October is jam-packed with Halloween events. For this month’s Wandering Wisconsin, we'll tell you about the Halloween Legends & Lore event at Old World Wisconsin. For three weekends this month, history and Halloween enthusiasts are invited to be immersed in the state’s folktales of cryptids and creepy traditions.
Old World Wisconsin’s general manager of experiences Maria Cominskey explains the event. "We transform the Crossroads Village into a spooky family-friendly Halloween program. Basically we have the opportunity to tell a wider range of stories, both brought over from the places from which people emigrated in the 19th and 20th centuries. Those sort of myths, like Grimm's Fairy Tales that you're familiar with and then some local lore as well."
Visitors can learn about local legends such as the Beast of Bray Road or the Hodag. They can also attend a seance or get a feel for what a 19th century Victorian funeral would have been like.
"The seance is one of our most popular activities. It's always got a line from the start of the event until the end, so be sure not to miss it and get there early," Cominskey says.
New this year, visitors should be on the look out for mysterious characters roaming through the crowd while people wait for events to begin or make their way through the village.
Also new this year is the Sorghum Maze.
"It's our take on a corn maze. We chose to grow sorghum because our Living History Programs coordinator is really interested in historic foodways and he found a variety of sorghum that is specific to Wisconsin and sorghum. ... It grows really fast and we're going to cut the maze into it and then give groups of folks their own lantern and then it'll be their job to find their way through it to the end. So it should be fun," Cominskey says.
Halloween Legends & Lore is happening Oct. 11 & 12, Oct. 18 & 19, and Oct. 25 & 26. Find tickets here.
Other Halloween Events in October
Of course, Halloween Legend & Lore isn't the only Halloween activity happening around the state this month. Amanda Weibel, communications officer for Travel Wisconsin also recommends checking out the Racine Zoo's Jack-O'-Lantern Nights.
"They have more than 1,000 Jack-O'-Lanterns that are going to light up the night now through the end of October, and the pumpkins are so impressive. They're intricately carved into cats and scarecrows and other Halloween shapes, and they line the pathways throughout the zoo," Weibel explains.
That events is taking place at the Racine Zoo on Thursdays and Sundays in October.
Families could also visit the Bookworm Gardens in Sheboygan for the their Happily Haunted events. Bookworm gardens is a botanical garden that has year-round themed displays for different children's books.
"For Happily Haunted they have a really impressive light display, a pumpkin walk, themed stories, scavenger hunts and many more family friendly activities," Weibel says.
Weibel says thrill seekers could also check out Road America's Wisconsin Fear Fest, which features three different haunted houses.
