Halloween in Philadelphia is what you make of it. You can have a frightfully fun holiday by visiting the area’s numerous haunted attractions and by taking spooky ghost tours throughout the city. Or you can settle on having a quieter, less spooky Halloween in Philadelphia by picking events that have a few boos and chills, but not too many. Whether you like to be scared out of your wits or not, here are a few annual Halloween themed festivities to check out.
Terror Behind the Walls
Located in Fairmount, Eastern State Penitentiary is one of the most well-known prisons in Pennsylvania. Although it offers historical and informative tours throughout the year, come Halloween, it’s transformed into one of the country’s most frightening haunted attractions, Terror Behind the Walls. Made up of six different attractions, Terror Behind the Walls gives you the choice of simply being a spectator and of having actors dressed in costume and special effects make-up jump out at you, or the choice of an immersive experience, which means the actors can grab you, take you away from your friends or even ask you to participate in the show.
Terror Behind the Walls starts in the middle of September and runs until early November. If you plan on going, the best (and cheapest) way to get tickets is to order them online.
Spooky Mini Golf
If you’re looking for a tamer way to celebrate Halloween, head over to Franklin Square park, in Center City. On weekends throughout October, the park’s mini golf course is transformed into a Spooky Mini Golf course. Halloween themed elements, such as flashing lights, fog, and creepy music, are added to the reproductions of Philly landmarks found at each of the course’s 18 holes. Spooky Mini Golf starts at 6 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. It’s $9 for adults and $7 for kids between the ages of 3 and 12.
Ghost Tour of the Olympia
Perhaps you’d like to pair your Halloween scares with a bit of historical fact. Then book at spot on a ghost tour of the Olympia, a battleship docked on the Delaware River at Penn’s Landing. Long believed to be haunted, the Olympia is the oldest steel warship in the world and the only naval ship to return from the Spanish-American War. Throughout her history at sea, sailors believed her to be unlucky and plenty of people believe that she’s home to numerous ghosts. The ghost tour takes visitors deep into the ship, visiting the sick bay, captain’s quarters, and the area where a ghost, Gunner Johnson, is said to regularly appear. Tours take place on Friday and Saturday nights throughout October and are recommended for people ages 12 and up.
Halloween at Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in the country, holds a number of Halloween themed events. You can enjoy a tame, family-focused Halloween celebration during its Fall Family Day, on October 30. The day will include a visit from the Story Fairy, a number of Halloween themed games, arts and crafts projects and a Pumpkin Patch.
Whether you’ve recently bought a home in Philadelphia or are just looking for a new way to spend your Halloween, you’ll find plenty of thrills and more mild fun throughout the city.
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