Halloween night in one coastal city this year ends with 400 drones lighting up the sky over a river. That number isn’t random.
It honors the city’s 400th birthday.
The spooky surprises keep stacking up from there. One mansion out west lists Norman Rockwell, Bette Davis, and Calvin Coolidge among its past guests.
Today it hosts ghost hunts.
Massachusetts takes October more seriously than most places take their holidays. You can follow a lantern-carrying guide along a harbor, ride a wagon through haunted woods, or stroll past the graves of famous authors.
The scares range from silly to seriously spine-tingling at these places where history, legends, and pure Halloween fun come together.
1. Salem
A whole month of Halloween sounds like a lot, but Salem treats it like a warm-up. Haunted Happenings has run since 1982, and it fills October from the 1st to the 31st.
The 2026 Grand Parade kicks off on October 1 at 6:30 p.m. It rolls from Shetland Park to Salem Common with an Old-School Halloween theme.
Want the real story behind the witch hype? Salem Historical Tours runs a 1692 Witchcraft Walk that explains the infamous trials.
The Salem Witch Museum and the Witch Dungeon Museum add even more context, including a live trial re-enactment.
Thrill-seekers have plenty of options too. Haunted Witch Village Halloweentown is the city’s longest-running haunted house.
Chambers of Terror on Wharf Street calls itself the scariest haunt in town.
Shoppers can browse the Haunted Happenings Marketplace on weekends from late September into early November. Makers, artists, and an indoor food market at Old Town Hall keep your hands busy between scares.
Got a dog who loves dressing up? The Howl-o-ween Pet Parade happens October 10 at Derby Wharf.
Then Halloween night closes with that big drone show over the North River.
2. Boston
Nearly four centuries of history leave a city with a lot of stories to tell after dark. Boston happens to have guides who love telling them.
The Ghosts and Gravestones Trolley Tour stars a host dressed as a 17th-century gravedigger. You’ll roll past spooky sites and stop at some of the city’s oldest burying grounds.
Those stops can include Granary Burying Ground and King’s Chapel Burying Ground. The tour lasts about 90 minutes and is recommended for ages 13 and up.
Prefer your legs over wheels? The Ghosts and Gravestones Nightwalk starts at the Boston Massacre site below the Old State House.
It shares tales of cursed artifacts and unsolved mysteries.
Other walking tours wander past Boston Common, the State House, and the Omni Parker House. That hotel is widely called one of the most haunted in town.
Boston Common carries its own grim reputation from centuries-old hangings. Underground Boston Ghost Tours builds stories around spots like it.
Love the water? A Boston Harbor Ghost Cruise digs into shipwrecks and piracy.
Sea legs and strong nerves both help.
3. Concord
Pencils pile up on one headstone in Concord, and the reason is pretty sweet. Visitors leave them for Henry David Thoreau at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
The cemetery was consecrated in 1855, with Ralph Waldo Emerson giving remarks. Today its Author’s Ridge holds Emerson, Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Talk about a literary neighborhood. The grounds open daily from 7 a.m. to dusk, and admission is free.
Looking for something more seasonal? The Concord Museum hosts a Sleepy Hollow-een Walking Tour through the cemetery.
Plan on about a mile of walking over unpaved ground.
The spookiest invite might be Spirits of the Old Manse on October 30. Guests tour the 18th-century house by candlelight and hear true stories from old letters and journals.
Organizers describe it as older, quieter, and more unsettling than a haunted house. It’s meant for guests 10 and up.
Need a breather from ghost talk? Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge offers fall guided walks through woods and wetlands.
Mass Audubon even runs owl prowls in autumn.
4. Gloucester
Sea serpents, ghostly soldiers, and the witches of Dogtown all show up on one Gloucester walk. That’s a busy night for a single tour.
The Haunted Harborwalk is a 90-minute guided ghost tour through historic downtown. Your guide, often in costume, meets you with a lantern at the Fisherman’s Memorial on Stacy Boulevard.
Tours run Thursdays through Sundays in September and October. Start times are 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Gloucester calls itself America’s oldest seaport, so maritime tales come naturally here. Spectral sailors and haunted mansions round out the lineup.
Daytime explorers can follow the free Gloucester HarborWalk. It uses 42 granite story posts to guide you around downtown and the waterfront.
Families should mark October 17 for the city’s annual Halloween Party at Stage Fort Park. Expect a haunted hayride, a Candy Parade, Touch A Truck, and music.
