For the little ones

For some great family Halloween fun, including safe options for trick-or-treating, costume parties and craft projects, these events are sure to please kids and parents alike.

October 18, 2009; 7:47 PM • by Marge Weimer

For some great family Halloween fun, including safe options for trick-or-treating, costume parties and craft projects, these events are sure to please kids and parents alike.

Night at the [Art] Museum

What to expect: Eerie art activities, spooky stories, ghostly games, AND kids will get a chance to take part in a workshop inspired by Noah Scalin’s “Skull-A-Day” project. Completed projects will be submitted as a slideshow to be posted on Scalin’s widely popular blog. Come in costume!
Date: Friday, October 23
Time: 5pm to 7pm
Location: Virgina Museum of Fine Arts, Pauley Center, 200 N. Boulevard
Cost: $5 per child, ages 3 to 12. Free for accompanying adults and VMFA members. Tickets can be purchased here or by calling the museum.
Contact: 804-340-1405

Spooky Party at Children’s Museum

What to expect: Seymour the Dinosaur will lead a costume parade with music, art projects, games, and more.
Date: Saturday, October 24
Time: 10am to 4pm
Location: Children’s Museum of Richmond, 2626 W. Broad Street
Cost: Free
Contact: 804-474-7000

Goblins and Gourds at Lewis Ginter

What to to expect: A live concert from Richmond Indigenous Gourd Orchestra, pumpkin painting, and other fun family activities.
Date: Sunday, October 25
Time: 1pm to 4pm
Location: Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, 1800 Lakeside Avenue
Cost: Free with garden admission ($10 Adults, $6 Children ages 3-12, Ages 3 and under Free)
Contact: 804-262-9887

Poe’s Pumpkin Patch

What to expect: A unique Halloween event to get your kids interested in literature, including Poe-themed activities like, “pin-the-tale-on-the-black-cat” and the “tell-tale heart scavenger hunt.”
Date: Sunday, October 25
Time: 2pm to 5pm
Location: Poe Museum, 1914-16 East Main Street
Cost: Free with regular museum admission (Adults $6, Children 7 and up $5, Children under 7 Free)
Contact: 804-648-5523

CHAT Halloween Party

What to expect: Dress-up Halloween fun, games, cookies, face-painting and other activities.
Date: Thursday, October 29
Time: 6pm to 8pm
Location: Church Hill Lighthouse (601 N. 31st Street)
Cost: Free
Contact: 804-236-4964 or info@chatrichmond.org

Halloween Fun at Humphrey Calder Community Center

What to expect: A visit to the Haunted House and lots of Halloween treats.
Date: Friday, October 30
Time: 5pm to 8pm
Location: 414 N. Thompson Street
Cost: Free!
Contact: 804-646-1780

Harvest Festival

What to expect: Pizza and soda, moon bounce, face painting, clowns, Halloween crafts, and more. The event is organized by Delegate Jennifer McClellan with help from Virginia BioTechnology Research Park.
Date: Friday, October 30
Time: 6pm to 8pm
Location: Stuart C. Siegel Center, 1200 W. Broad St.
Cost: Free
Contact: info@jennifermcclellan.com

Extreme Halloween

What to expect: Radio Disney dance Party, crafts, costume contest, creepy crawly exhibits, and an appearance by Disney Channel Star, Jennifer Stone from Wizards of Waverly Place!
Date: Friday, October 30
Time: 6pm to 9pm (Ms. Stone will be visiting from 7pm to 9pm)
Location: Science Museum of Virginia, 2500 East Broad Street
Cost: Free for members, $5 for non-member adults and children. Bring this flyer (PDF) and $1 of your admission will go to benefit The Faison School for Autism.
Contact: 804-353-7200

Pine Camp Harvest Festival

What to expect: Face painting, scary games and videos, and free pizza and candy
Date: Friday, October 30
Time: 6pm to 8pm
Location: 4901 Old Brook Road
Cost: Free!
Contact: 804-646-3672

Boo House!

What to expect: Lots of spooky, Halloween fun!
Date: Friday, October 30
Time: 6pm to 8pm
Location: Randolph Community Center, 1415 Grayland Avenue
Cost: Free!
Contact: 804-646-1080

Halloween Carnival

What to expect: A costume contest, scary movies, and Halloween games and crafts.
Date: Friday, October 30
Time: 6pm to 9pm
Location: Ann Hardy Plaza, 3300 First Avenue
Cost: Free!
Contact: 804-646-4824

Halloween Happenings

What to expect: Pumpkin carving, a costume contest, face painting, games, trick-or-treat bag decorating (bring your own!), and light refreshments.
Date: Friday, October 30
Time: 6pm to 9pm
Location: Hickory Hill Community Center, 3000 E. Belt Boulevard
Cost: Free!
Contact: 804-646-7934

Pumpkin and Candy Hunt

What to expect: Flashlight pumpkin and candy hunt, moun bounce, and music.
Date: Friday, October 30
Time: 7pm
Location: Westover Community Center, 1301 Jahnke Road
Cost: Free!
Contact: 804-646-8995

Scarytown

What to expect: All of Carytown showing some Halloween spirit with pets’ and kids’ costume contests, sales and specials all day, and trick-or-treating in the evening.
Date: Saturday, October 31
Time: Festivities last all day, trick-or-treating goes from 4pm to 6pm
Location: Carytown
Cost: Free
Contact: 804-422-CARY (2279) to reach the Event Hotline

Boo Lake at Blood Lake Haunted House

What to expect: A “lights on” tour through the attractions, arts and crafts, and free candy.
Date: Saturday, October 31
Time: 11am to 2pm
Location: Cobblestones Park, 13131 OverHill Lake Lane, 3/4 mile north of I-295 Staples Mill Road Exit
Cost: $5 for ages 3 and up, children under age 2 are free. Anyone 10 and up will receive a $5 off Terror Trio Pass voucher to come back and visit Blood Lake later that night.
Contact: 804-343-3700

Trick or Treat Street at UR

What to expect: All sorts of fun activities are planned, including food, magicians, pumpkin decorating, costume contests, face painting and more. The proceeds will benefit the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, specifically Cole Hafer, a 4-year-old boy in need of a liver transplant.
Date: Saturday, October 31
Time: 11am to 3pm
Location: University of Richmond’s Old Fraternity Row, off Boatwright Drive
Cost: $5 per child or $12 for 3 children, Free for adults
Contact: 203-216-1023

Halloween Hoopla at Children’s Museum

What to expect: Kids can trick-or-treat in the museum’s kid-sized neighborhood at 6 different houses.  Other activities will include art projects, pumpkin painting, and games.
Date: Saturday, October 31
Time: 4pm to 8pm (museum will close at 3 pm)
Location: Children’s Museum of Richmond, 2626 W. Broad Street
Cost: Free for children, $4 for adults
Contact: 804-474-7000

LolliPops: The Composer is Dead

What to expect: A fun, whodunit murder mystery with an entertaining introduction to the instruments of the symphony.  Pre-concert festival begins at 10am.
Date: Saturday, October 31
Time: 11am
Location: Richmond Center Stage Carpenter Theatre, 600 E. Grace Street
Cost: Aduts $17, Children $12
Contact: 804-788-1212

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