HALLOWEEN: Spooky season is here

Oct. 6—WALLINGFORD — Scaring people is something Wayne Barneschi does best.

"Trail of Terror"

Where: 60 North Plains Highway, Wallingford.

When: Friday and Saturday, 7-11 p.m.; Sunday, 7-10 p.m., through Oct. 30.

Tckets: Only available online: $25 timed ticket; $40 VIP Premium Pass.

Note: Not recommended for children younger than 10, strongly recommended that young children not attend; infants and children younger than 5 not allowed.

Proceeds: The Trail of Terror has donated close to $2 million to benefit local charities, individuals, and community projects.

Contact: 833-600-0054, trailofterror.com

He and his team of designers have, every 28 years, been building what is now a 3/4 -mile track through the woods, with stops at about 30 horrifying scenes, called "Trail of Terror."

"Our theme this year is 'Reawakening,'" said Barneschi, who is the executive director of "Trail of Terror."

"I think it's more back to the way we used to do things," he said. The last couple years the "Trail of Terror" had to be restructured to accommodate health department regulations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We were one of the first ones to commit to opening and that was in 2020," Barneschi said. "I reached out to the health department. I talked with them, I talked with the fire marshal, and I talked with the town. We said if a family can go to a restaurant together, and they can drive in a car together, they can come here together."

Officials agreed and the "Trail of Terror" opened with limited admission six-person packages.

Two years later, things have mostly returned to normal, with only social distancing between the performers and the audience still in place.

"We have our sanitation team running around," Barneschi said. "They have their wipes and they have their spray. We have one guy who sprays everything down."

Every year, the trail changes about 70% of its layout, Barneschi said.

This year includes a new giant, scary queue item that is top secret and will be revealed on Friday.

"Our Frankenstein scene that we had in 2019 is now Willy Wonka," Barneschi said. "It has the same gadgetry. We moved Frankenstein to a small scene, to an old-school monster museum. We call it 'London Town.'"

New "Trail of Terror" scenes this year include a graveyard, a Pixar and Toy Story-themed area, a voodoo scene, and a werewolf scene.

"We have a scene called 'The Basement' and it's affiliated with chainsaw people," Barneschi said. "We have a new funeral home and morgue. We have a new asylum this year. We're doing 'Resident Evil.' They took the movie, the game, and the series and rolled it all into one."

A new designer, he said, only 19 years old, created a scene based on the video game "Bendy and the Ink Machine."

"It's incredible," Barneschi said. "He ran with it. He showed me some pictures and it looked really cool. He did a phenomenal job."

He said that the size of the "Trail of Terror" is perfect and that he doesn't want to expand it any further, but will continue to change scenes up every year.

"We change, but don't get bigger," he said. "We try to be unique. We try to be very interactive. We try to put (guests) in a place they can't find anywhere else."

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

COVENTRY — Hear about "Things that Go Bump in the Night" at the Nathan Hale Homestead during a special candlelight tour that will feature the Hale staff's spooky encounters, as featured on the Syfy channel's "Ghost Hunters."

The program will be presented Oct. 13-14, 20-21, and 27-28 at 7 p.m. Admission is $25. Reservations are required at:

ctlandmarks.org/event/things-that-go-bump-in-the-night-7

Connecticut Trolley Museum

EAST WINDSOR — The Connecticut Trolley Museum, 58 North Road (Route 140), presents Pumpkin Patch and Rails to the Darkside, two major fundraisers for the museum, on Fridays and Saturdays and Oct. 10, Columbus Day.

The Pumpkin Patch is for younger children and is included with the price of admission: $14, adults; $13, seniors and ages 12-17, $12, ages 2-11; free, younger than 2.

Rails to the Darkside is rated PG-13 and recommended for 16 and older. Hours are 7 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and must be purchased online.

For more information, call 860-627-6540 or go to: ct-trolley.org

The Mark Twain House

HARTFORD — Nocturnal Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours of The Mark Twain House, 385 Farmington Ave., take place Friday and Saturday nights and select Thursday nights from 6-10 p.m. through Oct. 29.

The tours are sponsored by Tsunami Tsolutions.

Tickets are $29.50; $21.50 for children ages 10 to 16. Tours are not recommended for children younger than 10.

For more information and to reserve tickets, call 860-247-0998 or visit: marktwainhouse.org

Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine

EAST GRANBY — The mine at Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine, 115 Newgate Road, East Granby, is illuminated by 300 professionally carved pumpkins. From 1773-1827, the abandoned mine, often referred to as the "dungeon", was used to house incarcerated men in total darkness.

