Mapletown Manor gets decked out in its Halloween best—you should too. Photo: Mapletown Manor
1. Candlelight tours at Mapletown Manor in Osage offer a spine-tingling experience from noon to 8 p.m. this Saturday. Built in the 1850s, the mansion houses a speakeasy and home-goods boutique, where you might run into the ghosts that allegedly live there. The tours are family-friendly, and costumes are wholly encouraged. No RSVP needed.
2. Of course, if you’d rather get chased by chainsaw-wielding clowns, try the Boji Scare in Arnolds Park this Friday and Saturday night. Starting at sunset, you can tour the haunted maze at Arnolds Park Amusement Park then take a blackout ride on the Legend, a historic wooden roller coaster with a harrowing 63-foot drop. Younger thrill-seekers can enjoy the Little Kids Walkthrough beginning an hour before sundown, when they can explore spooky inflatables.
3. Become a supernatural sleuth at the inaugural Ghosts of Washington event with Riverside Iowa Paranormal. Choose from three levels of tickets to explore historic Washington locations, including the former town hall and a haunted hotel. If you dare, stick around for a sleepover at the world’s oldest operating theater, where performers who refused to leave the stage put on a ghostly show. The haunting begins at 5 p.m. Saturday.
4. Villains get a bad rep, but Alisabeth Von Presley is here to change that. At 8 p.m. Friday, the pop rock artist hosts her annual Halloween Bash at the Ideal Theater & Bar in Cedar Rapids. Guests are encouraged to dress as their favorite Disney villains (or any costume that suits their fancy) to dance the night away in this 21-plus venue. Von Presley and opening act Fishbait will be playing the spookiest tunes in their repertoire. Tickets are available online.
