viewed during Village operating hours; individual businesses and restaurants may keep different hours\nRelated October Events: Apple Festival\, Oct. 17–18; Trick or Treat in the Village\, Oct. 31\nFinal Day: Halloween\, Oct. 31\nWeather: The scarecrows are displayed outdoors\, so dress for conditions \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/scarecrows-take-over-olde-mistick-village-for-the-month-of-october/2026-10-21/
LOCATION:Olde Mistick Village\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Olde Mistick Village
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Scarecrows-Take-Over-Olde-Mistick-Village-for-the-Month-of-October.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261021T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261021T203000
DTSTAMP:20261005T193645Z
CREATED:20260916T010757Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T193645Z
UID:10007896-1792609200-1792614600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours Takes Visitors Into One of Mystic’s Oldest Burial Grounds After Dark
DESCRIPTION:Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours turns a colonial burial ground into a lantern-lit journey through nearly four centuries of Mystic history on multiple nights this fall\, combining documented stories of war\, disease\, abolition\, slavery and early New England burial customs with the legends and reported paranormal activity that have accumulated around the cemetery. \nThe 1-hour-and-45-minute walking tours take place at Whitehall Burial Ground\, tucked just off Hendel Drive in Mystic. Rather than moving through downtown and stopping outside supposedly haunted buildings\, this Seaside Shadows tour spends the evening inside the historic cemetery itself. \nAnd this is not a one-night event. \nThe tours continue on Wednesday\, Friday and Sunday evenings through November\, with additional Saturday tours during October. September and October tours begin at 7 p.m.\, making this one CT Beacon event listing that can carry readers through much of the fall rather than disappearing after a single weekend. \nWhitehall Goes Back to the 1660s\nPart of what gives this particular ghost tour its atmosphere is that Whitehall Burial Ground really is old. \nThe burial ground dates to the 1660s\, when southeastern Connecticut was still a collection of small colonial settlements surrounded by a landscape that would have been almost unrecognizable to someone driving through Mystic today. \nFor generations\, Whitehall served as one of the area’s common burial places. \nThat changed during the 19th century as Americans began embracing the rural cemetery movement\, which replaced older\, compact burial grounds with larger landscaped cemeteries designed partly as places for reflection and remembrance. \nMystic’s Elm Grove Cemetery was established in 1853 during that transition. \nBy 1854\, Whitehall’s role as one of the community’s principal burial places was coming to an end. \nThe graves left behind\, however\, preserve a remarkably long stretch of local history. \nThis Is a Ghost Tour Built Around Real People\nSeaside Shadows describes the experience as a blend of history and mystery\, and that distinction matters. \nThis isn’t a haunted attraction filled with actors waiting behind tombstones. \nThe stories begin with actual people buried at Whitehall and events that shaped southeastern Connecticut. \nGuests hear about men connected to King Philip’s War\, the brutal 17th-century conflict between English colonists and Native peoples that devastated communities throughout New England. \nThe tour moves forward into the American Revolution and stories of Patriot defenders who met violent ends. \nIt also explores the lives of abolitionists\, enslaved and formerly enslaved people\, women and families whose stories provide a different perspective on Mystic’s early history than the familiar tales of ship captains and maritime commerce. \nThen things get stranger. \nYes\, There Are Vampires\nOne of the more unusual subjects woven into the tour is New England’s very real history of vampire scares. \nThese weren’t vampires in the Dracula sense. \nDuring outbreaks of tuberculosis\, then commonly called consumption\, some New England communities came to believe that a deceased family member might somehow be draining the life from surviving relatives. \nIn several documented cases during the 18th and 19th centuries\, bodies were exhumed and examined for signs that the dead were continuing to prey upon the living. \nSometimes organs were removed or burned. \nThe practices reflected communities trying to explain a devastating disease before modern medicine understood how tuberculosis spread. \nAgainst the backdrop of a centuries-old cemetery after dark\, it also provides the kind of history that doesn’t require much embellishment to become unsettling. \nGravestones Tell Their Own Stories\nVisitors aren’t simply hearing stories while walking past anonymous stones. \nEarly New England gravestones developed their own visual language. \nSkulls\, winged death’s heads\, cherubs and other carvings could communicate ideas about death\, mortality and the afterlife. The style and symbolism changed as religious beliefs and attitudes toward death evolved. \nThe tour uses the cemetery itself to introduce some of those burial traditions and grave markings. \nThat gives the walk another layer. \nYou’re not touring a recreation of colonial New England. \nThe objects you’re examining are the surviving pieces of it. \nThen History Gives Way to the