Fall Family Fun in Mystic Country

The third annual Pumpkin Passage is a month-long celebration of Halloween every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in October (pictured above). Enjoy a family-friendly Halloween experience by exploring nearly a half-mile of trail decorated with Halloween lights and sights instead of frights. As visitors wander down the trail, they will be greeted by fun and festive attractions, including Jack-o’-Lantern Junction where guests can get into the Halloween spirit amid luminous pumpkins and gleaming lights, The Candy Corn Corral where candy corn creatures tend their haunted farm with their skeleton crew, The Graveyard Grotto, a ghoulish but giggly stroll through ghosts, vampires, and clanking bones, The Nightmare on Raptor Bay featuring the Cowl Cave full of spooky secrets surrounded by the festively decked-out dinosaurs, Mythical Mysteries, a wonderland of unicorns, witches, and dragons and Ollie’s Outpost, where guests can enjoy hot apple cider and children can explore an inflatable corn maze, bounce houses, and a 20-foot slide. 

Image Credit @thedinosaurplace: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUsPpKELMJS/

There are tons of spooky family fun to be had at the Mystic Seaport Museum this October, including the Jack-O-Lantern Walk, Pumpkin Carving, and a community Trick or Treat Scavenger Hunt. 

The Jack-o-Lantern Walk takes place on October 25-29, from 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Stroll along some of the darker, often overlooked portions of the museum property and enjoy the spectacle of several hundred lit jack-o-lanterns on display! Then play a lawn game, enjoy some live music, warm up by a roaring fire, create a fall-themed craft, or take a spooky guided tour in which you learn about the darker side of life in a 19th century seaport town.

Finally, on October 31, celebrate Halloween all day long with a Community Trick or Treat Scavenger Hunt where kids in costume (12 and under) will enjoy FREE admission to Mystic Seaport Museum. Then from 3 p.m.-6 p.m., the community is invited to enter FREE through the North entrance to participate in a Trick or Treat Scavenger Hunt. Little ghosts, wizards, sailors, and superheroes alike will receive their scavenger hunt challenge to find the sweet treats hidden within the Shipbuilding Village.

Image Credit @mysticseaportmuseum: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVLeNWTMwsf/

What’s even more fun than a corn maze? How about a night corn maze? Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm has both, plus hayrides, barnyard animals and plenty of great treats including farm fresh ice cream, apple-cider donuts and sandwiches. Visit the regular corn maze on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. through October 31 and the special Night Sky Corn Maze from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. on October 30. Don’t forget your flashlight.

Image Credit @ekonkhillturkeyfarm: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTZdVqbH9Cj/

For another corn maze option, this one with a side of amazing ice cream, pumpkin picking and other fun surprises, check out Buttonwood Farms. Their 7-acre maze is opened from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through October 31 and visitors can also catch a hayride, visit with farm animals, or pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch while visiting. There is also a Cow Train (a fun little choo-choo for the little ones!), Straw Bale Mountain and Corn Pits to explore. After your done exploring, grab some ice cream next door with seasonal flavors like Trick or Treat (caramel ice cream loaded with Halloween candy favorites), Apples and Donuts (apple ice cream with cinnamon sugar donuts) and Hocus Pocus (chocolate ice cream with Kit Kats, Reese’s, and sprinkles).

Image Credit @buttonwoodfarmicecream: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUYH3b9r63L/

If you are looking for something a little different to do this October, but still family friendly and outdoors, consider heading to The Last Green Valley to enjoy their Walktober celebration. You can find the complete Walktober guide on their website, but activities include walks, hikes, historic tales, paddles, bike rides, farm visits and more. You can also catch a sunset, check out one of the area’s many farmers markets, tour a distillery and more.  The Last Green Valley is green by day and dark by night. It is a National Heritage Corridor with a rich history in a surprisingly rural landscape.

Image Credit @thelastgreenvalley: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVDji5gFa_O/