Source: Indys Child Parenting Magazine

It's Getting Spooky in the Circle City
A few family-friendly Halloween activities in Downtown Indianapolis this October

by Taylor Newell

October 01, 2012

It’s the beginning of October and you know what that means: kids across the nation are narrowing down their costume options, daydreaming of impending candy stashes and eyeballing pumpkins every trip to the grocery store to survey their potential as future jack-o-lanterns. Let’s face it – you need to get them out of the house to mellow the Halloween hype, and Downtown Indianapolis has some fantastic family-friendly options leading up to the 31st.

Fine-tune your costume and makeup skills at the Fountain Square Branch Library for A Beginner’s Guide to Zombie Apocalypse Survival: Zombie Stage Makeup on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. This FREE workshop offers the chance to learn some new costuming techniques. Register by calling 317.275.4390. Stop by the Central Library the next day on Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. for a FREE showing of “The Hunger Games” movie! Get more info at www.imcpl.org.

Also on Oct. 13, the Indiana State Museum will host Hoosier Hauntings, a slew of interactive events taking place all day that explore some of Indiana’s frightening features. Events include flashlight-led Behind-the-Scenes Tours and Mad Scientist Labs, featuring fun lessons on writing with invisible ink, creating fake flesh, blood and slime, and demonstrations of a self-carving pumpkin. Check out www.indianamuseum.org.

It couldn’t hurt to get a little exercise in before the inevitable influx of bite-sized candy. The Child Advocates Superhero Run at White River State Park is a 5K run and family walk that takes off at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27, and participants are encouraged to dress up like their favorite superhero, offering a chance to give your costume a “test-run” before the big night. The best part: proceeds from the race benefit Child Advocates. Registration is $15 for the walk, $25 for the 5K or $30 day-of. Visit www.planetadventurerace.com/events/superhero for more information.

How about a cultural experience? Check out the Day of the Dead Festival at the Indiana State Museum and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art that same Saturday, Oct. 27. For $12 for adults and $8 for children, you can see a variety of unique altars and exhibits at either museum from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. This is a great opportunity to learn about this ancient Mexican holiday and why it’s not as scary as you might think!

Some ongoing spooky events:

“Wicked Workshop,” The 49th Annual Haunted House at the Children’s Museum kicks off Oct. 13 and runs through Halloween, open all day Tuesday through Sunday. Tickets are $7 at the door and there are two levels of spookiness: kids who might be easily scared should arrive before 3 p.m. most days, and older kids can put their bravery to the test Wednesday through Saturday evenings between 3 and 9 p.m. Visit www.childrensmuseum.org/hauntedhouse.

ZooBoo returns to the Indianapolis Zoo Oct. 12 – 14, 19 – 21 and 26 – 28 from 2 – 7 p.m. with pumpkin bowling, a bounce house, obstacle course, trick-or-treating through the plains area, kids craft workshop, a Halloween train ride and “Roller Ghoster.” The zoo grounds will be decorated for the season, and the zookeepers say the animals love to be out and active this time of year! Go to www.indyzoo.com for more.

Peewinkle’s Puppet Studio hosts “The Slightly Haunted Puppet Studio” Oct. 13 – 28, where Gertrude the Witch will have all of her spooky puppet friends on sight for a light-hearted Halloween show. Tickets are $10 and FREE for kids under two years old. Shows take place during the day Thursday through Saturday, and on Sunday, Oct. 28. Get tickets at www.peewinklespuppets.com.

For the braver souls (aged 13 and up): head to Indiana Landmarks for “From Dark Pages,” a progressive interactive mystery that walks guests through an 1865 house tracking Jack the Ripper. Shows begin at 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 18 – 27. Tickets are $15/person or $10 for Indiana Landmarks members. On Halloween night from 7 – 9:30 p.m., check out Silent Halloween: A Fun and Frightful Evening where you can see two classic silent horror films: The Haunted House (1921) and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) for $10 or $8 for members. Find out more at www.indianalandmarks.org.