Paranormal\nThis is still a ghost tour. \nSeaside Shadows incorporates accounts of paranormal experiences associated with Whitehall\, including reports of unexplained footsteps\, voices and apparitions. \nThe company’s guides also discuss experiences reported during previous tours. \nThose stories are presented alongside local folklore\, including the traditional figure of a Lady in White\, a recurring type of apparition found in legends throughout New England and far beyond it. \nWhether visitors interpret those accounts as paranormal activity\, folklore or the power of suggestion in a dark cemetery is entirely up to them. \nThe setting certainly does its share of the work. \nThere aren’t many environments naturally better suited to a ghost story than a colonial burial ground after sunset. \nCaptain John Gallup Connects Whitehall to a Violent Period of Colonial History\nAmong the historic figures associated with the tour is Captain John Gallup\, whose family was deeply connected to the early colonial history of the region. \nGallup served during King Philip’s War and was killed in 1675 during the Great Swamp Fight in Rhode Island\, one of the conflict’s bloodiest engagements. \nHis story opens the door to a much larger and more complicated period in New England history involving colonial expansion\, Native resistance\, warfare and the destruction of communities. \nOther stops explore the Woodbridge family\, Revolutionary War history and people whose lives intersected with abolition and emancipation. \nThe tour also includes the stories of Quash and Hannah Williams\, using their lives to explore Black history\, enslavement\, freedom and Native American history in the region. \nThat’s where the experience becomes considerably more interesting than simply compiling local ghost stories. \nThe cemetery becomes a timeline. \nMystic’s Ghost Tours Started With a Local Historian\nThe company behind the tour\, Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours\, was founded in 2013 by Connecticut author and historian Courtney McInvale Reardon. \nMcInvale wrote Haunted Mystic\, published the following year\, and built Seaside Shadows around the idea of combining historical research with local legends and paranormal accounts. \nThe company now operates several experiences\, including its Downtown Mystic Ghost Tour and haunted pub crawls\, but the graveyard tour is fundamentally different from walking through the village. \nDowntown Mystic still has traffic\, restaurants\, shops\, bars and people moving around. \nWhitehall after dark is another environment entirely. \nOctober Adds More Chances to Go\nThe schedule becomes more aggressive as Halloween approaches. \nDuring September and October\, the regular graveyard tours begin at 7 p.m. \nIn October\, Seaside Shadows adds Saturday performances at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.\, giving visitors another opportunity to experience the cemetery during the height of spooky season. \nThe price also changes. \nRegular-season admission is $30 per person. October admission increases to $35. \nBecause this is a recurring event\, readers should select their preferred date and confirm the available time when purchasing tickets rather than assuming every night follows exactly the same schedule. \nThis Is a Walking Tour in a Real Cemetery\nThat last point is important. \nWhitehall is not a paved theme-park attraction. \nParticipants will be walking through an old burial ground after dark\, where the terrain can include uneven ground and other natural obstacles. \nSeaside Shadows recommends the experience for guests 11 and older and asks visitors to dress appropriately for the weather. \nIts participation waiver specifically identifies potential hazards including uneven or slippery surfaces\, cemetery terrain\, low lighting and inclement weather. \nGood walking shoes make considerably more sense here than dressing for Halloween. \nTours operate outdoors\, and Seaside Shadows generally runs its experiences rain or shine. Tickets are final except when the company cancels a tour. \nNearly Two Hours Between the Headstones\nThe current Seaside Shadows description puts the Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tour at approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. \nThat’s enough time to move beyond a handful of ghost stories. \nThe tour can reach into colonial warfare\, the Revolution\, disease\, abolition\, slavery\, emancipation\, local folklore\, cemetery symbolism and burial practices while still leaving room for the paranormal accounts that put “ghost” in the name. \nThere is even a final spooky surprise that Seaside Shadows deliberately doesn’t explain in advance. \nProbably best to leave that one buried. \nDetails\nEvent: Moonlit Mystic Graveyard Ghost Tours\nSeason: Through November 29\, 2026\nSeptember Schedule: Wednesdays\, Fridays and Sundays\nSeptember Start Time: 7 p.m.\nOctober Schedule: Regular Wednesday\, Friday and Sunday tours\, plus additional Saturday tours\nOctober Saturday Times: 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.\nLocation: Whitehall Burial Ground\nMeeting Point: Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground\nStreet: Hendel Drive\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nTour Length: Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes\nAdmission: $30 during the regular season; $35 in October\nRecommended Age: 11+\nFormat: Guided outdoor walking tour through a historic colonial burial ground\nTerrain: Cemetery terrain with uneven surfaces and low-light conditions\nWeather: Dress appropriately for outdoor conditions; tours generally operate rain or shine\nWhat to Wear: Comfortable walking shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather\nTickets: Advance ticket purchase is recommended; select the specific tour date and time when booking\nOrganizer: Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours\nPhone: 860-754-8923\nEmail: info@seasideshadows.com \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown. \n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/moonlit-mystic-graveyard-ghost-tours-takes-visitors-into-one-of-mystics-oldest-burial-grounds-after-dark/2026-10-21/
