MILE HIGH HAUNTS:
Denver Halloween Guide 2011
Get ready for a spectacularly spooky October in Denver. Explore an eight-acre corn maze. Hear tales of Victorian horror. Take the kids trick or treating at the Denver Zoo or the Children's Museum of Denver. Roam the streets of Downtown Denver with hundreds of zombies!
Trick or Treat! Great Denver Halloween Activities for Kids
Colorado's Coolest Corn Maze
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Sept. 10-Oct. 31
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield
www.botanicgardens.org
Get lost at this year's Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield's eight-acre Corn Maze, one of the most attended corn mazes in the country. This year’s theme is Native Roots | Modern Form, a tribute to the Allan Houser exhibit currently showcased throughout the Gardens on York Street. Wind your way through acres of Native American-style artwork, view the design from two 15-foot tall illuminated bridges that overlook the giant Corn Maze, and watch the delight as younger children find their way through a special free mini-maze designed just for them. And don't miss the annual Pumpkin Fest, Oct. 9-10, where you can search for the perfect pumpkin in the Gardens' 10-acre pumpkin patch. The weekend will be filled with exciting children’s activities and vendors selling handcrafted gifts.
Nightmare at the Museum
Oct. 20
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
www.dmns.org
During its wildly popular Science Lounge series, The Denver Museum of Nature & Science reveals the science behind the paranormal, the mythical, and the creepy. Find out about parasites that turn their hosts into zombies, check out the museum's collection of skeletons, and hold a tarantula. Hang out with mad scientists while sipping our spooky signature cocktail, the Eyeball Highball. Costumes encouraged!
Bug A Boo
Oct. 22-23
Butterfly Pavilion
www.butterflies.org
Come meet the Butterfly Pavilion's creepiest crawliest friends while your kids scream around this safe, educational trick or treat street. This event, including games, costumes and candy, will have you bug out, just in time for Halloween.
Murder in the Haunted Mansion
Oct. 22 & 29
Adams Mystery Playhouse
www.adamsmysteryplayhouse.com
A funny/scary show recommended for kids aged 8-16. Chills and spills, screams and crimes! Adams Mystery Playhouse presents another fantastic mystery where YOU solve a crime. This time, there's a ghost in the mansion - haunted with the spirit of Leopold Adams. Who are these kooky and unusual "friends" of his? As the ghost attempts to make himself known, he's sending messages meant for you and your group to help him solve his own murder.
Spooky Family Friday Night
Oct. 28
Tattered Cover Bookstore (Colfax Ave. and Highlands Ranch locations)
www.tatteredcover.com
Kids can wear their favorite jammies of their Halloween costumes and enjoy spooky stories, a fun activity and healthy snacks provided by the local Whole Foods Markets. Parents can enjoy specials at the coffee shop. Event begins at 6:30 p.m.
Trick or Treat Train
October 29-30
Colorado Railroad Museum
17155 W. 44th Ave., Golden
www.crrm.org
Ride the rails back in time through Railroad Halloween Town. Catch a ride behind the historic locomotive in vintage passenger cars hosted by conductors and engineers in full costume. The Trick or Treat Train departs every 30 minutes between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.Visit all the Town’s special stops to fill your treat bag and tickle your funny bones. Visit the “not so spooky” haunted railcar or the Olde Railroaders silly graveyard. Get a picture of your costume as you pause for a photo in the Pumpkin Patch. Or warm your hands around the Hobo Campfire and sit a spell for kid-friendly storytelling.
Trick or Treat Street
October 29-31
Children's Museum of Denver
www.cmdenver.org
It’s the sweetest time of year so don your favorite costume and head to the Children’s Museum for a trick-or-treating adventure bursting with fun! Parade from one Treat House to the next collecting goodies, craft classic Halloween creatures, brave your chances at the Monster Carnival and stroll through Pumpkin Hill. Activities included with Museum admission.
Boo At The Zoo
October 29-30
Denver Zoo
www.denverzoo.org
The 27th annual Boo At The Zoo offers more than 25 trick-or-treat stations, creepy crawly animal demonstrations and exciting family-friendly entertainment under the canopy of the beautiful fall foliage of the Denver Zoo. Activities free with zoo admission.
NEW THIS YEAR: Join Denver Zoo’s nocturnal creatures during a special night time additional of Boo At The Zoo, Friday, Oct. 28, 6-9 p.m.
