Five spooky October activities in the Cleveland area – The Cauldron
By: Maggie Phillips
In an earlier Cauldron article, we recommended a variety of activities to keep you social this fall. Here are five more activities all meant to give you a little extra scare this Halloween season!
Ian Adams, ianadamsphotography.com , Lynn Ischay, cleveland.com, Kimberly R, tripadvisor.com. Edited by Connor Mahon.
1. Lake View Cemetery
The Lake View Cemetery is only a 20-minute drive from Cleveland State University’s campus and is one of the most-visited spots in the city. Many notable people are buried among its 285 acres, including Eliot Ness, Carl B. Stokes, and J.D. Rockefeller. Despite the insides of both buildings being closed, the James A. Garfield monument and the Wade Memorial Chapel are still beautiful spots to explore, along with the vibrant plant- and wild-life.
2. Forest of Screams Haunted House
Be sure to check out some of the open haunted houses in the Cleveland area before they close at the end of October. There is a wide selection to choose from, including Seven Floors of Hell, Carnival of Horrors, Royal Scare, and many more. Forest of Screams is a great option for horror-lovers this year because it is mostly outside, with a mile-long Haunted Hayride and Haunted Walking Trail through the dark woods of Medina, Ohio.
3. Aut-O-Rama Drive-In Theater
This weekend is the Aut-O-Rama’s “Retro Halloween Weekend 2020”; the drive-in movie theater is showing eight different Halloween movies back-to-back, with 4 movies on each screen. The movie line-up includes many Halloween throwbacks including “Hocus Pocus,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” and “Scooby-Doo.” Tickets are only $10 and the concession stand will be open.
4. Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick
According to their website, the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick is the first and only museum in the United States that celebrates witchcraft culture. Located in Old Brooklyn, this museum has all sorts of spooky artifacts, including items from the Salem Witch Trials, shrunken heads, and a demon in a box. If this spooky museum interests you, be sure to purchase tickets online before attending.
5. Franklin Castle
Franklin Castle is a Victorian-style house built in the Ohio City neighborhood in the 1880s. While the house is worth a visit simply because of its beautiful architectural design, Franklin Castle is rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of its former inhabitants. Before you leave the neighborhood, feel free to stop by the West Side Market to pick up some fresh and local Cleveland produce.
BONUS: The Metroparks
Visiting the Metroparks may not be as spooky as some of the other activities on this list. However, the Metroparks have put together an excellent summary of its best trails for seeing the autumn colors. Nature-lover and video/podcast manager for The Cauldron, Jack Brancatelli, is an avid Metroparks-goer who wants to encourage all CSU students to visit the city’s parks.
“These parks are such a beautiful resource we share in Cleveland,” Brancatelli states. “The changing colors, the migrating wildlife, the quiet crunch of leaves under your feet- Fall is a beautiful time to get out and explore our green space away from the urban grey. My favorites are the Ohio Erie Canal Reservation, and the Lakefront Nature Preserve which is such a hidden gem.”