Halloween Happenings in the Wissahickon!
It’s looking like a happening (and haunted) Halloweekend in Wissahickon Valley Park – so follow our guide to make the most out of this weekend’s events from Friends of the Wissahickon and our partners!
Friday, 10/30:
Self-guided spooky walks with FOW:
Begin your adventures by downloading the new FOW Map App for a self-guided spooky tour of the Wissahickon, including some of the park’s most sinister sites. Don’t miss your local Roman sarcophagus and the cave of Johannes Kelpius – the leader of a 17th-century doomsday cult in Philadelphia!
While this year’s customary celebrations at Hermit’s Cave aren’t happening due to COVID-19, you can catch a couple more shivers by reading about the real history of Kelpius and more Wissahickon ghost stories before your walk.
Halloween at Historic Rittenhouse Town:
Historic Rittenhouse Town is the place to be on Friday for fun and frightful events. Check out the Halloween Happy Hour at the Barn, where guests are encouraged to bring their own picnic blankets and food and enjoy live music, libations and kids activities (tree-or-treat!) for a pre-Halloween celebration.Personal protective gear and social distancing required Sign up for the good times here!
Later in the evening, there’s Rittenhowl – an opportunity to celebrate under a full moon with whiskey cocktails and ghost stories at the Rittenhouse Homestead from 8-11 pm. Get your tickets here!
Saturday, 10/31:
FOW’s Trick-or-Trash Clean Up:
Sign up for a cleanup site here!
From 9 am-12pm, we’ll be cleaning up in costume at 10 socially-distanced sites to start off the day right with some spooky stewardship! There will also be prizes for best kids’ and adults’ costumes, so don’t forget to send us a photo of your cleanup bubble to get in the competition – and make sure to log your hours to get a free bag of candy from the Cedars House Cafe!
Thank you to our clean up sponsor, Prentiss Smith & Co.!
Trash or Cache with Let’s Go Outdoors:
Looking for a safe and different way to get treats on October 31st? Let’s Go Outdoors will be offering a FREE Trash or Cache (pronounced cash, but no money involved) program for families. You will learn to use a handheld GPS device to look for caches (hidden containers) that hold tickets to turn in for prizes. The event starts at 11 am at Valley Green – you can sign up here!
Cedars House Scarecrow Contest:
Stop by the Cedars House Cafe on Northwestern Avenue to help judge a selection of scarecrows from local organizations – the prize for best scarecrow will be given at 12 pm, after FOW’s Trick-or-Trash event!