Boo to You!
Boo to You!: Seven ghoulishly good ways to celebrate Halloween’s chills and thrills
Dark Ride Hearse Tours
September 1-October 30 | Asheville
Experience Asheville’s dark side from inside a hearse. Choose between the Haunted Graveyard Tour, with its daring pass through Riverside Cemetery, or the Spirits on the River Tour, which takes in ghostly stories and sights near the French Broad. Departs from Lexington Avenue Brewery, 39 N. Lexington Ave.; Thursday-Saturday, times vary; $28.50; (828) 747-9280; www.darkridetours.com
Ghost Train Halloween Festival
September 23-October 29 | Blowing Rock
Tweetsie Railroad provides an evening full of family-friendly fright on the infamous Ghost Train. Other scary attractions will abound around the theme park, and every night during the festival is a good one for trick-or-treating. 1300 Tweetsie Railroad Ln.; Friday & Saturday, 7:30-11:30 p.m.; $36; (800) 526-5740; www.tweetsie.com
CandleLight Ghost Tours
October 15 & 29 | Wilkesboro
Learn Wilkesboro’s hidden history and keep a keen eye out for otherworldly spirits on this tour. Stops include the Old Wilkes Jail, the 1779 home of Captain Robert Cleveland, and a slave cabin cursed with an ancient spell. Wilkes Heritage Museum, 100 E. Main St.; Saturday, 7:30-9 p.m.; $10; (336) 667-3171; wilkesheritagemuseum.com
Historic Haunted House Tour
October 28 & 29 | Old Fort
With proceeds benefitting the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, guides in period attire will unveil terrifying tales of Round Knob Lodge and its connection to the deadly dangers of railroad construction. Costumes are encouraged, and pre-registration is required. Round Knob Lodge, 2345 Mill Creek Rd.; Friday & Saturday, 5-8 p.m.; $35, $25 museum members; (828) 669-9566; www.history.swannanoavalleymuseum.org
Halloween Eve Wine, Fish & Fry, & Costume Party
October 29 | Nebo
Fish South Creek Vineyard’s spooky lagoon, then head to the vineyard deck to enjoy wine, a fish and chips dinner, and live music. South Creek Winery, 2249 S. Creek Rd.; Saturday, 6-9 p.m.; $15 (must be 21 or over); (828) 652-5729; www.southcreekwinery.com
Blowing Rock Halloween Festival
October 29 | Blowing Rock
This family fest features a creepy crafts fair for kids, (not too) spooky stories, hayrides, a parade, and trick-or-treating. The night closes with a moonlit children’s scavenger hunt, so stick close to your partners and don’t forget the flashlight. Downtown, 1094 Main St.; Saturday, 2-9 p.m.; free; (828) 295-5222; blowingrock.com/halloween
Heart of Brevard HalloweenFest
October 29 | Brevard
Celebrate Halloween just as Dracula would, in Transylvania (County, that is). The full day of events includes a baking competition, bicycle rodeo, inflatable playground, hay maze, and costume parade, followed by trick-or-treating. Downtown, 175 E. Main St.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-
5 p.m.; free; (828) 884-3278; www.brevardnc.org/events/halloweenfest