Where the ghouls are: Your guide to Halloween events in Tuscaloosa

It's trick-or-treat time in Tuscaloosa.

Halloween heats up with a variety of spooky fun events spread throughout this week. And since the University of Alabama football team has an open date, trick-or-treaters at the Saturday events won't have to be concerned about conflicts with kickoff time.

Here's your day-by-day guide so you can create a winning game plan for this Halloween:

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Monday-Friday

The Gorgas House Museum, 810 Capstone Drive, on the University of Alabama campus will give free tours during "A Haunting at the Museum" from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. daily. The tours will explain the history behind spooky stories at the museum. Halloween costumes are encouraged. For more information, go to https://gorgashouse.museums.ua.edu/haunting.

Tuesday

More than 500,000 pieces of candy will be distributed to children during the Alabama Panhellenic Association’s Trick or Treat on Sorority Row beginning at 6 p.m. on the UA campus. Activities for kids will be available on the lawns of the sorority houses on Magnolia Drive, Colonial Drive, and Judy Bonner Drive. The event, which was canceled in 2020 and 2021, is open to children ages 12 and younger who must be accompanied by an adult. Masks and fake or realistic-looking weapons are discouraged.

Wednesday

The Alabama Museum of Natural History, 427 Sixth Ave. at Smith Hall on the UA campus, will provide Halloween fun for all ages from 4:30 to 7 p.m. with children’s stories, crafts, mad scientist experiments, and more. For more info, go to https://almnh.museums.ua.edu.

The city of Tuscaloosa’s sixth annual Tech or Treat event will be from 6-8 p.m., with free admission for all ages, at the Gateway Innovation and Discovery Center in Alberta, 2614 University Blvd. E. Similar to trunk-or-treat, the city’s Tech-or-Treat allows costumed kids to go from table to table to collect candy while being introduced to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities through interactions with city departments and community organizations.

Thursday

The Northport Police Department's Fall Festival will be from 5-8 p.m. at Kentuck Park, 3401 Fifth St. The festival will include trick-or-treating, inflatable bounce houses, a hay ride, a costume contest, food trucks, and more.

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Thursday-Oct. 31

The Horror Tuscaloosa will have two themed experiences at its haunted house, 5477 Skyland Blvd. E., Cottondale. Tickets cost $25 and up, and admissions each night will be limited. Hours will be 7 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday and 7-10 p.m. Thursday, Sunday, and Oct. 31. www.thehorrortuscaloosa.com.

Friday

Midtown Village will host Harvest Jam from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on the green of the shopping center, 1800 McFarland Blvd. The event will feature live music, a farmers' market, a pumpkin patch, and a craft beer tasting. Some proceeds from the craft beer tasting and the pumpkin patch will benefit Child Abuse Prevention Services. Admission to the Harvest Jam is $5 and tickets are available at eventbrite.com.

The Tuscaloosa Public Library will host a "Boook-tacular Evening" from 6-8 p.m. in the main branch parking lot, 1801 Jack Warner Parkway. The event will include a petting zoo, musician Roger Day, food trucks, a costume contest, face painting, balloon animals, and hands-on activities for ghouls and ghosts of all ages.

IT'S BACK:Trick-or-treating will return to University of Alabama's Sorority Row

Saturday

"Boo! In the Park," organized by the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority, will be held from 9 a.m. until noon at Munny Sokol Park South, 5901 Watermelon Road. The free event is designed for 4- through 13-year-old children, but all ages will be welcome.  Costumes are encouraged.  "Boo! In the Park" will feature carnival-style fun, including games,  a Halloween-themed story walk,  sack races, a photo booth, inflatable bounce houses, and more. New this year will be "Touch A Truck" featuring 15 heavy vehicles --  concrete mixers, farm tractors, fire trucks, and more -- for kids to explore. For more information, go to www.tcpara.org/programs/parakids/halloween.

Families are invited to stroll through the haunting grounds of the University of Alabama Arboretum, 4801 Arboretum Way, from 1 to 4 p.m. during an Afternoon at the ArBOOretum. This free event is geared toward preschool through seventh-grade children and will feature Halloween-themed education stations. Attendees will learn about all of the creepy-crawlies and carnivorous plant life native to Alabama. They will also enjoy the Trick or Treat Trail, which will have jack-o-lantern buckets full of candy along pathways throughout the arboretum. Costumes are welcome.

Visitors are invited to wear their costumes for Halloween at the Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum, 1901 Jack Warner Parkway, from 1 to 4 p.m. A new exhibit, "Threaded Through History," highlights fashion from the early 20th century, with exact replicas of outfits from 1905 created by UA students. Halloween-themed outdoor inflatables will be available for children. Candy and light refreshments will be served. Admission is free.

DCH Health System will offer a community trunk-or-treat from 5-7 p.m. at DCH Regional Medical Center, 809 University Blvd. E. and Northport Medical Center, 2700 Hospital Drive. Families are invited to bring a bag to collect treats.

The 15^th annual showing of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" will be presented by the Pink Box Burlesque. The 1975 musical- comedy/horror film will begin at 8 p.m. at the Bama Theatre, 600 Greensboro Ave. Prop bags will be available while supplies last. Doors open at 7 p.m., the costume contest at 8, and the movie begins at 8:30 Tickets cost $20 in advance and $25 at the door. The event is for those 21 years old and older. For more, see www.pinkboxburlesque.com.

Sunday

Super Skate, 5900 McFarland Blvd. E., Tuscaloosa, will host Skate-O-Ween beginning at 2 p.m., with games and prizes. For more information, call 205-758-7465.

Oct. 31

A free Halloween carnival sponsored by the Tuscaloosa Police Department is set for 6-8 p.m. at Snow Hinton Park, 1000 Hargrove Road E. Kids are invited to wear costumes and trick-or-treat with TPD. The carnival will include candy, games, equipment displays, and food trucks.

Families are encouraged to come for the Halloween Extravaganza at the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility off Coliseum Drive on the UA campus from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event, which is free, includes trick-or-treating, games, and the chance for children ages 13 and younger to meet UA student-athletes. Everyone is encouraged to bring canned or non-perishable food items to donate to the Beat Auburn Beat Hunger food drive.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Where the ghouls are: A guide to Halloween events in Tuscaloosa