Trick or treat and Happy Halloween! October is here and with it you will find a variety of fun reasons to be out and about. One of the best places to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve in particular is America’s oldest city, St. Augustine Florida. Full of history, it’s the perfect scene for all activities involving haunting and mystery. Let us journey into this legendary city to find some thrills and chills, with some fall family festivities .
The Haunted Barn
Location:
Rype and Readi Downtown Farmer’s Market
115 La Quinta Place, St Augustine, FL
Dates and time:
Fridays and Saturdays from October 5 – 28, 2018 at 7:00 pm – 9:30pm
If you and your 13+ year old are looking for a haunted and challenging adventure, come on and check out the haunted barn. It has a creepy cemetery full of scare jumps (don’t worry; the people doing the scaring will not touch you). So pay them a visit to see what kind of scary stuff they have up their farmer’s sleeve.
Don’t have teens? At the same location, they also host a “Not so scary night” for kids 12 and under. This event will take place on Friday, October 19th and Sunday, October 28th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Come let your younglings see the barn without jump scares, and instead enjoy the trick or treating. They will be serving food and treats for your little monsters as well!
Admission price: $5 plus 2 cans of food
The Haunted Barn is also hosting a canned food drive fundraiser for the benefit of local charities. Not only will you be getting spooked, you will also be helping the community. Every night they collect goods for different charities. If you happen to forget your cans of food you don’t have to worry, as they have a store for you to purchase some.
For all of you eager beavers out there who don’t feel like waiting in line, you can purchase your tickets prior to the event. Visit their website here for more information and go have some fun with your crew while helping the community!
Scarecrow Building Contest
Location: Ryde and Readi Downtown Farm Market, 115 La Quinta place, St Augustine, FL
The Rype & Readi Downtown Farmer’s Market is not only doing haunted barn, it is also hosting scarecrow building sessions at the Downtown Market on Saturdays and Sundays from September 22 through October 14, 2018. This activity will require reservations for the building sessions, so make sure to sign up for it as soon as possible. Registration will take place from:
9:30am to 12:30pm on these dates:
September 22, 23, 29 and 30 and October 6, 7, 13 and 14, 2018.
Rype & Readi will provide a pole, clothes, straw, tools and fasteners for participants to embellish their scarecrow with. You can bring your own add-ons to create a unique scarecrow!
This opportunity is open to civic organizations, school groups, sport teams, and anyone who’d like to flex their creative talents. Photos of all the scarecrows will be posted on Rype & Readi’s Facebook page and website, where visitors can vote on their favorites. Votes will be tallied on Tuesday, October 30, and prizes will be awarded to the best in these categories:
- Best in Show
- Most Creative
- Scariest
- Most kid friendly
- Funniest
- Rype & Readi Staff Pick
Don’t forget the admissions fee of $10.00 with reservation, as it’s required to participate. For more info and dates to pick from, take a look here.
Pumpkin Patches
Want to find a good pumpkin to carve this year? Check out all the pumpkin patches in the St. Augustine area. There are plenty of activities for the whole family! There are children’s activities, plenty of food to try, and of course hayrides! There is a number of locations to get a pumpkin to carve, decorate, or donate to someone else. Here are some of them listed below:
Sykes & Cooper Farm
Location: 5995 Brough Rd. Elkton FL 32033, (904) 692-1370
Sykes and Cooper Farm hosts its annual challenging and unique Corn Maze. The farm will also have hayrides, duck races, a kids area, and a tube slide. That sounds like a lot of fun! They may have that perfect pumpkin you are looking for.
First United Methodist Church
Location: 118 King Street, St. Augustine Fl 32084, (904) 829-3459
Every year, The First United Methodist Church hosts their pumpkin patch sale beginning on Thursday, October 4, 2018 from 10:00am to 7:00pm. The church has pumpkins of all prices and sizes. In addition, at the end of October they will be holding a special “Trunk or Treat” at the church from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. For those who don’t know what a ‘trunk or treat’ is, it’s a sponsored event by the community of churches to provide a safe way for children to trick or treat. People will gather and park their cars in a parking lot, open their trunks, decorate them in fun ways and give out candy to all the children.
Shores United Methodist Church
Location: 724 Shores Blvd., St. Augustine FL 32086, (904) 797-4416
Shores United Methodist Church will be selling pumpkins right after church on Sunday, October 7, 2018. The patch will be open daily from 12:00pm to 7:00pm throughout October. The Church will also hold its Fall Festival, featuring children’s games, a bounce house, food, and live music. There will be a ‘Trunk or Treat’ on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 from 5:00pm to 7:00 pm.
Halloween in St. Augustine is a great time! You don’t have to go too far to find places that will give you the sense of what Halloween is all about, or how St. Augustine celebrates it. The haunted history of the city sets the stage. Are you looking for some Halloween fun with a side of history? Come to St. Augustine to find a bit of both.