Celebrate Michigan's Spooky Season with a tour in the Upper Peninsula

Ren Brabenec
·4 min read

UPPER PENINSULA — It’s difficult to identify the beginning of spooky season. Hardcore enthusiasts say it starts on July 5. Moderates say Sept. 1 is more realistic. Most can agree Oct. 1 is an appropriate date to mark the beginning of a favorite time of year for millions.

Point Iroquois Lighthouse is shown.
Point Iroquois Lighthouse is shown.

Mark your calendars

Now that spooky season is in full swing, UP residents and visitors are looking for local attractions and events to celebrate the season.

A few upcoming UP events include:

  • Mackinac Island’s Halloween Weekend. This event takes place Oct. 27-29. The last weekend of October typically marks the last big weekend before many island businesses close for the season. The Halloween weekend includes the Great Turtle Trail Run, trick-or-treating and Halloween costume parties.

  • Manistique’s eighth annual Fright Night. This event takes place Oct. 28 at the Highway 2 Community Drive-In Theater. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., and the event begins with trunk-or-treating at 6 p.m. There will be prizes for the best-decorated trunks and the best Halloween costumes. At dusk, event hosts will screen the 1993 classic “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” followed by the 2013 movie “Carrie.”

  • Marquette’s Queen City Trick or Trot 5k/10k. This Halloween-themed race begins at 9 a.m. on Oct. 28, and it includes a Kids Monster Mile, a costume contest, an awards ceremony and sponsor giveaways.

  • Marenisco’s Halloween Hayride & Trunk or Treat. The Lake Gogebic Area Chamber of Commerce announced a Halloween hayride and trunk-or-treat event for Oct. 31, sponsored by Dutch’s Bar, Two Fat Guys Bar and Earla’s Restaurant..

  • Houghton’s Upper Peninsula Halloweenie Race. The City of Houghton and Citrus Salon will host a Halloween-themed dog race at 4 p.m. on Oct. 14 on Sheldon Avenue in Houghton. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Copper County Humane Society.

  • Pickford’s Trunk-or-Treat. The Pickford PTA will host their annual trunk-or-treat from 2-5 p.m. on Oct. 28 at the Pickford Community Park. Blue Sage Bistro and the All Styles, All Occasions (ASAO) Community Performance Troupe will also attend.

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Haunted attractions

Community events are enjoyed by many as a great way to celebrate the season. But if schedules don’t line up to catch a local event, visiting a haunted location can be a substitute.

An image of Madam Modjeska (circa 1900) who is rumored to still make appearances at the Calumet Theatre despite her death in 1909.
An image of Madam Modjeska (circa 1900) who is rumored to still make appearances at the Calumet Theatre despite her death in 1909.

As for haunted places in the Upper Peninsula, visitors might consider touring locations like:

  • The Calumet Theatre. Since 1958, several theater patrons have claimed to have seen the spirit of Polish actress Madame Modjeska. Modjeska performed three times in the opera house’s first decade before passing away in April 1909.

  • Fayette Historic State Park. This park combines history and nature in a ghost town on the Garden Peninsula. The town’s abandoned buildings and homes once served as a bustling community that manufactured charcoal pig iron between 1867 and 1891. Today, the 150-year-old buildings look particularly spooky around Halloween.

  • Haunted lighthouses. The Big Bay Point Lighthouse in Marquette, the Whitefish Point Lighthouse in Paradise, and the Point Iroquois Lighthouse in Brimley are all said to house spirits of lighthouse keepers, sailors, and Indigenous Iroquois who perished near these structures. Many past and current custodians have said they witnessed unexplained noises, slamming cupboards and items mysteriously moving.

  • Historic Sault Ste. Marie. Established in 1668 and the oldest city in Michigan, Sault Ste. Marie has its list of haunts. According to the Upper Peninsula Research Society, the building that used to house Second Hand Childhood & Adults Too and the Soo Brewing Company is haunted, as is the Satisfied Frog Pub, Museum Ship Valley Camp and the Antlers Restaurant.

The Museum Ship Valley Camp is shown.
The Museum Ship Valley Camp is shown.

According to Google Maps, one can plan a UP road trip and visit the haunted places above in about nine hours of driving if they start in Sault Ste. Marie. Considering roadside stops, fall color detours, and the attractions themselves, plus local seasonal events one may want to attend along the way, visitors should consider a 2-3 day weekend to get the full UP spooky season experience.

Ren Brabenec is a Brimley-based freelance writer and journalist with The Sault News. He reports on politics, local issues, environmental stories, and the economy. For questions, comments, or to suggest a story, email hello@renbrabenec.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Celebrate Spooky Season with a tour in the Upper Peninsula