Opportunities abound throughout the Falls Church region to scare you, your family and friends silly this weekend. There are many Halloween festivities for the young and the young at heart, and costumes are optional!
Beyond the routine “trick or treating” (according to the Lasso, the student newspaper at Falls Church’s George Mason High School, 77 percent of students plan to “trick or treat” this year, despite being ages 14 and up), the region features haunted houses and spooky tours, crazy mazes, the alleged paranormal, pumpkins and even Edgar Allen Poe. Here’s a sampling:
Falls Church Halloween Carnival for Kids. Falls Church Community Center (223 Little Falls St., Falls Church), Saturday, Oct. 30, 6 – 8:30 p.m. Entry fee is $1 per child, ages 2 and up. Adults and children under 2 are free. Activities include carnival games, a moon bounce, face painting, crafts, movies, candy, and a live Creepy Creature Show featuring the spooky reptiles. For more information, call 703-248-5077.
Falls Church High School Haunted House. At the FCHS campus (7521 Jaguar Trail, Falls Church), Friday, Oct. 29, 6 – 10 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 30, 1 – 4 p.m. for younger children, 6 – 9 p.m. regular show. Cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 10. Proceeds will benefit the Falls Church High School Drama Department. For more information, visit www.fchsdrama.org.
J.E.B. Stuart Haunted House. At the J.E.B. Stuart campus (3301 Peace Valley Lane, Falls Church). Oct. 28, 5 – 8 p.m. Cost is $5 per person. Drama Boosters will be hosting its third annual Halloween Haunted House in the J.E.B. Stuart BlackBox Theatre. Attend a scary event and support students at the same time. For more information, call 703-824-3900.
Trick or Treat in the Haunted Woods. Meadowlark, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna), Saturday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Cost is $10. Trick or Treat in the haunted woods! Visit treat stations throughout with a special display at the Lake Gazebo. Ages 6 and up. Groups leave every 15 minutes. For more information, call 703-255-3631.
5th Annual Haunted House. Hosted by Always There Pet Care (130 W. Jefferson St., Falls Church), Friday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Oct. 30, 8-11 p.m. Cost is $5. All proceeds to help animals. Do not bring pets to this, not recommended for children under 14. For more information, call 703-237-5522.
Edgar Allen Poe in Alexandria.The Lyceum (201 S. Washington St., Alexandria) Oct. 30 and 31, 8 – 9:15 p.m. Admission costs $15. Join The Lyceum, Alexandria’s History Museum, for two unforgettable Halloween evenings with America’s master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. The program always includes a chilling story or two such as “The Black Cat,” “The Cask of Amontillado” or “The Tell-Tale Heart,” along with well-known poems “The Raven” and “El Dorado.” Program best suited for children age 12 and up. For more information, call 703-746-4994.
Fields of Fear. Cox Farms (15621 Braddock Rd., Centreville), Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 31, 7:30 – 11 p.m. Admission is $15. Featuring the “Cornightmare,” where visitors can walk through cornfield terrors, “Dark Side” Hayride, “The Firegrounds/Midway” bonfires and a giant torch lit slide, Autopsy Table, Haunted Library, Back from the Dead, Hall of Whispers, and Claustrophobia. All under age 14 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. For more information, call 703-830-4121 or visit www.coxfarms.com.
Haunted Ben Lomond Tours. Ben Lomond Historic Site (10311 Sudley Manor Dr., Manassas) Oct. 22 -23 and 29 – 30; 7, 8, 9 & 10 p.m. Cost is $5. Take a spooky tour of the Ben Lomond House and grounds then visit with the folks from the Mid Atlantic Paranormal Investigator Group. Get a first hand demonstration of the tools of the trade. For more information, call 703-367-7872 or visit www.pwcgov.org.
Oatlands Paranormal Tours. Oatlands Historic House and Gardens (20850 Oatlands Plantation Ln., Leesburg), Through Friday, Oct. 29, 7 & 8 p.m. Adults cost $12. Children under 12 cost $5. Guests will enjoy a guided evening tour through the mansion.Tour guides will share exciting ghost legends and personal accounts of unexplained happenings on the property. Guests will also learn about some of the findings of the ongoing paranormal investigations at Oatlands. For more information, call 703-777-3174 or visit www.oatlands.org.
Boo at the Farm. Frying Pan Farm Park (2709 West Ox Rd., Herndon), Thursday, Oct. 28 and Friday, Oct. 29, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. & 7 – 8 p.m. Cost is $8. Come costumed to trick or treat for goodies and meet farm friends at Frying Pan Farm Park. Then settle down for a home-brewed Halloween tale in the barn. Bags are provided. For more information, call 703-437-9101.
Pumpkin Glow Night. Great Country Farms (8780 Foggy Bottom Rd., Bluemont) Oct. 29–30, 6-9 p.m. Admission costs $10. Children under age 2 are free. The event includes the lighting of over 2000 jack-o-lantern pumpkins carved by local school children. The “Glow” is from 6 – 9 p.m. and the lights out countdown is at 7 p.m. For more information, call 540-554-2073 or visit www.greatcountryfarms.com.
Death Comes to Carlyle. Carlyle House Historic Park (121 N. Fairfax St., Alexandria), Oct. 30, 7-9 p.m. A ghost tour of Alexandria is included in the price of admission. Experience a re-enactment of Colonel John Carlyle’s 1780 Funeral. View Colonel John Carlyle’s coffin, learning about the mourning practices of the era, from 7 to 9 p.m., followed by the funeral procession and Internment at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House. For more information, call 703-549-2997.
Spooky Sounds and Scary Tales. Kennedy Center (2700 F St., NW Washington, D.C.), Sunday, Oct. 31, 3 p.m. Cost is $15-18. Celebrate Halloween with the National Symphony Orchestra. Come dressed in spooky get-up for the “spirited” concert, including a chance to trick-or-treat. Ages 5 & up. For more information, call 202-467-4600.
Leesburg Ghost Tours. Virginia Scientific Research Association (19 S. King St., Leesburg), Friday and Saturday nights through Oct. 31, 9 p.m. Cost is $5 for children, $10 for adults. This two-hour walking tour highlights some of Leesburg’s most haunted locales and is sure to send a shiver down your spine. For more information, call 571-242-6824 or visit www.vsra.net.
“Rocky Horror Picture Show.” University Mall Theatres (10659 Braddock Rd., Fairfax), Saturday, Oct. 31 at midnight. Cost is $4 for adults. Seniors or students with George Mason University ID cost $3. This cult classic to end all cult classics tells the bizarre tale of newly engaged Brad and Janet, fabulous alien scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter and his motley crew. For more information, call 703-273-0876 or visit www.universitymalltheatres.com.
The Maize. Temple Hall Farm Regional Park (15789 Temple Hall Ln., Leesburg). Fridays from 4 – 10 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. through Nov. 1. Daytime passes cost $10 for children and $12 for adults. Night passes (available on Fridays and Saturdays) are $7 for children and $9 for adults. The Temple Hall Corn Maize and Fall Festival is back and bigger than ever. This year’s maize celebrates the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority’s 50th anniversary and covers 24 acres. For more information, call 703-779-9372 or visit www.nvrpa.org/parks/themaize.
Clifton Haunted Trail. Buckley Park (Chapel St., Clifton), Saturday, Oct. 30, 7 – 10 p.m. Cost is $10 adult, $5 for children. Once a year spooky event, that winds through the eight-acre Buckley Park. More than 150 volunteers and several months of planning go into this event every year. This has become an annual event for anyone who wants a good scare. Hardy shoes are recommended. For more information, visit https://cliftonhauntedtrail.com.
