Eight Quirky October Events and Activities in Central Ohio

With cheap thrills, fattening foods, and mindless entertainment, the Halloween season caters to all types of interests. Central Ohio is especially rampant with these festive amusements, from the more traditional autumn-themed outings to activities unique to the Columbus area. Most of the things listed occur annually, so if you’re from the future, don’t worry about missing out because these events will come back to haunt you year after year.

1. Highball Halloween is hosted in late October around the Short North Arts District. This carnival fantasy festival attracts thousands of masqueraded partygoers each year. As a celebration of fashion, Highball awards innovative costumes with cash prizes and features local designers in a couture fashion show. Join in the revelry by flaunting your own sense of creativity or by simply appreciating the bizarre artistry of the masquerade.

Highball Halloween on High Street (Photo by Alison Colvin)

2. Corn Mazes are unique to the countryside and can be a refreshing change of pace from city life. The MAiZE at Little Darby Creek is a nine-acre corn labyrinth cut into a different pattern each year. For the 2012 season, a pattern celebrating the one hundred-year anniversary of Girl Scouts has been molded.  A “haunted” version of the maze is also available at night.

3. Shadowbox Live presents a variety of theatrical performances such as musicals, rock symphonies, dance and sketch comedies. Their Halloween-oriented shows span across the whole fall season. In addition, they host a Vampire’s Ball on Halloween night that features music, live performances, and costume contests. See the OSU discount ticket page for great deals on general admission!

4. Haunted Houses may seem like run-of-the-mill experiences, but don’t you want to be able to pride yourself in having survived the most urine-inducing horrors in the Columbus area? Visit one of Ohio’s top scares, the Haunted Hoochie or the less intimidating Dublin Scare-A-Torium. Lights-on tours are also available in the evenings if you want to take a look behind the scenes to see how haunted houses are designed and operated.

5. Scary Movie Marathons can be enjoyed at a number of public theatre venues or in the privacy of your own home. The Gateway Film Center on the Ohio State campus screens a variety of horror films during the fall season, including television shows such as American Horror Story and the Walking Dead. In addition, the month of October is dedicated to showings of popular Alfred Hitchcock movies, a month-long extravaganza dubbed as “Hitchcocktober.”

The Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield (Photo from Dead Ohio)

6. Ghost hunting can be a thrilling enterprise, even for skeptics. Take a day trip out to Mansfield, Ohio to visit the Ohio State Reformatory, one of the filming locations for The Shawshank Redemption. The Reformatory, built in 1886, was an innovative form of rehabilitation at the time but was closed down in 1990 because of the “brutalizing and inhumane conditions.” Participate in an overnight paranormal investigation, or, if you’re a cheap coward, take a guided tour instead through the Haunted Prison Experience.

7. Run for your life in Gahanna’s Fright Night 5K or Westerville’s Celebrity Ghost 5K. The Gahanna course takes you past haunted graveyards and the festively decorated Old Gahanna Plaza. The Celebrity Ghost run encourages you to dress as your favorite dead celebrity as part of Uptown Westerville’s Midnight Madness event. If the idea of exercise disgusts you, don’t be deterred–those of you that are not the athletic type have the option of walking the trail as well.

8. Make a fall-themed dinner using recipe suggestions from Pinterest and Allrecipes to inspire you. Go apple-picking to gather ingredients for homemade pies and cider. Pick out your own pumpkins to mutilate and convert into pies, log rolls, or cakes. Be adventurous and try some Halloween-themed brews or seemingly unappetizing foods such as mummy dogs and zombie cupcakes.