October 27th - November 2nd 2016 Triangle

by Pam & Michael Davison

Halloween is just around the corner! It looks like the weather is going to be awesome so whether you are looking for spooks and screams or science and music, have a great weekend! Feel free to go to the ParkGeek.com Events Search if you want to get the whole listing of holiday events.

The fun starts Thursday!

The Reel-ly Scary Cary Film Series kicks off Thursday night at Regency Park with a Haunted House and the 1974 Classic Film, Young Frankenstein. The Haunted House continues through Saturday with Goosebumps Friday and The Conjuring Saturday on the big screen. There will also be costume contests, trick or treating and pumpkin carving contests so click through for all the details.

Do Numbers Lie? will be the topic of Science Thursday at the Nature Research Center. The Museum also debuts an Adult Night - Nocturnal by Nature Thursday night. Over 21 can join them to dance in the 3-story SECU Daily Planet Theater, meet some Museum creepy-crawlies, check out rarely-seen Museum specimens in the "Hall of Oddities," and perfect your "Thriller" moves with the Elevate zombie dancers. You can even watch a creature come to life during a Gregory F/X live makeup demo and learn how to glow in the dark with bioluminescence!

Wake Forest starts things off early with a Halloween Spooktacular at Flaherty Park Community Center this Thursday. This year's festivities will include a costume contest, face painting and a cupcake walk, along with a variety of other ghostly games and activities, and free pumpkin giveaways.

Food Truck Thursdays continue at Knightdale Station Park. Wandering Moose and Hula Dogs Shave Ice will be there at lunch and Zeke"s Meats and Jam Ice Cream will be there for dinner.

Chavis Community Center hosts their Fall Festival Thursday evening with a fun-filled evening of games, activities and of course candy.

Leading up to Halloween

There are so many fun options for you and your little gouls and gobblins. Some of these events do have admission fees and many require pre-registration (and some sell out fast) so make sure you click through for all the information.

Friday night, the Natural Science Center of Greensboro presents a Fright Light Laser Show on their 40 foot dome theater featuring a star studded soundtrack including the songs Thriller, Dead Man's Party and a Monster Mash.

The Witches on Salem Street will be out in Apex for a Ladies Night of shopping, dining and fun Friday! Wear your witches hat while shopping and dining to receive special discounts at downtown Apex restaurants and businesses. Come back with the kids Saturday to Trick or Treat on Salem Street and then mosey on over to the Halle Cultural Arts Center for the Goblins Grove, a family dance featuring music from the 80's & 90's as well as spooky favorites.

Mordecai Historic Park goes all out on Saturday with the Haunted Mordecai Free Festival and Haunted Mordecai Lantern Tours. Friday & Saturday nights they will be running Haunted Trolley Tours.

Come to Hillsborough's Spooktacular Weekend! Friday will feature Downtown Trick or Treating, a Haunted Alley, Downtown Artwalk, NOSFORATU film with live musical accompaniment and Spirits Tours. Saturday will be the Spooktacular Event and more Spirits Tours and Sunday will round out the weekend with Pumpkin Carving, Live Music, Spooky Train Rides, a Dog Costume Contest and After Dark Cemetery Tours.

Zombies will prevail this weekend. Zombiepalooza will premiere Friday night at the Cary Theater with local filmmakers, a Zombie Film Contest, and an outdoor viewing of the 'Night of the Living Dead." Lurch, shamble or crawl downtown as the undead invade in a mindless, unceasing search for brains Saturday night for the Raleigh Zombie Walk starting at Moore Square.

Trick or Treat in Downtown Fuquay-Varina Friday afternoon or Trick or Treat from Trunk to Trunk in downtown Holly Springs Sunday afternoon.

Starting Wednesday and running through Halloween Monday, Marbles Kids Museum is throwing a Halloween Parade and Dance Party. Join them for phantastic fun with activities like Spooky Art, Monster Science Lab and Frankentoys!

Hear spooky legends, ghostly legends, and bit of mystery dramatized by Cary Players during Haunted Tales of Yesteryear Saturday night at the Page Walker Arts & History Center.

Friday night you can enjoy Music & Stories Under the Stars at the Carrboro Town Commons with spooky music, ghost stories and a costume contest. Saturday is a Spooky Movie Night over at the Carrboro Century Center. They will be showing Curse of the Were-Rabbit along with selling concessions. Come back Monday for the Carrboro Halloween Carnival.

Cary's Howlin' Good Halloween will bring festivities to the Performance Green in Downtown Cary Saturday. Join them for Cary's Great Pumpkin Carve and Family Friendly Halloween TV Specials. They will even have two sessions of a 3D Pumpkin Carving Class. Also in Cary on Saturday, check out Herbert's Haunted House.

The North Carolina Museum of Art joins the fun Saturday night with a Halloween Fright Night Movie Party. The evening features creepy portraits with visiting superstar celebrity photographer Wes Naman, a professional Halloween makeup workshop, freaky food trucks, bloody cocktails, special undead guest stars, fortunetelling and the vampire comedy, "What We Do in the Shadows."