Hauntings at the Hangar
October 30
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum
www.wingsmuseum.org
Wings Over the Rockies is once again hosting its annual Hauntings at the Hangar Halloween event. This year's event promises to be bigger and better than all the rest! From Noon to 4 p.m. there will be your favorite characters from Star Wars, Star Trek, Star Gate, comic books, and movies! As if that wasn't enough, there will also be games, activities, and LOTS of candy to get you all hyped up! Oh, and don't forget the always popular costume parade! V
Boo! Ghoulishly Fun Halloween Events in Denver
Elitch Gardens: Fright Fest
Weekends, Sept. 25-Oct. 31
Elitch Gardens Theme & Amusement Park
www.elitchgardens.com
Once the sun goes down, Elitch Gardens Theme & Amusement Park is transformed from a theme park to a scream park as haunted houses come alive and ghost, ghouls and zombies take over. Free with regular admission, this popular event is a great way to get into the Halloween spirit!
Mile High Horror Film Festival
Oct. 7-9
Starz Film Center
www.milehighhorrorfestival.com
Horror at high altitude! The Mile High Horror Film Festival is dedicated to celebrating the art and entertainment of independent horror films from around the world. This festival is three days of fun, parties, panels, events, and, most importantly, chilling independent horror films.
Elitch Gardens’ 13th Annual Fright Fest Pet Parade
Oct. 8
Elitch Gardens Theme & Amusement Park
www.elitchgardens.com
Get those costumes ready and tails wagging for Elitch Gardens’ 13th Annual Fright Fest Pet Parade! Denver’s furry friends will strike a pose from noon – 2 pm on Saturday, October 8 competing in costumes for great prizes in the categories of “Funniest,” “Most Original” and “Best Pet-Owner Combination.” All types of domestic pets in costume are welcome. Local celebrities will help judge the event and rumor has it they’re total softies when it comes to cute pets in irresistible costumes. Pugs dressed as ladybugs? Enough said.
Victorian Horrors at The Molly Brown House Museum
Oct. 14-15 & Oct. 21-22
Molly Brown House Museum
www.mollybrown.org
Be spooked for the first time, or return and be spooked again by a fresh selection of wicked writings of long-dead authors. Classic stories are brought to life in the dim, flickering candlelight as Edgar Allan Poe, HG Wells and others haunt you with their tales of the macabre. Bring someone to hold on to!
Scream Scram 5K
Oct. 21
Washington Park (S. Downing St. & E. Louisiana Ave., Denver)
http://www.bgcmd.org/events/scream-scram
Halloween is all about candy, but it can also be about staying fit, thanks to the annual Scream Scram 5K Run/Walk. Put on your costume and your sneakers and hit the pavement. At the finish, hang out at Trick or Treat Street for yummy food, award presentations and prize drawings for best costumes and top finishers.
Denver Zombie Crawl
Oct. 22
Downtown Denver
www.eyeheartbrains.com
Afternoon of the Living Dead? On Saturday October 22, at 2 p.m., Denver will be holding the largest Zombie gathering in history at Skyline Park. Put on your best zombie makeup and outfit and join the fun. This is an ALL AGES and FREE event. Everyone is welcome. The organizers do however ask that you bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Food Bank of the Rockies.
Capitol Hill Horror Stories with Tom "Dr. Colorado" Noel
Oct. 24
Grant Humphreys Mansion (777 Pennsylvania Street, Denver)
http://drcolorado.auraria.edu/calendar/capitol-hill-horror-stories-tom-dr-colorado-noel-click-here-more-info
Pay your respects to some of Colorado’s liveliest deceased characters and while dinning with the disinterred on Halloween refreshments and hear their terrifying tales in this haunted mansion. Storytellers include Dr. Colorado (Tom Noel), Mark Twain (Hugh Bingham), Mary Elitch (Debra Faulkner), Edgar Allen Poe (Dennis Gallagher), Elizabeth Byers (Kathleen Barlow), Mr. And Mrs. J.J. “Unsinkable” Brown (Breck and Mary Lynn Grover), Wakako Domoto (Christina Tomme), Baby Doe Tabor (Jessica Gabriel), Mrs. Craword Hill (Katie Adamson), May (Kim Field) & Helen (Susan Leihe) Bonfils, Alfred Packer (Greg Brill), Mattie Silks (Charla Fleming), Kiku Oyama (Cristine Tomme), and other exhumed eccentrics. Sign up now for this History Colorado fundraiser which fills fast. Libations and light delights are included.
Denver Botanic Gardens: Dia De Los Muertos Celebration
Oct. 29
Denver Botanic Gardens (York St.)
www.botanicgardens.org
Denver Botanic Gardens celebrates Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a festival of “welcome" for the souls of the dead. This celebration will feature live entertainment, artists and dancers. Attendees will enjoy a “Sugar Skull” making area, an area where they can create “Papel Picado”, and more. Complimentary face painting stations and a complimentary photo booth will also be on hand.
