Looking for some chilling events this October? The South is filled with lots of ways to get your spook on. Here are a few:
Eureka Springs, Arkansas: Voices from the Silent City Cemetery Tour will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 19-21 and Oct. 27-28 at the Eureka Spring Municipal Cemetery. Meet some of Eureka's colorful "passed" residents that helped shape the quirky little town.
Then on Oct. 28, it’s the Eureka Springs Zombie Crawl, where a creeping parade procession of funeral hearses, doomsday vehicles, Halloween floats, and post-mortem street performers will lead the hungry horde of the undead down historic Spring Street.
South Louisiana: Houmas House Plantation and Gardens will offer haunted tours at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. nightly through the month of October. Hear about the sightings and interactions guests and staff have had with the ghosts of the historic house. Tour guides will also explain the culture and customs of the Antebellum and Victorian eras while pointing out the original artwork and antiques throughout the mansion. And after touring the mansion, guests are allowed to roam the 38 acres of gardens along lighted pathways. Check out the video here.
Banning Mills, Georgia: This historic attraction 45 minutes west of Atlanta will offer Spooks for Screams, an adrenaline-filled experience with a zip line tour that reaches speeds up to 60 mph. Banning Mills is home to the world’s longest continuous eco-canopy zip line.
Shreveport, Louisiana: The city’s Artspace presents “Get Your Glitter On!” from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 13, a fundraiser hosted by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council with Halloween magic created by award-winning filmmaker, artist and author William Joyce. There’s the InGraved Exhibition and Best in Show Awards at 6 p.m., followed the “First & Only 2017 Glitter Zombie Apocalyse Ball” at 7 p.m. and the Scare-e-okie at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $10 and “only the undead don’t come in costume.” InGraved exhibit consists of visual, literary and performance work by more than 50 Northwest Louisiana artists’ who toured the 100-year-old Forest Park Cemetery with historian John Andrew Prime. The exhibit runs through Nov. 4. For ticket, click here.
New Orleans: The Historic New Orleans Collection will resurrect the special Halloween-themed tour of its Louisiana History Galleries for one week only, Oct. 24–31. “Danse Macabre: The Nightmare of History” will be available at 11 a.m. Tuesday–Sunday inside THNOC’s flagship building at 533 Royal St. in the French Quarter of New Orleans. In medieval allegory, “la danse macabre,” or the dance of death, is a ritualized march to the grave—a sober reminder of life’s finality cloaked in wicked mirth. In a similar spirit, THNOC’s “Danse Macabre: The Nightmare of History,” will lead visitors through darker aspects of New Orleans lore. Admission is $5 or free for THNOC members. Please note: this is not a walking tour of New Orleans or the French Quarter, and the tours are not intended for children under the age of 13. Please note THNOC is traditionally closed on Mondays, and tours will not be available on Monday, Oct 30.
Also in the Crescent City: haunted tours, voodoo shops, Boo at the Zoo, Krewe of Boo, street parties and the Voodoo Music and Arts Experience will be happening this month. View all the activities here.
Blue Ridge, Georgia: Fright Nights at the Kiwanis Fairgrounds, where lurks a suspicious and malign history that is difficult to explain, will be Oct 19-21 and Oct. 26-28 at 124 Jones St. Organizers claim Old Man Jones owned most of this section of Blue Ridge in the late 1800s and suffered more personal tragedy than many realized. In keeping with the fashion of the day, these "happenings" were not public knowledge and were never published in local papers. Not appropriate for ages under 13, along with those who have heart conditions, high blood pressure, pregnant, etc.
Want more? Check back for updates.
Haunted Deep South is written by travel writer Cheré Coen, author of Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana by The History Press.
Haunted Deep South is written by travel writer Cheré Coen, author of Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana by The History Press.
