Tell you it’s spooky season without telling you it’s spooky season? Easy: Northeast Indiana has more than just candy to give out this October. 

Celebrate Halloween with friends and family through a variety of fun and terrifying events across Fort Wayne and the surrounding areas. Please note that purchased tickets may be required for entry among certain events.

Blood-curdling haunted houses

For those who enjoy receiving a good scare, visit these “haunted” locations in Fort Wayne.

Boasting a long tradition, Haunted Castle and Black Forest, 8965 Auburn Road, Fort Wayne, has frightened folks since 1980. Along with the area set up for scares, you can also spend time in The Midway, a nice pit stop among this spooky atmosphere where ticketgoers can take pictures with costumed characters and purchase memorabilia from the Goblin Shop. And for those younger ones, the venue will turn the lights on in the haunted house from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16 for $5 entry and also have a free Safe Trick or Treat during the same time frame. Hours: 7-9 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays; 7-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; through Oct. 31.

Listed in Coaster Nation’s 2021 Top Haunts, Hysterium Haunted Asylum, 4410 Arden Drive, Fort Wayne, is certainly no joke. Visit their website for more details and to learn about special theme nights. Hours: 7 p.m.-midnight Fridays and Saturdays; plus 7-10 p.m. Oct. 27, Oct. 31, and Nov. 4-5.

In Columbia City, The Haunted Jail has been redesigned for its 30th season to offer new twists and terror. Visit this downtown site constructed in 1875 at 116 E. Market St. to rub shoulders with Deimos Nosferato’s creatures from the underworld. Hours: 7-10 p.m. Monday; 7-9 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday-Thursday; 7-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday through Oct. 31, and Nov. 4-6.

Boy Scouts Troops 130 will once again host their Lost Canal & Haunted House at 3011 W. Park Drive in Huntington. Too big to host indoors, this haunt at Historic Forks of the Wabash requires a half-mile walk with scares around any corner. Hours: 8-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday through Oct. 29.

Get your heart pumping

Feel the thrill of the chase coursing through your veins during a variety of events that promote physical activity.

The Bell Mansion, 420 W. Wayne St., Fort Wayne will host its first Haunted Masquerade Ball from 6-11 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29. Enjoy tunes from DJ Kenny Redd, dance the night away, recount the evening with photo booth pictures, and compete in a masquerade costume contest. After the party’s over, explore the mansion during a flashlight tour.

Avid runners will enjoy participating in the Girls on the Run Northeast Indiana 5K on Sunday, Oct. 30, from 1:30-4 p.m. at Purdue University Fort Wayne. This program builds young girls’ confidence via active participation and exercise. The public is invited to attend this run, and proceeds go toward the Girls on the Run Scholarship Fund. Other activities, such as face painting, will also be available. And, of course, don’t forget to dress in your best Halloween costume!

You can also get your running shoes on for the Boo Brew 4-Miler in downtown Auburn. Beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30, runners will take to the downtown streets, followed by a party at Auburn Brewing Company.

Frightening group fun

Look forward camaraderie among food lovers and crafty artists alike at several themed events in the area.

Pike’s Pub, 7536 Winchester Road, Fort Wayne, will host a Halloween Bash on Friday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. Enjoy music from DJ Bradley Scott and Jeffro & Patty-G. Participate in a costume contest, play games, win prizes, eat and drink, and challenge your mind during Halloween-themed trivia.

For Halloween trivia hop on over to Hop River Brewing, 1515 N. Harrison St., Fort Wayne, for Halloween Trivia Night at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25. Along with vying for prizes, there will be a team costume contest, beer release, and special art opening from Bread & Circus.

On Oct. 28 at 6 p.m., join Mad Anthonys Children’s Hope House in celebrating Hopeloween at Punch Films, 200 Sixth Street, Fort Wayne. The organization provides travel accommodations and a place to stay for families with sick, hospital-bound children. Experience music from Howl2GO Dueling Pianos, a costume contest, food with cocktails, and silent as well as live auctions.

For the creatives, channel your inner artistic skills on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 29, by visiting the downtown Allen County Public Library at 10:15 a.m. to decorate pumpkins. That same morning, the Wells County Public Library in Bluffton is hosting a Halloween Cookie Decorating Class from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Get crafty!

Give me something good to eat!

Last, but certainly not least, the holiday wouldn’t be the same without the tradition of indulging in sugary delights, and there are several locations where you and your family can make such visits.

With earnings from the event going toward the St. Joseph Missions Women’s Shelter, The Parlor Beauty Salon, 3947 Parnell Ave., Fort Wayne, is hosting on a Trunk or Treat on Sunday, Oct. 23, from 3:30-6 p.m. Folks can look forward to hot chocolate, baked goods, and, of course, candy.

If you’re looking for your child to put some work in to earn that candy, those in kindergarten to third grade can take part in the Hunt for the Great Pumpkin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28, at Eckhart Park, 1501 S. Cedar St., Auburn. In an Easter-style event, children will hunt for pumpkin-shaped eggs containing candy, toys, and other prizes.

You’re sure to have a ton of fun in Wabash on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 5-7 p.m. during the Trick or Treat Extravaganza. As if bounce houses, food trucks, and games weren’t enough, a truck will dump a literal ton of candy downtown for children to dive into.

On Saturday, Oct. 29, trick-or-treaters can get an early start in downtown Kendallville where parents can bring their little ones to the area to visit several shops and nonprofits to fill those candy bags. 

A Garden Trick or Treat, hosted by the beautiful Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, 1100 S. Calhoun St., will run from noon-3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29. Dressed in costumes, guests are welcome to search the gardens for candy and stop by the Pumpkin Path outside.

Also on Saturday, Oct. 29, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group, 11625 Coldwater Road, encourages folks to arrive in their very best Halloween costumes from 2-5 p.m. for their Drive-Thru Trick or Treat event.

Auburn Baptist Church, 1700 Old Brick Road, will also be getting in on the Trunk or Treat fun on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 4-6 p.m. Children’s games, costumes, and candy galore will be present.

For more activities, go to whatzup.com or pick up a newspaper at your local vendor.