By Harley Nefe
Trick or treating, haunted hayrides and even zombie walks will all be happening this weekend across the High Country. There will be plenty of costumes, candy and fun for ghosts and ghouls to enjoy.
Boone
Boone BOO!
Boone BOO!, the Town of Boone’s annual Halloween celebration will take place on Sunday, October 31 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Participating Downtown Boone businesses will be giving out candy to trick-or-treaters throughout the duration of the event. Larger-than-life inflatables, tricycle races in the streets, stilt walkers, and of course copious amounts of candy will all contribute to the festive atmosphere. A curated Halloween playlist will be streaming down King Street, and guests can enjoy a choreographed Halloween dance at the intersection of Depot Street at 4:00 p.m. – an encore performance in the footsteps of the 2019 event’s extravagant flash mob. For more information about Boone BOO!, please visit joneshouse.org or call 828-268-6280. Scenes from downtown Boone in 2019 are below:
Deerfield Ridge Assisted Living Presents Trunk or Treat
Dress in your best costumes and visit Deerfield Ridge Assisted Living on Friday, October 29 from 6-8 p.m., as the residents there will be taking part in the Halloween spirit by giving out some sweet treats for others to enjoy. They would love to see all the spooky faces! For more information, call 828-264-0336.
Watauga County Parks and Recreation’s Trunk or Treat
On Sunday, October 31, from 6-8 p.m., the Watauga County Parks and Recreation department will be presenting a walk-thru trunk or treat event for costumed kiddos and parents. Decorated vehicles will be on display in the parking lot for trick or treaters to walk by and collect candy from the parks and recreation staff and local community members. Prizes will be awarded to the best dressed trunks. This event will be located at 231 Complex Drive in Boone. To learn more about this event, call (828) 264-9511. Scenes from the Watauga County Parks and Recreation’s drive thru trunk or treat event in 2020 are below:
Terror by the River
Head to the High Country Fairgrounds October 29-31 for a haunted trail and haunted house if you’re brave enough. The terror starts at dark and lasts until 11 p.m. Check out North Carolina’s largest Grim Reaper while you’re there. This is an all ages event – let the staff know if you’d like them to tone down the scares before you enter the trail or get the full scary experience. Come early to enjoy more family-friendly fun.
Dracula
Blue Ridge Community Theatre will present an adaptation of Orson Welles’ Mercury Theater Radio Broadcast of Bram Stoker’s Dracula at Horn in the West at 7 p.m. on October 29-31. Bring blankets and chairs, grab some popcorn and prepare to be entranced by one of the most-published stories of all time. Tickets are $10 and available at the venue on each night of the performance.
Boone Mall Trick or Treating
Enjoy trick or treating at the stores in the mall from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, October 30.
C&J Farm Haunted Trail
Bring a flashlight and enter the haunted trail from 7-10 p.m. on October 29-30! The corn maze, hayride and pumpkin patch will also be open. More information can be found here.
Howards Creek Church Drive-Thru Trunk or Treat
On Sunday, October 31, Howards Creek Church will be hosting a free, safe drive-thru trunk or treat. This event will be located at 240 Howard’s Creek Road in Boone and will be from 4-6 p.m. Everyone is welcome and is encouraged to wear costumes. Howards Creek Church will have elaborately decorated trunks and loads of candy, so bring your candy bags. For more information, contact Howards Creek Church at (828) 264-1908 or visit the church’s Facebook page.
Blowing Rock
Paranormal Studies at Mystery Hill
Head to Mystery Hill on Friday, October 29 at 10 a.m. to hear Professor Carson detail spooky stories and paranormal happenings in the High Country area. Be sure to check out Prospector Hill Gem Mine, Tomahawk Hill axe throwing, and any of the other awesome attractions on-site.
Tanger Outlets Halloween Trick-or-Treat Spooktacular
Guests can enjoy an array of frightfully fun activities, including hayrides, trick-or-treating, a pumpkin painting contest and more on Sunday, Oct. 31 from 5-7 p.m. as Tanger Outlets Blowing Rock plans to celebrate the holiday with a Halloween Trick-or-Treat Spooktacular. Other available activities include a fall selfie station, haunted games, a scavenger hunt and a relaxing fire pit. DJ Taco will also be featured, performing on center stage. While at Tanger Outlets, guests are invited to explore the more than 24 local and national retail brands, including American Eagle, Vera Bradley and Gap.