LOCATION:Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground\, Hendel Drive\, Mystic\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Gates of Whitehall Burial Ground
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261022T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261022T210000
DTSTAMP:20261007T021547Z
CREATED:20261007T021547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261007T021547Z
UID:10009291-1792659600-1792702800@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt
DESCRIPTION:Mystic Monsters Turns Downtown Businesses Into a Month-Long Halloween Scavenger Hunt beginning Friday\, Oct. 9\, sending participants from shop to shop in search of creatures hiding inside local businesses. \nThe premise is wonderfully simple: Adventure Mystic is “unleashing” monsters around town\, and it’s up to participants to find them. \nFrom Oct. 9 through Halloween\, participating businesses will display their favorite Halloween monster. Players pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map at Adventure Mystic\, then use it to track down the creatures scattered around town. \nFind the monster. Get the participating business owner’s signature. Then head off in search of the next one. \nThe Businesses Become the Game Board\nMystic is particularly well suited to a scavenger hunt like this because participants aren’t being sent around an enclosed attraction. The town itself becomes part of the experience. \nRather than completing the hunt in a single building or at a single event\, participants move among local businesses looking for the monsters identified on their maps. \nThat also makes Mystic Monsters unusually flexible for a Halloween event. There’s no single starting time or one night when everyone has to participate. The monsters remain on display from Oct. 9 through Oct. 31\, allowing families and other participants to work through the hunt on their own schedule. \nAnd Adventure Mystic has given the players an appropriately sinister name. \nThey’re the victims. \nFinish the Hunt and There Are Prizes Waiting\nCompleted maps are returned to Adventure Mystic\, where successful victims receive a limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker. \nThey’ll also receive a chance ticket for a drawing with several prizes. \nSix winners will receive autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins\, the Halloween picture book by author and illustrator Stephen Savage. Another prize is a $25 gift card from one of the participating local businesses. \nPublished in 2013\, Seven Orange Pumpkins is a Halloween counting book that turns seven jack-o’-lanterns into a playful countdown toward Halloween night. Savage is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator whose work includes dozens of books for young readers. \nThat makes the autographed books a particularly fitting prize for a hunt built around searching Mystic for Halloween creatures. \nCostumes and Social Media Can Add to the Hunt\nAdventure Mystic is encouraging participants to dress for the occasion\, so there’s no reason the monsters have to be the only creatures roaming around town. \nThe organizers are also offering bonus points for tagged social-media photos and posts\, adding another layer for people who want to document their hunt as they move between participating businesses. \nThe result is less a traditional scheduled event than a Halloween side quest running through Mystic for most of October. \nYou can tackle it in one outing\, work on it during several visits or simply add a few monster stops while you’re already downtown. \nJust remember to get those signatures. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt\nDates: Friday\, Oct. 9 through Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Adventure Mystic and participating businesses around Mystic\nHow to Start: Pick up an official Mystic Monsters Scavenger Hunt Map from Adventure Mystic\nHow It Works: Visit participating businesses shown on the map\, locate their Halloween monsters and collect signatures from the business owners\nCompletion: Return the completed map to Adventure Mystic\nCompletion Prize: Limited-edition Mystic Rocks sticker plus a chance ticket for the prize drawing\nDrawing Prizes: Six autographed copies of Seven Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage and a $25 gift card from a participating local business\nCostumes: Encouraged\nBonus: Organizers say tagged social-media photos and posts can earn bonus points\nAdmission/Registration Fee: No fee is stated in the event announcement\nParticipating Businesses: The announcement does not provide a complete list; the official hunt map identifies participating locations. \n  \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/mystic-monsters-turns-downtown-businesses-into-a-month-long-halloween-scavenger-hunt/2026-10-22/