Halloween Full Tea
Oct. 29 (11:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.)
Molly Brown House Museum
www.mollybrown.org
Halloween was a favorite Victorian holiday. Come explore traditional decorations, enjoy special tea treats and show off your spookiest or wackiest costume. Best costumes win prizes! This tea includes a tour of the Museum and the entire event lasts approximately an hour and a half.
A Halloween BOO-lesque Show!
Oct. 28-29
Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret
www.lannies.com
Join the adorable Clocktower Clockettes as they pay a spooky burlesque tribute to all the thrills and chills of America’s spookiest holiday! You’ll see zombies, vampires, witches, black cats and even The Blob… scenes so frightening they’ll scare The Clockettes right out of their shirts! Aerial feats, jugglers, magicians, comedy and camp by your favorite “naughty” host, Lannie’s very own, Naughty Pierre. Old fashioned fun with interactive comedy and costume contest prizes.
Paranormal Theater at the Oxford Hotel & Spa
Oct. 28-29
www.theoxfordhotel
Join magician Erick Machamer October 28th or 29th as he weaves magic, Ghost stories and turn of the century séance re-creations into an intimate and engaging evening fraught with wonder, mystery and imagination. Erick has been regaling diverse audiences with his unique hybrid of theatre and "slightly creepy" magic for over 15 years, a performance only enhanced by the Oxford’s rich history and haunted past. Book now for a Halloween weekend you’ll never forget.
Package includes:
2 tickets to Paranormal Theater
Overnight accommodations
2 Spirit-tinis at The Cruise Room
Complimentary valet parking
Haunted Halloween at Fairmount Cemetery
Oct. 29
Fairmount Cemetery (meet at Little Ivy Chapel, 400 South Quebec, Denver)
http://drcolorado.auraria.edu/calendar/23rd-annual-haunted-halloween-fairmount-cemetery-click-here-more-info
Voltaire, the great French historian, once defined history as “a trick we play on the dead.” City Auditor Dennis Gallagher, Tom “Dr. Colorado” Noel and a cast of star CU-Denver students will test that theory with a walking-tour of Colorado’s largest boneyard. History Colorado’s 23rd cemetery crawl will introduce you to leading residents of this necroplis from mayors to madams, including Polly Pry (Debra Faulkner. This is your chance to meet Lena Stoiber (Alison Blanc), Mrs. Crawford Hill (Katie Adamson), John Wesley Iliff (John Stewert), Helen Bonfils (Susan Liehe), and May Bonfils (Kim Fields) and Jennie Rogers (Charla Fleming). You may walk or ride with the Model A Ford Club of Colorado’s tombstone taxi service.
Linger
www.lingerdenver.com
Looking to plan a truly unique Halloween date night? Book a table at Linger, one of Denver's newest restaurants, located in the hip lower Highlands neighborhood. The restaurant is housed in a somewhat spooky building -- a former mortuary! Don't worry, the more gruesome aspects have been fully removed. In their place is a fun, retro-cool atmosphere -- and great food from acclaimed chef Justin Cucci. The owners have displayed just the right amount of blak humor in the decor. Check out the happy hour menus printed on oversized morgue toe tags, or the apothecary jars used to serve water in.
Brown Palace Hotel & Spa
www.brownpalace.org
The grand dame of Denver’s hotels, the Brown Palace is rumored to host a number of spirits in its historic rooms and hallways. The hotel’s historian leads wide-eyed guests on tours through some of The Brown’s more hair-raising hauntings, telling tales of mysterious sightings and disturbances from its 117 year past. These themed tours are offered to the public on select days in October. Reservations are required. On Oct. 30, the Brown's Ellyngton’s Restaurant undergoes a spooktacular transformation for the Monster Brunch, with costumed wait staff and Halloween themed food. Reservations are required.
A Spooky Day Trip
Stanley Hotel
www.stanleyhotel.com
See why the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park inspired Stephen King to write The Shining! King stayed at this historic hotel in the mid-70s, and ended up writing one of the great horror masterpieces of all time. “When we arrived, they were just getting ready to close for the season, and we found ourselves the only guests in the place — with all those long, empty corridors,” he recalled. “By the time I went to bed that night, I had the whole book in my mind.” On the Stanley’s Ghost & History Tour, experience it for yourself. See room #217, where the creation of The Shining began, hear stories of ghost sightings in the hotel’s most haunted rooms, and take a tour through the underground tunnel!