Blowing Rock Halloween Festival
Join Blowing Rock Parks & Recreation for tons of free fun with a full afternoon of spooky activities on Saturday, October 30! From downtown trick-or-treating to the famous Monster March, this is among the best Halloween events for kids of all ages. Memorial Park, located right in the middle of downtown, is the center for all the fun! Below is the schedule of activities for the day:
3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Carnival-style Games in Memorial Park – Try your hand at games of skill and chance for fun prizes!
4 p.m. – 8 p.m. Downtown Hayrides – Find the pick-up/drop-off point in Memorial Park.
5:45 p.m. Monster March – Main Street is closed for a costume parade, and everyone is invited to showcase their costume! Line up at 5:30pm at American Legion. The Monster March starts at Park Avenue and continues to Ginny Stevens Lane (near Town Tavern and the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum)
6 p.m. Trick or Treat on Main Street – Directly following the Monster March, kids are invited to go door to door at participating businesses for candy and treats! Main Street remains closed for the first 15 minutes or so, to give plenty of time for Monster March participants to make their way to the sidewalks.
7:30 p.m. Moonlight Scavenger Hunt at Broyhill Park – Bring a flashlight and a team of up to 3 kids (ages 6-13) to participate in this night-time activity. Meet at the little white gazebo by the lake and don’t be late! Quick route from Memorial Park to Brohill Park: head down Park Avenue to the American Legion, find the path with stairs on the right side of the building, and go down to the trail around the lake.
Beech Mountain
Pumpkin Carving
Folks can get in the Halloween spirit on Wednesday, Oct. 27 by carving their own Jack-o-lanterns at Buckeye Recreation Center in Beech Mountain. Pumpkins and carving tools will be provided at a limited supply. The event will start at 5 p.m. For more information and to RSVP, call Marisa Sedlak, Program Coordinator for Buckeye Recreation Center, at 828-387-3003.
Halloween Trivia
Buckeye Recreation Center will also be hosting an in-person Halloween Trivia on Thursday, October 28 at 6 p.m. Refreshments and snacks will be provided, and costumes are said to give you a winning advantage. A maximum of six people can be on each team. To sign up for this event, visit https://beechrecreation.recdesk.com/Community/Program/Detail?programId=239
Medieval Halloween in Beech Mountain
Grab your princesses and dragons and head up to Beech Mountain for a Medieval-themed Halloween celebration featuring the Trail-or-Treat on October 29 from 6-7 p.m. Then, from 6-9 p.m. guests can try their luck walking the Haunted Trail. The trail is recommended for ages 8+ after 8 p.m. and the cost is $5 per person. This event is located at 1330 Pine Ridge Rd. Call 828-387-3003 for more information.
Banner Elk
Trick or Treat Mini Farm Tours at Apple Hill Farm
Apple Hill Farm will be leading trick-or-treat mini-tours of the farm in the evenings of October 27-30 where guests can come dressed in their Halloween best and collect candy and gifts from the alpacas, llamas, goats, and other animals that call Apple Hill Farm home. On this educational and hands-on mini-tour, your Tour Ghoul will share fun facts about the animals at each stop and safely distribute goodies for each child.
Trunk or Treat
This is one of the more popular family Halloween events in the North Carolina High Country. Children (and adults) come dressed in costumes for a fun trick-or-treat experience from the trunks of vehicles. Banner Elk businesses and individuals decorate their vehicle trunks and hand out candy to all the little ghosts and goblins from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, October 30 at the Historic Banner Elk School.
Seven Devils
Spooky Trunk or Treat
Come enjoy some fun and safe Trunk or Treating at the Seven Devils Community Center located at 1356 Seven Devils Rd. on October 29 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
West Jefferson
Trick or Treat
Trick or Treating will be from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, October 30, in downtown West Jefferson. Be safe and have lots of fun!
The Haunted Factory
The Haunted Factory is the only haunted house attraction in West Jefferson featuring actors. Admission is $10, and the Haunted Factory is open October 29-30 starting at 7 p.m.
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