October is packed with festive, spooky, and family-friendly Halloween events across Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough. Whether you’re looking for haunted thrills, creative pumpkin carving, or fun activities with farm animals, there’s something for everyone! Be sure to check each event page for ticket and registration details. 

Witch’s Haunted Barn at Firefly Farm 

Family fun for kids of all ages - thrills and frights await you as you enter the Witch's Haunted Barn. Candy for every child at the end of the barn (if you survive!) There will be a coffin fitting room, complete with outfits for your eternal rest, A graveyard full of unsettled souls, Aliens, A room of First and Last Aid with a Mad Doctor, Spiders, spiders, and more spiders. Plus A haunted nursery - ring around a rosie, pocket full of posies, a coffin in the kitchen where the Kitchen Crone is whipping up delectable goodies.  Skellies everywhere, The Butcher’s room, Hallway of Horrors (and clowns), The Vault, The Dungeon, A Witches Coven and so much more.  In addition to the barn: Visit the pumpkin patch, the horses, donkeys, goats and chickens. Every Saturday Noon to 7 pm and most Fridays (not so scary theme) from Noon to 5 pm in October.

Chapel Hill Ghost Walk.

Take a ghost walk each Saturday in October to hear about the ghosts of long dead lovers wandering the woods of Chapel Hill, unexplainable sounds in UNC's memorial hall, and rumors of a spooky secret society lurking in a dreary gothic castle on the outskirts of the college campus. UNC has plenty of spooky campfire stories and lore from the town's history. The best part is: all of the stories are based off of true Chapel Hill myths.

Ghost Tours.

Haunted Hillsborough hosts the  Original Historic Ghost Tour  features Enoch Pugh (deceased) for a 2.5 hour, 1.5-mile walk around downtown Hillsborough. Visit haunted houses and an execution site, and hear about numerous local "haints," real history, and native and post-colonial legends. And the "Haints" Misbehaving Ghost Tour This two-hour, 1.25 mile tour focuses solely on the local ghost tales and legends. Visit three haunted houses and hear seven other tales of mysterious, spectral happenings. Kids 11 and up will enjoy the Hills-Boo-rough Kids Ghost Tours, that is more on the lighter side of spooky with interesting stories and jokes. Throughout the month of October.

Black Lodge and Bardo. 

The night before Halloween, Memorial Hall transforms into an eerie, otherworldly realm as the evening begins at 7 p.m. with BARDO—an immersive journey through haunting installations, strange encounters, and liminal spaces rarely open to the public. Costumes are encouraged as audiences roam multiple floors before BLACK LODGE begins at 9 p.m., a dark Lynchian opera in which a tormented writer confronts the worst moment of his life in a nightmarish Bardo through music, theater, and film. Together, the two works create a singular, fever‑dream experience unlike a traditional performance. A single ticket includes both events; BARDO runs 1 hour 45 minutes with continuous movement, and BLACK LODGE is a 75‑minute seated performance. Ticket information and more details can be found on Carolina Performing Arts website.

The Haunting Hour

Storytelling at its best! Hear from Hillsborough's most famous ghosts as they share their eerie tales. Friday, October 30th from 5 to 9 pm at the historic Hughes Academy. For an added dose of fright, take a moonlit stroll among the graves of St. Matthew's Church and hap upon some roaming spirits. For tickets and details visit The Alliance for Historic Hillsborough The Haunting Hour

Boos and Brews at Spring Haven Farm

Spring Haven Farm will be the ultimate Halloween hangout for the 21+ crowd! Grab a beverage and gather around the fire pits for S'mores and live music by Khallori. Come dressed to impress for the costume contest and win a prize for best costume. And don't forget about the cuddly goats! October 31st from 8-11 pm. Get tickets online at Spring Haven Farm Boos and Brews

The Myers House Halloween Event

For a real Halloween treat, visit the Myers House NC, a true replica of the house in the blockbuster movie, Halloween. The house will be decked out with spooking decorations for lots of photo ops. Costumes encouraged, particularly of Michael. Bring a lawn chair if you plan to stay for a few horror flick showings on the big outdoor screen at sunset. Special guest Brian Bremer who played Bunt in the 1988 horror classic will be for some photo ops and Q&A. Please note their will be no tours of the inside of the house during this event. October 31 from 4:30 - 10:15 pm. Donation suggestion $5. Get all the scary details at the Myers House North Carolina.

Visit Carrboro for some free, family-friendly events with music, movies, stories and more this October. For details on the events listed below, click on Halloween is Happening in Carrboro

Join the fun at Music and Stories Under the Stars on October 23 from 5 to 7:30 pm at Weaver Street Market Lawn in Carrboro. It's a great opportunity to enjoy live entertainment under the autumn sky. Bring a low chair or blanket and check out all the fun costumes. 

Carrboro keeps the Halloween spirit alive with Spooky Movie Night on October 16 featuring Hotel Transylvania its annual Halloween Carnival on October 30 at Carrboro Town Commons, featuring carnival-style games, costumes, and fun for all ages. 

Over in Chapel Hill, the Haunted Hill Trunk or Treat on October 30  at the Chapel Hill Community Center is perfect for families, complete with an an interactive Skateboard Experience. 

For Hillsborough locals, the Halloween Spooktacular on October 24 at Central Recreation Center promises a full afternoon of Halloween excitement, from crafts to games, a pumpkin hunt and decorating contest. 

Find that perfect pumpkin at Chestnut Ridge and Smith Family Fun Farm. Chestnut Ridge hosts a Fall Festival on the Farm October 11, offering a charming fall experience for families. And Smith Family Fun Farm has two pumpkin patch's, a giant slide for the kids, plus Friday Night Pizza night. They're open daily except Mondays. Elevate your pumpkin picking excursion with a walk (or a run) through a 12- acre corn maze at McKee's Cedar Creek Farm open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through October 31.

(Top photo: Enoch Pugh, Tour Guide (deceased); courtesy of Haunted Hillsborough)