Purchase tickets in advance to take a self-guided exploration of the decorated tunnels. For more information and to purchase tickets, call 860-655-1591 or go to: tinyurl.com/LightDungeonTickets.

Lyman Orchards

MIDDLEFIELD — "Evidence of Evil: Haunted Orchards" will be held at Lyman Orchards on South Street from dusk to 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights during October.

Tickets are $25 each, available online only at: evidenceofevil.net/tickets.

The attraction is rated PG-13. Children younger than 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

A portion of proceeds will be donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

For more information, visit: lymanorchards.com

Stowe Center

HARTFORD — Take a Spirits Tour at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center,77 Forest St., to learn more about the appeal of Spiritualism in the latter half of the 19th century. The tour will be given Oct. 27-29 at 5, 6, and 7 p.m. and on Oct. 30 and 31 at 3 and 5 p.m. Tour tickets are $20.

Spirits at Stowe is recommended for ages 10 and older.

Also, Thea Wirsching will give a lecture on the relationship between 19th-century upheaval and the stars on Oct. 29 at 2 p.m., and give tarot readings using her American Renaissance tarot deck. Sessions are approximately 30 minutes long and will be available on Oct. 29 and 30 from 4 to 8 p.m. Book a reading online. The lecture is free. Readings are $30.

For more information, call 860-522-9258 or go to: stowecenter.org.

If you can't wait for Spirits, check out the Witches & Tombstones tours offered by the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum in Wethersfield on Oct. 22.

Old Sturbridge Village

Sturbridge, Mass. — Phantoms by Firelight, formerly Phantoms & Fire, will return to Old Sturbridge Village through Oct. 31.

The experience will take place from 4:30 to 9 p.m., after the Village closes to daytime guests, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, and Halloween night.

As the sun sets at Old Sturbridge Village, guests are invited to explore the myths and folklore of Halloween while navigating the museum by night. The event will offer crafts and games, storytelling by firelight, a spooky selfie contest, bonfires, water fires, torches, candlelight, festive food and drink, and more.

Kids will delight in the return of Clues & Candy, a scavenger hunt-style experience around the Village that offers safe and fun trick-or-treating for families.

Visitors of all ages are encouraged to show up in costume and show off their Halloween best.

On Saturday, Sunday, and Oct. 15, Thomas D'Agostino, author of "A Guide to Haunted New England," will be at the Village, signing copies of his work outside the Miner Grant Store.

General admission tickets are $28 for adults and $14 for youth ages 4 — 17. Children 3 and younger are free.

For tickets and more information, go to: osv.org/event/phantoms-by-firelight-2022.

Noah Webster House

WEST HARTFORD — History, story-telling, and spooky fun await visitors in October at West Hartford Hauntings, theatrical cemetery tours, hosted by the Noah Webster House and the West Hartford Historical Society.

The lantern-lit tours traverse one of West Hartford's oldest cemeteries, Old North, which opened in 1790. Along the way you will meet dearly departed residents of the town who have returned to enlighten you about the past.

West Hartford Hauntings takes place on Oct. 20-22, 28-29 at Old North Cemetery, 80 North Main St. Tours leave every 15 minutes from 6-8:45 p.m. and run for 45 minutes. Preview night is Oct. 21 with discounted tickets. The 6 p.m. tour on Oct. 22 will be ASL interpreted.

West Hartford Hauntings takes place regardless of rain, snow, or shine. Dress for the weather.

For more information, call 860-521-5362 or go to: noahwebsterhouse.org

Eastern Railroad Museum

WILLIMANTIC — "Nightmare on Main: Ghost Town, Shadows of the Past," a haunting and creepy tour, will take place Saturday, Sunday, and Oct. 14-15 and 23 at the Eastern Railroad Museum, 55 Bridge St.

Tours leave every 20 minutes between 7 and 9:30 p.m.

This is a moderately scary walk for ages 10 to adult. Meet bank robbers, saloon keepers, undertakers, hobos, and others.

The cost is $15 per person.

For coverage of local restaurants, cultural events, music, and an extensive range of Connecticut theater reviews, follow Tim Leininger on Twitter: @Tim_E_Leininger, Facebook: Tim Leininger's Journal Inquirer News page, and Instagram: @One_Mans_Opinion77.