It’s getting close to Halloween and the Twin Cities is full of Halloween related activities for all ages, whether scary, historical or just plain fun. Below are 10 FREE and Cheap Things to do in the Twin Cities this pre-Halloween weekend.
- Take the Family to Zoo Boo at Como Zoo for a non-scary, family friendly event with trick-or-treating, October 28 and 29, 4:30 – 7:30 p.m., 1225 Estabrook Drive, St. Paul, tickets $7, all proceeds go to the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, perfect for kids age 3-8, costumes encouraged, the event is outside so dress for the weather. Tickets available at the door or online in advance.
- Big Woods Halloween at Eastman Nature Center, October 28, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., $7 ages 2-17, 2 and under FREE, including a scavenger hunt, carnival games, the giant web walk challenge, meet a real snake, visit the skull lab and collect treats along a woodland trail. Online reservations recommended.
- Looking for a stage event, catch the light opera Orpheus in the Underworld at the Howard Conn Fine Arts Center in Minneapolis, October 27, 28, and Nov. 3, 4, 10, 7:30 p.m., tickets $11 through Goldstar, a hilarious and satiric adoption of one of the pillars of Greek Mythology.
- Join in for Paranormal Investigations Program at the Warden’s House Museum, Stillwater, (602 North Main Street), October 28, 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., $5 online or at door, sponsored by the Washington County Historical Society, learn about stories investigated by the Johnsdale Paranormal Group and the equipment, theories and techniques used during a “ghost hunt.”
- Celebrate Halloween the Old Fashioned Way at Gibbs Farm in St. Paul (2097 W. Larpenteur Avenue), October 28, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., $8 adults, $7 seniors (62+), $5 children 3 and up, learn about the Irish Legend of the Jack-O-Lantern, find pennies in the haystack, make a cornhusk scarecrow, wonder in the hay bale maze, enjoy not-so-scary stories in the school house, food and drink, trick or treat at the farmhouse.
- Take the Ghost and Graves Bus Tour or the Lost Souls Walking tour at the Historic Wabasha Caves in St. Paul, Bus tours ($27) October 27 and 28 (6 p.m, 6:30 p.m, 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.) October 29 (2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.), October 30 (5 p.m.) and Lost Soul’s Tour ($10) on October 29 at 12:30 p.m., for a more kid friendly tour check out the “Spirited History Cave Tour” on October 30 at 4 p.m. Call 651-224-1191 for reservations.
- Try something adventurous with the haunted Spooktakular High Ropes Adventure at the Eagle Bluff Learning Center, 28097 Goodview Drive in Lanesboro, October 27, slots available 5:30 – 9:30 p.m., $25/person, registration online, encounter ghosts, skeletons and witches as you trick-or-treat your way from tower to tower on the west treetops ropes course.
- Head to Northeast Minneapolis Friday for the Annual Minneapolis Halloween Bar Crawl, October 27, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m., $16 ticket packets, registration 8-10 p.m, $500 costume contest.
- Learn Spooky Science for Discovery Days at the Bakken Museum in Minneapolis (3537 Zenith Avenue South), October 28, 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., museum admission $10/adults 25-61), $8/seniors (62+), $8/teens and young adults (13-24), $5/children (5-12), FREE 4 and under, FREE for museum members, $2 off with costume.
- Take your little ones to the Family Halloween Party at the Battle Creek Recreation Center (75 South Winthrop Street), St. Paul, October 27, 6 – 8 p.m., a FREE event for youth in the 6th grade and under, carnival games, haunted room, face painting, crafts, bounce house, climbing tower and more.
- Check out the Gangster Bus Tour in White Bear Lake, [SOLD OUT FOR 2017], October 28, 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., bus departs from the White Bear Lake Armory, $20/person ($15 for WBLAHS members), sponsored by the White Bear Lake Historical Society, explore the haunts and hideouts of the 1930s era gangsters in and around White Bear and Bald Eagle Lakes.
