Many venues offering final week of tricks and treats, crafts, entertainment
With Halloween fast approaching, there’s still time to enjoy some family-friendly activities at a variety of locations. Grab the kids and enjoy some holiday-themed fun.
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today-Saturday and Monday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday
Check out Jack O’Lantern Junction at the 80,000-square-foot Entertrainment Junction — Halloween fun for the whole family. Children can trick-or-treat at an indoor, kid-friendly maze. See friendly ghosts, skeletons and more. A Halloween-themed train display offers Halloween mini-scenes. Tickets and information available on the website.
7379 Squire Court in West Chester Township.
6 to 8 p.m. Thursday
It’s Dunkin’s Yappy Hour Howl-o-Ween at Washington Park. Dress your dog for Washington Park’s canine costume party. The park, in Over-the-Rhine, also will offer drink specials for humans.
7 and 7:30 p.m. Friday
Hit the trails for evening excursions of Spooky Tales on the Trails: Tales of Animals Past at Great Parks of Hamilton County’s Miami Whitewater Forest/Timberlakes Program Shelter, 9001 Mount Hope Road, Harrison. Spooky — but not too scary — and recommended for ages 6 and up. Register online.
7, 8, 9 and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents Children of the Corn Maze: In Search of The Greenville Ghost in the fields of Burger Farm & Garden Center. In a follow-up to 2020’s Children of the Corn Maze, “teenagers keep disappearing after dark, leaving hardly any evidence in their wake. Could it be the Greenville Ghost, a monstrous menace of local lore? The Greenville City Council isn’t taking the matter seriously, so it’s up to us to form a search party! With touches of humor and mind-boggling twists, this real-time mystery unfolds as participants explore the farm’s spooky fields, on the hunt for clues.” The immersive experience coincides with Burger Farm’s annual Fall Fun Festival. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Enjoy a bonfire, haybales and hot beverages from The Crafted Cup. Call Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park at 513-421-3888 or visit cincyplay.com for tickets.
7849 Main Street (Ohio Route 32) in Newtown.
6 p.m.-midnight Friday; 11 a.m.-midnight Saturday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday
It’s Kings Island’s final weekend of the Halloween Haunt in which the Mason amusement park transforms itself into a spooky spectacular. In addition to rides, the Haunt features scare mazes and scare zones, live entertainment and hundreds of creatures lurking in every corner of the park waiting for you. Recommended for kids 13 and up. Saturday and Sunday, the smaller children can find fun during the Tricks and Treats Fall Fest featuring trick-or-treat stations, fall-themed games, game shows, jelly-bean challenge, dance party, haybale maze, QR Code scavenger hunt, kiddie tractor rides, crafts and more. Open until 7 p.m. before the Haunt.
1 to 2 p.m. Saturday
Experience Halloween Hoopla at Behringer-Crawford Museum, 1600 Montague Road/Devou Park in Covington, Kentucky, where little ghosts, goblins, monsters and mummies can enjoy some not-so-scary fun. Find creepy crawly craft stations set up in the NaturePlay@BCM playscape, where children can learn about the creatures that live in the museum’s backyard. Costumes are encouraged, but not required.
6:30 p.m. Saturday
Great Parks of Hamilton County presents Nature at Night Pumpkin Hike at Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve/Ellenwood Nature Barn. Jack-o’-lanterns will light your path along the Pink Oak Trail. Bring a flashlight and arrive between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. to check in for the self-guided hike. After hiking the trail, enjoy some fall fun around the campfire. At 8 p.m., a drawing will determine the order of the pumpkin selection for guests to take home a pumpkin. Register online.
3455 Poole Road in Colerain Township.
Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Head to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden for HallZOOween this weekend. Children can explore the trick-or-treat stations, special animal enrichment activities, Phil Dalton’s Theater of Illusion Shows at 1 and 3 p.m., the Hogwarts Express Train Ride and the Scare-ousel. Information can be found on the website.