Scare-o-lina Skies returns to Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. Explore the dark legends behind the constellations in their Adult/Teen Version with two shows on Friday night and the Family Edition Sunday.

Morrisville Community Park will sponsor Trick-or-Treat the Trail on Saturday. The early portion of the evening will feature a family friendly trail with mild scares. Later in the evening the trail will become spookier, and is suitable for adults and children ages 10 and older.

Chapel Hill hosts the famous Homegrown Halloween Monday with a festive downtown and large crowds of costumed revelers.

Fun Fall Festivals!

The Giant Rabbits are coming to the North Carolina Museum of Art and you are invited to come see them! Amanda Parer's exhibit Intrude will be on display Thursday, October 27th through November 6th. Hoppy Hours will feature events Thursday and Friday this weekend and next weekend. This Thursday, come to Old-School Hip-Hoppy Hour featuring SPCLGST with a LIVE-Graffiti Forest project by Victor Knight III and Bart Cusick. Friday, check out Electronic Musical Rabbits. Next Wednesday you are invited to Glowga Yoga around the Glowing Bunnies.

The Town of Holly Springs presents HollyFest Saturday at Sugg Farm with a variety of events including kids zone, cornhole cup, food trucks, business expo, live entertainment, kids activities, and arts & crafts expo. After the sun goes down, come back to Sugg Farm for the Haunted Hayride.

Saturday is also the Durham Bulls Fall FanFest. Fans will be able to take batting practice and play catch on the field, be entered to win a $500 credit from Delta, get great deals at the Ballpark Corner Store, take Clubhouse tours and play on the Wool E. World and Playground.

Crowder District Park hosts Canine Contests Saturday. They're looking for the best dog tricks and canine costumes!

Close out the season with a Halloween Weekend Food Truck Rodeo at Durham Central Park Sunday afternoon. The Swan Brothers will be playing the tunes and there will be over 50 food trucks on hand.

Campfire stories & songs, hayrides, treats, crafts, games, and face painting are all part of the Hallow-Eno Festival Monday night at West Point on the Eno.

Culture & History

Explore the inner workings of Historic Yates Mill and witness the power of water as it turns the milling machinery during a Saturday at the Old Mill Tour and on Sunday, a Mill Heritage & Local History Tour. Friday night, join them after dark to explore Night Critters. The Mill will be holding Tip Top to Bottom Mill Tours as a special treat this Saturday. Come on out to Yates Mill Sunday to hear the spooky tale of the Headless Horseman told with creative props and sound effects. On Monday you can learn about and then create your own Medieval Beasts & Bestiaries.

Final Friday at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences features the flick, the Six Million Dollar Man as well as an exploration of biomedical engineering and the high-tech future of the human body.

Art in the Evening with Fusion Collective South, a Sound Bite on Flight into Renewal and the 1934 film, The Black Cat kick off the weekend Friday at the NC Museum of Art.

Edison Johnson Community Center invites you to pack some towels and join them Friday night for a Dive in Movie. Bring the whole family and relax in their indoor heated pool, as you watch a kid-friendly movie projected on the big screen.

Pullen Park continues to feature Dinner and a Movie Saturday evenings in October.

Creative Crafts throughout the Holidays at Hill St. Community Center will feature a Halloween Craft for kids Friday evening.

The North Carolina Museum of History invites kids to search out candies and treats as they walk along the trick-or-treat trail and through The Story of North Carolina chronological history exhibit Monday evening for a Halloween Safe Night at the Museum.

The movie Casper will be shown Monday morning at the Holly Springs Cultural Center.

A Monster in Paris will be the featured flick Tuesday morning at the Halle Cultural Arts Center. Wednesday evening, they will be showing the film, Genius.

Halloween Fun at the Parks

Join a Jordan Lake park ranger Friday night to learn about some of the "spooky" nocturnal inhabitants of Jordan Lake followed by Fireside Storytelling.

New to the scene this year is Halloween Phantasmagoria. Join them Friday night to explore historical concepts of Spiritualism, awe, and wonder from the 19th century at Duke Homestead. You are invited to wander the property to see what wonders you can find.

Discover why Spiders are so fascinating and hike to find some spiders in action out in the park at Harris Lake Saturday morning. Join them Saturday after the sun goes down for an Evening Campfire!

They will be Pondering Pumpkins Sunday afternoon at Crowder District Park. Explore the uses of pumpkins, and paint a small pumpkin to take home.

Bring your carved pumpkin Sunday and join them for Bond Park"s first Pumpkin Flotilla! Enjoy a discounted boat ride and a Boathouse snake on the deck while you see your pumpkin float on the lake. Pumpkins will set sail across the Bond Park Lake at twilight - 6:30 p.m.

The Town of Wake Forest will offer a free Walking Tour of the local Wake Forest Historic District next Wednesday afternoon.

In addition to all the Halloween events, there are more guided hikes this week at Falls Lake, Blue Jay Point, Yates Mill, Crowder Park, Jordan Lake, Occoneechee Mountain, Raven Rock.