LOCATION:Downtown Mystic\, West Main Street\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Downtown Mystic
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DTSTAMP:20261005T024211Z
CREATED:20261005T024211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261005T024211Z
UID:10009255-1792663200-1792692000@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October
DESCRIPTION:Scarecrows Take Over Olde Mistick Village for the Month of October as merchants throughout the Mystic shopping village create their own characters\, compete for visitor votes\, and turn the walk between shops into a month-long outdoor fall display. \nScarecrows in the Village runs Oct. 1–31\, giving visitors the entire month to wander the brick pathways and find the scarecrows stationed outside participating businesses. Rather than bringing in a collection of professionally made decorations\, Olde Mistick Village puts its own merchants behind the creations. \nThat makes this less a single scheduled event than a temporary transformation of the Village. \nThe Merchants Build the Scarecrows\nThe fun is seeing what individual businesses come up with. \nParticipating Olde Mistick Village merchants create their own scarecrow displays\, which can make the decorations an extension of the personality of the shops themselves. The Village’s photos from previous displays show just how loosely the word “scarecrow” can be interpreted\, with the traditional straw-stuffed figure serving more as a starting point than a rule. \nSome are elaborate. Some are funny. Some lean into Halloween. \nAnd visitors aren’t merely looking at them. \nThey’re judging them. \nFind Your Favorites and Vote\nThroughout October\, QR codes placed around Olde Mistick Village allow visitors to vote for their favorite scarecrows. \nThe 2026 competition includes three categories: \nBest in Crow is the overall crowd-pleaser. \nMost Representative rewards the scarecrow that best captures the identity or personality of its participating Village business. \nMost Seaworthy gives the contest an appropriately Mystic category\, inviting merchants to work the area’s maritime character into their displays. \nThe voting turns what could have been simple seasonal decorations into a scavenger-hunt-like walk. Seeing one or two scarecrows isn’t really the point. The fun comes from exploring the Village\, comparing them and deciding which deserves a vote. \nA Different Way to See Olde Mistick Village\nOlde Mistick Village was designed to feel less like a conventional shopping center and more like a small New England village. \nInstead of a single enclosed mall\, shops and restaurants occupy individual buildings connected by pedestrian paths\, with landscaping\, ponds and gathering areas breaking up the property. \nThat’s particularly well suited to an event like this. \nThere isn’t a tent to enter or a designated exhibition area. The scarecrows become part of the landscape\, appearing as visitors move among shops and restaurants. \nIt also means there is no particular starting time or required route. Someone can spend 20 minutes hunting for scarecrows or make them part of a longer afternoon shopping\, eating and exploring the Village. \nOne Piece of a Much Bigger October in Mystic\nScarecrows in the Village also serves as something of a monthlong backdrop for Olde Mistick Village’s other fall activities. \nThe displays remain in place through Halloween on Oct. 31\, while the Village hosts additional October programming\, including its Apple Festival Oct. 17–18 and Trick or Treat in the Village Oct. 31. \nThat means the experience will change depending on when you visit. Early in October\, the scarecrows are essentially the opening act for fall. By Halloween weekend\, they’re part of a Village fully committed to the season. \nThere is also something appealingly low-key about this one. \nThere are no tickets to buy\, no performance time to hit and no need to devote an entire afternoon to it. Families can turn voting into a game with the kids. Adults can look for their favorite while shopping. Visitors coming for another Village event can simply add the scarecrows to the day. \nAnd because the displays remain up for an entire month\, this is one fall tradition where missing a particular Saturday doesn’t mean missing the event. \nThe only deadline that matters is Halloween. \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nDetails\nEvent: Scarecrows in the Village\nDates: Thursday\, Oct. 1–Saturday\, Oct. 31\, 2026\nLocation: Olde Mistick Village\nAddress: 27 Coogan Boulevard\, Mystic\, CT 06355\nAdmission: Free\nFormat: Monthlong outdoor scarecrow display created by participating Village merchants\nVoting: QR-code voting available throughout October\n2026 Categories: Best in Crow\, Most Representative and Most Seaworthy\nWho It’s For: All ages; particularly easy to combine with a family visit\, shopping or dining\nSchedule: Displays can be viewed during Village operating hours; individual businesses and restaurants may keep different hours\nRelated October Events: Apple Festival\, Oct. 17–18; Trick or Treat in the Village\, Oct. 31\nFinal Day: Halloween\, Oct. 31\nWeather: The scarecrows are displayed outdoors\, so dress for conditions \n\n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/scarecrows-take-over-olde-mistick-village-for-the-month-of-october/2026-10-22/
LOCATION:Olde Mistick Village\, 27 Coogan Blvd\, Mystic\, CT\, 06355\, United States
CATEGORIES:Olde Mistick Village
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