At Out and About Mom, we have a soft spot for Halloween. I mean, what other holiday practically requires that grownups act like kids? To make sure you find lots of opportunities to enjoy this fun holiday with your family, we’ve pulled together a list of Halloween happenings at some of our favorite Connecticut destinations. And this year, it’s really a treat! Because all of the activities in our Halloween Guide are FREE!
As usual, we’ve kept our list to just the venues we’ve personally visited and written about to ensure you have as much information as possible to help you have a great family outing. And while we haven’t attended every one of these special Halloween events, we have personally been to each of these destinations, which means that you can use our “OAAM Venue Previews” to get that signature OAAM virtual tour of each place before you head out on your Halloween adventures.
And of course, none of these activities are scary (thank goodness!), so we know you’ll have a frighteningly good time ?
- Cragin Memorial Library in Colchester celebrates with a series of festive craft times! Bring your little hobgoblins to weekly craft sessions to create all kinds of Halloween curiosities. OAAM VENUE PREVIEW
- The Shoppes at Farmington Valley in Canton, CT host their annual event: Give a Treat, Get a Treat, a food drive and trick-or-treating event for kids ages 10 and under. This year it will be held on Monday, October 29th from 5:00pm –7:00 pm. The event is FREE, but please bring a non-perishable food item to donate to Gifts of Love. OAAM PREVIEW
- The Town of Putnam celebrates with the annual Great Pumpkin Festival on Saturday, October 20th from 10:00am –4:00pm. Also check out Trick-or-Treat Street on Friday, October 26th from 5:00pm-7:00pm. OAAM VENUE PREVIEW
- Stew Leonards in Newington hosts a variety of Halloween-themed activities all month long including FREE Halloween-themed movies at the hay bale theater on Friday, October 12th and Friday, October 19th, and FREE storewide trick-or-treating with Stew’s characters on Tuesday, October 30th. Want to upgrade? Check out their Spooktacular Costume Dance Party, Cooking Classes and more! OAAM VENUE PREVIEW
- The Rocky Hill Library hosts a Preschool Halloween Party on Wednesday, October 31st from 10:15 am-11:00 am. OAAM VENUE PREVIEW
- The New Canaan Nature Center gets into the Halloween spirit this month with their weekly Wednesday Crafternoons. Stop by the Visitor Center anytime from 10:00am-3:00pm for the following activities: 10/17–craft a boo-tiful ghost; 10/24–learn the fascinating history behind that quintessential Halloween treat, candy corn (spoiler alert: it has nothing to do with Halloween!) and craft your own candy corn; 10/31–start your celebration early by crafting a spiderweb to home your very own spider. OAAM VENUE PREVIEW
- Blue Back Square/West Hartford Center hosts the annual Moms & More Halloween Stroll on Saturday, October 27th from 10:30am-12:30pm. Trick or Treat at participating merchants, enjoy live music, a Halloween photo booth, and more! OAAM PREVIEW
- Barnes & Noble offers FREE Halloween Storytimes at stores nationwide on Saturday, October 27th at 11:00 am. Be sure to contact your local store to double check schedules and availability. OAAM VENUE PREVIEW (Glastonbury location)
- The Farmington Library celebrates Halloween with music and a costume parade at the Tots & Tunes Halloween Parade. Best suited for children ages birth to 3. The event takes place on Friday, October 26th at 9:30 am and 10:30 pm. Choose one parade, please. No registration required. For the older kids, the library will be having a Monster Bash with local author, Janet Lawler (she’ll share her newest book Fright School, plus learn some monster tricks & games and have a ghoulish snack) on Saturday, October 27th at 2:00pm and registration is required. OAAM VENUE PREVIEW
- The Connecticut Historical Society hosts “Día de los Muertos,” a FREE community event on Saturday, October 27th from 10:00am-5:00pm. Come to visit with local families who will set up ofrendas, or small altars, in the same way they would do at home or with their community. All ages are welcome to learn how to decorate sugar cookie skulls, make papel picado (cut paper designs), and do other art activities. The Taco Tequila food truck will be on site with delicious food for sale and at noon they will screen the Academy Award-winning film Coco, an animated story about Día de los Muertos in Mexico. OAAM VENUE PREVIEW
- Old Wethersfield hosts Scarecrows Along Main Street from October 6th to November 4th. Grab your favorite cup of coffee (we recommend stopping by Heirloom Market for a specialty brew and possibly a pastry–just try to resist!) and stroll the streets of the adorable downtown area while the kids check out the creative scarecrows lining the street. OAAM EVENT PREVIEW
- Michaels Stores nationwide will be offering spooky “Make Breaks” (think lots of DIY slime!) at no cost. But they also have Kids Club crafts on Saturday mornings from 10:00-12:00 with a Halloween-theme this month: 10/13-flying bat (ages 3+) or spooky house and bat frame (ages 6+); 10/20-glitter tape spiderweb (ages 3+) or pompom spider and web (ages 6+); 10/27-monster bash. Technically, this one is not free because there is a $2-$5 fee per child. But that’s pretty close! Please be sure to call your local store for current schedules and availability. OAAM VENUE PREVIEW
We hope this list helps your family plan plenty of (FREE!) Halloween fun! Now, get to work on those costumes 🙂
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