Kennett Square — As the location of many of M. Night Shyamalan’s movies, Chester County’s Brandywine Valley brings out the spook every Halloween season. From kid-friendly haunted trails to scream-inducing haunted buildings, there are hair-raising options for everyone. To help visitors decide their fear comfort level, Chester County Tourism has categorized this year’s special offerings.
Visit Chester County Tourism’s BrandywineValley.com for a full calendar of other fall-themed attractions and events.
Level 1: “Monster Mash”
• Each year at the Great Pumpkin Carve of Chadds Ford, over 70 local carvers gather to sculpt, saw and chisel giant pumpkins (some weighing up to 400 pounds!) In addition to the pumpkin patch, there is a giant ‘kid friendly’ Haunted Trail, hayrides and live music. Food and fall treats are offered by area eateries along with local craft beer and wine. Held October 17-19.
The Chadds Ford Historical Society’s Great Pumpkin Carve takes place on Oct. 17-19 and features uniquely carved pumpkins.
• On October 26, the American Helicopter Museum is being taken over by Haunted Helicopters! Visitors will see helicopters piloted by skeletons and overtaken by spiders. Volunteers will be in costumes at treat stations throughout the museum for trick-or-treaters. Children under 13 dressed in Halloween costumes will receive a free treat!
• Enjoy a family friendly Halloween treat on the tracks of the West Chester Railroad’s Halloween Special October 26 & 27. Dress up in your favorite costume and take a trip through the beautiful Chester Creek Valley in all its Fall splendor! Children will be given treat bags during the festive ride.
• Nemours Estate decks out in silly, spooky decorations at their Halloween Event on October 26 at this charming event for the young and young at heart! Enjoy trick-or-treating for prizes, fun activities, a food truck, and music. Family-friendly costumes are encouraged.
• Boo-ckle up for a spooky good time on October 26, as Longwood Gardens closes out the season of Illuminated Fountain Performances with Halloween Magic. Dance along to favorites like Werewolves of London, Ghostbusters and Superstition – it’s going to be a Thriller! Make sure to check out their overnight accommodation specials.
Level 2: “I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost”
• On October 19, Gerald Charles Dickens, the actor and great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens, returns to Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library for A Dickens Halloween. Dickens will perform two of the author’s most haunting readings, “Sikes and Nancy” and “The Tale of Captain Murderer” at 1 and 6 p.m.
• Chester County History Center’s Dark History Walking Tour is an adults-only 90-minute walking tour held at 5:30 p.m. throughout the month of October. From the horrors of the Chester County Prison to the cold-blooded killers tried at the courthouse, to explosions and other disasters that have wrought havoc in the borough, West Chester’s streets and alleys have witnessed two hundred years of spine-chilling history. These are not ghost stories; these are true tales of terror pulled from their own archives.
• After 20 years of spooktacular excursions through “the most haunted borough in Pennsylvania,” 2024 will mark the last season for Ghost Tours of Phoenixville, so join in for the “scarewell” before it’s too late. Held Fridays and Saturdays October 2 – 26, the 90-minute walking stops by the town’s most eerie and supernatural locales including Phoenixville Library, Colonial Theater (setting for The Blob) and Forge Theatre (a former mortuary) while offering stories dating back to the Revolutionary War and Civil War.
Level 3: “Somebody’s Watching Me”
• Join Interstate Paranormal Research as they lead groups on a paranormal investigation of the Paoli Battlefield on October 5. Over the years the group has discovered many different “hot spots” of activity located along the trail and in other areas around the battlefield of the 9th deadliest battle of the Revolutionary War. Come see for yourself if the battlefield is haunted.
• Operating in the same facility that housed a psychiatric hospital for 80 years, Pennhurst Asylum is a terrifying near-real-life attraction. The programming at the 120-acre property offers three menacing stops: the Legendary Asylum haunted house, the disturbing Morgue and the panic-inducing Tunnels (all respectfully presented while reappropriating the site’s problematic history through feedback from the disability and mental health communities). Held September 21 – November 2 (select dates).
• At Bates Motel, guests are immediately creeped out as they drive into Arasapha Farms. Then it’s off to the dark abandoned fields for a 25-minute-long haunted hayride featuring huge, detailed sets, giant monsters, and more pyrotechnics than a Kiss concert. For a totally terrifying haunted house adventure, check in to the famous Bates Motel and get transported to the golden era of haunted Hollywood for a terrifying stay. For those who haven’t run back to their cars, the Revenge of the Scarecrows Haunted Corn Trail leaves you to try to find your way out of the cursed corn field full of devilish scare crows and other ghoulish creatures. Open select dates in September and then daily October 1 – November 3.