Grown-ups get their own fun at Hammond Castle Museum. The Goblin King Ball runs October 30 and 31 with performances and a Royal Costume Contest.
Reservations are required, so don’t wait until your costume is finished to book.
5. Plymouth
Ghost hunters in Plymouth bring gadgets along with their goosebumps. Dead of Night Ghost Tours guides use paranormal investigation equipment on their walks.
Their Twilight Lantern Ghost Tours run about 90 minutes. Stops include the 1749 courthouse, Town Square, and Burial Hill Cemetery.
Those tours appeared on the Travel Channel show Portals in 2022. Groups head out from the bottom of North Street.
Another option has a title that sounds like a heavy metal album. Punishment, Penance, and Plague is a walking tour of Plymouth’s darker history.
It passes Plymouth Rock, the Trask Museum, and the 18th-century Taylor House. The tour runs nightly, year-round, and fully outdoors.
Prefer to set your own pace? The Pilgrim’s Curse app tour leads families past Mayflower II, Cole’s Hill, and Burial Hill.
When you need a gentler break, the Harvest Festival fills Town Hall Green on October 24 and 25. You’ll find painted pumpkins from Plymouth Public Schools and a traveling cranberry bog.
Cider donuts and hot cider are available too. A petting zoo and live music make it easy to linger.
6. Newburyport
Vampire epidemics in New England? Newburyport’s candlelight ghost tours actually go there.
Untapped History’s Haunted Candlelight Tour shares spooky but historically accurate tales. Expect ghost ships, witches, and unexplained hauntings around the ‘Port.
Tours start at 6:30 p.m. at the Custom House Maritime Museum on Water Street. The one-hour walk includes appetizers, which is a nice touch.
Cemetery fans can join historian Ghlee Woodworth at Oak Hill Cemetery, which dates to 1842. Her tours focus on the reformers, leaders, and everyday residents who shaped the city.
The library also hosts Welcome to the Graveyard on October 28. It explores gravestone art and symbolism using photos of local stones.
Downtown turns into a costume runway on October 23. Kids trick-or-treat at local businesses from 4 to 5 p.m.
Later that night, Witches’ Night Out invites witches and warlocks to shop and dine in costume. Brooms are optional, probably.
Out at Maudslay State Park, Theater in the Open stages Maudslay is Haunted on October 17 and 18. Its trail mixes spooky and silly scenes for all ages.
7. Marblehead
Hocus Pocus fans, this one’s for you. Old Burial Hill in Marblehead served as a filming spot for the movie.
The graveyard dates to 1638, making it one of New England’s oldest. People report footsteps, voices, and shadow figures there.
It also holds a plaque for Wilmot Redd, a Marblehead woman hanged in 1692. She was a victim of the Salem witch trials.
By Lantern Tours tells her story on its adults-only Ghosts and Consequences walk. You’ll wander old streets, quiet lanes, and burial grounds while hearing about shipwrecks and scandals.
Craving more lore? Marblehead Legends and Lore covers the town’s most memorable tales.
Brave visitors can join Boston Paranormal Investigations inside the Jeremiah Lee Mansion. The 1768 home is a National Historic Landmark and a fine example of Georgian design.
Families have their own fun on October 30. The Chamber of Commerce usually hosts trick-or-treating along Washington, Atlantic, and Pleasant streets.
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church holds a Halloween Spooktacular with games, crafts, and movies. Adults even get rest areas, which feels like true kindness.
8. Worcester
Costumes aren’t a side note in Worcester. They’re practically the admission ticket.
The city’s Halloween calendar leans hard into parties and dress-up events. Silver Scream Con 5 lands at the DCU Center from October 2 to 4.
That horror convention includes costume contests for kids 12 and under and for adults. Prizes are on the line, so polish that fake blood carefully.
Love throwback tunes? The Palladium hosts an It’s a 2000s Halloween Party on October 29.
Low-rise jeans count as a costume, right?
Pokemon fans can catch POKEWEEN at That’s Entertainment! on October 16. The all-ages party includes costumes, snacks, and giveaways.
Young adults have options too. The Diocese of Worcester hosts a party at St. George Church on October 20 with pizza, games, and prizes.
Need scares to go with the snacks? Haunted Woods Hayride: Forest of Fear runs in nearby Grafton on October 16 and 17.
