In the summer, South County's beach towns shine and brim with visitors looking for a beach escape. In the Fall, South County's more rural, tucked away towns have a chance to shine with quintessential New England Autumn activities and they come alive with the brilliant red, gold and orange hues of the changing foliage.
In the quiet town of Exeter you can visit the grave of New England's first reported vampire, Mercy Brown. You can learn more about her story here. Visitors often leave offerings to Mercy in exchange for a favor. As you leave the cemetery, take a ride down Purgatory Road, also reported to be haunted.
For a week and half in October Wickford Village gets wicked spooky with events leading up to Halloween. Pumpkin decorating, face painting, costumes and ghost tours lead up to the Horribles Parade that welcomes anyone in costume to march. Learn more.
What odd and scary stories lurk within the colonial homes of Wickford Village? Find out on November 1st as you clip-clop along on a half-hour horse-drawn hayride through the Village, narrated by our expert town historian Tim Cranston. Learn more.
At Big John Leyden's Tree Farm in woodsy West Greenwich, experience the Field of Screams. Three haunted attractions for the price of one - The Haunted Insane Asylum, Dead River Haunted Hayride, and New England's only 4D haunted maze Cirque du Souls. There's even Zombie Paintball - new this year. Learn more.
South County is home to the darkest stretch of night sky between Boston and NYC. Join the Frosty Drew Observatory's astronomers for a night under spooky Halloween skies and enjoy activities to celebrate astronomy and Halloween. The Observatory will be in full out Halloween mode with frightful sights, spooky sounds, and candy available for all who visit. The telescopes will be directed towards planetary nebulae - the remnants of dying stars - to celebrate the departure from the lighter half of the year and plunge into the darker half. Learn more.
The South County History Center hosts an annual Lanterns & Legends tour. Visit the old county jail in South Kingstown you can learn about South County's creepiest history, including brazen murders, gruesome executions and supposed vampires. The tour highlights grim artifacts from the Center's collection that are not usually on display. Learn more.
Just in time for Halloween, join the Ocean House Food Forager for a day of festive fun. Learn to create delicious healthy alternatives to traditional Halloween candy for a guilt-free celebration. Learn more.
At the Farmer's Daughter in South Kingstown every weekend through October 29th offers a chance to visit their Fall Harvest Festival. Activities Include: Pony Rides, Antique Tractors, Pumpkin Painting, Furry Animal Friends, Scavenger Hunt, Straw Bale Maze, Pumpkin Slingshot, Scarecrow Making, Pumpkin Bowling, Corn Maize, Pumpkin Patch Arcade, Pumpkin Checkers, Face Painting, Barrel Train Ride, Hay Rides, Pumpkin Putting, Sac Races, And of course FUN! Learn more.
If you're visiting South County on October 28 and looking for a party, head over to the Courthouse Center for the Arts. Get your costumes ready for a fun fabulous evening of James Montgomery Live and with friends. Poppy Champlin Hilariously opens this Halloween Gala... Get your costumes ready for a spooktacular night of raffles, comedy, music and fun for all. Come spend a night of dance and laughter with food, fun and raffles along with best, worst, scariest and funniest costumes prizes. Learn more.
Be a real ghost buster! Join RISEUP paranormal investigators as they walk the floors of Smith's Castle and Annex in North Kingstown from 7 pm to midnight for some paranormal exploration. Learn more.