Off The Spooky Beaten Path

Fall fun doesn’t always come wrapped in mummy tape or flavored with pumpkin spice. Our area is jam packed with fall festivals that feature hayrides, cider tastings, corn mazes and bounce pads for the little ones. We’ve also no shortage of adult spooky trail walks, zombie runs and downright terrifying haunted houses. But these four festivals offer a little something different. The two pumpkin glow events are a new(ish) take on Halloween fun, mashing together the drive-through holiday lights festivals with Halloween themes, making for a fun walk in the woods with cool lit up pumpkin carvings and displays.

The 30th annual Sea Witch festival will bring the Rehoboth boardwalk to life with Halloween fun with a weekend full of beach games, trick or treating, a pet costume parade, a 5k race, arts and crafts vendors and, the festival’s biggest draw, the giant costume parade on Saturday at 3 p.m. The signature parade features motorized floats, bands, Halloween-themed balloon floats.

Throughout the weekend, you can also enjoy live music, plus great family-friendly games like scavenger hunts, a broom-toss contest, a Kids Zone, hay rides, haunted attractions, a horse show on the beach, and a haunted bonfire on the beach. The festival runs October 25–27. Consider using public transit like the Jolly Trolley from the Delaware Seashore State Park, or DART transit from Lewes and points north. Find all the details at beach-fun.com

Garden Glow

On October 19 and 20, head to Monkton, Maryland’s Ladew Topiary Gardens, deemed “the most outstanding topiary garden in America” by the Garden Club of America, to see hundreds of intricately carved jack-o’-lanterns and Halloween-themed illuminated sculptures. There will also be live music, carving demonstrations by local artists, and a special educational exhibits on creepy crawly critters.

Garden Glow is in its second year and sold out in 2018. You can even carve your own “glow” pumpkin beforehand to be on display for the weekend. Tickets are $25 for adults, $18 for students, and $6 for children ages 2 to 12. See the full schedule of events and buy tickets at ladewgardens.com

Garden GlowJack’s Pumpkin Glow

At this interactive Halloween festival, you can stroll through the one-third-mile-long trail at Lake Fairfax Park, which will be decorated some 5,000 glowing jack-o’-lanterns and lighted haunted displays like pirate ships, haunted castles and creepy graveyards.

Along the way you can watch master carvers at work, sample fall snacks and beverages, and head to the pumpkin patch to take home your own. The walk should take between half an hour and 45 minutes. Strollers are welcome, but pets are not.

Tickets are sold in 30-minute increment time slots and start at $23 for adults, kids from $17 and anytime tickets from $28. Kids under two are free. Tickets and details available at glowpumpkin.com.

Chestertown Harry Potter Festival

Sort yourself into your favorite Hogwarts house, pack up your wands and head to Chestertown for its annual townwide Harry Potter Wizarding Weekend, October 4–5. On October 4, kick off the weekend at the wizarding street party, while ducking into local shops for themed activities like potion making. On Saturday, the fun will continue with a scavenger hunt, costume contest, parade, wand-swap, and events at “Gringotts” bank.

Along High Street and in Fountain Park, there will be vendors and arts and crafts, food, and a showing of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.” Most of the events at the Harry Potter Festival are free, though some require preregistration. Schedules and more details available at chestertownhpfest.org.

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