Over in Shrewsbury, Hebert’s Candy Mansion hosts the Haunted Hillando Halloween Maze. It even offers sensory-friendly hours on October 22, a thoughtful extra in Massachusetts haunt season.
9. Fall River
An old factory makes a perfect stage for screams. Fall River’s Factory of Terror fills a building that’s more than 125 years old.
Expect fog, flashing lights, loud noises, and live actors. This haunt aims for high intensity, not gentle giggles.
It opens on select nights from September 12 through November 14, 2026. That includes Fridays and Saturdays in October, plus bonus nights.
Showtimes change by date, so grab timed tickets online. November brings special nights for guests 18 and older.
Curious about real history with a creepy edge? The Lizzie Borden House on Second Street is tied to the unsolved 1892 case of Andrew and Abby Borden.
Today it works as a bed and breakfast and museum. It offers overnight ghost hunts year-round.
For Halloween, a Midnight Witching Hour Ghost Hunt lets a small group explore with ghost-hunting gear. Bring nerves of steel and a good flashlight.
Younger crowds can head to Battleship Cove for Gremlin’s Ghoul-A-Palooza on October 23. Kids trick-or-treat among historic naval ships while magicians and stilt walkers roam nearby.
10. Holyoke
You aren’t just a visitor at DementedFX. You’re the hero of a monster movie, at least according to the story.
The Holyoke haunt drops guests into a post-apocalyptic BioMedCorp setting. Your mission is to sneak into a lab and rescue a scientist holding the only cure to a monstrous virus.
No pressure, right? The attraction covers 20,000 square feet with film-style sets, props, and interactive video.
It has earned national attention too. Scare Factor named it a top haunted attraction.
The 2026 dates run on select October nights, starting October 16 and going through Halloween. Hours stretch until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Everything happens indoors, so rain won’t cancel your plans. The building is wheelchair accessible.
Holyoke has an interesting backstory beyond the scares. It’s known as The Paper City and the birthplace of volleyball.
Want to build a whole spooky road trip? Fear on the Farm at McCray’s Farm in South Hadley sits under four miles away.
Its Monster Mash Haunted Hayride makes a fun follow-up for Massachusetts thrill-seekers.
11. Westford
Ski slopes in October? At Nashoba Valley in Westford, they swap snow for witches and werewolves.
Witch’s Woods Haunted Hayride and Halloween ScreamPark takes over the area each fall. The hayride carries guests by tractor-drawn wagon into dark woods.
Live actors chase the wagon as zombies, witches, and other creatures. Strobe lights add extra jolts.
The fun keeps going on foot. Castle Morbid delivers gothic horror, while 3-D Keeper’s Crypt messes with your sense of direction.
Vampire Passage tells the legend of an escaped female vampire and her fanged crew. Horrorwood Chamber of Chills celebrates horror movie icons.
Need a break from screaming? The fall midway includes carnival rides with admission, plus games.
Pumpkin lovers shouldn’t miss the Jack O’Lantern Jamboree. Hundreds of professionally carved pumpkins show off horror characters, and you don’t need a ScreamPark ticket to see them.
The 2026 season runs Fridays through Sundays from October 2 to 31. It’s recommended for ages six and up.
One surprise rule: costumes, masks, and face makeup aren’t allowed. Save the vampire fangs for another party.
12. Gardner
P.T. Barnum, Norman Rockwell, Bette Davis, and Calvin Coolidge all reportedly visited one Gardner mansion.
Now its most talked-about guests are the ones nobody can see.
The S.K. Pierce Haunted Victorian Mansion was built between 1873 and 1875.
Furniture maker Sylvester K. Pierce owned it, fitting for a town nicknamed Chair City.
The house spans about 7,000 square feet with 10 bedrooms. A four-story tower tops off its Second Empire style.
It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. Not bad for a house with such a spooky reputation.
Visitors report footsteps, slamming doors, and cold spots. Some say they’ve spotted a mysterious child.
Guided tours usually last around 90 minutes and cover the home’s history and mysteries. Braver guests can book paranormal investigations or overnight stays.
Those investigations sometimes include mediums and ghost hunters with EVP recorders. Bring a friend you trust to stay awake.
October 5 brings a Halloween Spirit Gallery Tour from 6:30 to 9 p.m. It features a Spirit Circle with psychic medium Brandie Wells.
Who knows who might answer back?
