Halloween in VT?
Are there any must see Halloween themed points of interests in VT? A few of us are trying to spend a few days there and would love to get the most out of it.
Posted Sep 26, 2015, 1:09 AM UTC
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Well you have the Halloween parade in Rutland.
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I'm trying to go this year. What do people do after the parade tho? Are there pub crawls or parties or anything? I can't find jack squart!
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Um possibly, I don't really know to be honest, but the parade isn't on Halloween it's on the last Saturday of October
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Traditionally known as Halloween.
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sorry, should of clarified last Saturday in October before holloween
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There are a lot of bars in Rutland and people hang out in them. Some have costume contests.
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If you're staying around central vermont, the pittsford haunted house/hayride is pretty good. I can't find any info about this years dates yet but they're usually the 3 weekends leading up to halloween. About 10 minutes from pittsford is Hathaway Farms, which has a huge corn maze. I recommend doing their "moonlight madness" run at night for extra spookiness.
If you want to pick your own pumpkins to carve (I know I always do) Winslow farm has a huge field that you can go out and find your perfect pumpkin in, plus its right off route 7 so it's easily spotted. Depending on when you visit it might be a little late for apple picking, but my favorite is Mad Tom's Orchard. A little farther south than my other recommendations but it's a beautiful farm so It's worth the drive. Alternatively, you can visit the Rutland Farmer's market and get your pumpkins, apples, cider and donuts there, amongst other goodies. That'll be right in downtown rutland so there are places to eat and a movie theater nearby if you're looking for other things to do.
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Awesome. Thanks for taking the time to write this up!
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The band funbridge is having Seth Yacovone sit in with them all night for a Halloween gig at Stella Notte in Jeffersonville. That should be a damn good time
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My co workers have been talking about going to this.
I've never been but have heard good things
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Apple Barn in Bennington, VT! The whole place is awesome, maize maze lol, pumpkin chucking, and most of the the items they sell are perfect for Halloween anyways (hot fresh apple cider, cider donuts, candies etc)
Disclaimer: I haven't been there in about 5 years.
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Well, it's not the place it was 5 years ago. The couple that owned it divorced, and the wife did away with all the cool autumn stuff. No corn maze, no pumpkin chucking. They no longer even make their own cider! Still make cider donuts, though, but they use a commercial batter that tastes like crap. She's destroyed the place.
I lived in the area for 45 years, and for my entire life the apple barn was part of the my autumn rituals. It's a shadow of its former self, just like the rest of the area. It makes me unutterably sad.
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Well that sucks..
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Agreed! I worked there when the couple in question bought the place and, while they made changes that made the natives cringe (lots of cheesy Vermontiana), they at least hired people to make cider there...now it's all Sysco food that they just heat up and package as "Homemde in Vermont!"
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Yeah. Although their bake shop was still pretty great last I was there. They had some local bakers that were really good. (But they no longer made their own batter for the cider donuts, as I said above. )
The apple barn used to be the number 1 tourist destination in VT. NOT ANYMORE.
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I made the cider donuts as a teen (one of my first jobs) and the mix comes from a big, industrial bag, but we added real, fresh cider (which was cool). Who knows what they do these days, though. ;P
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boo.
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Most small towns have very old cemeteries for fun candle-light spooky walks - just be respectful and don't litter or vandalize.
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I'm going to be in the Rutland Halloween Parade on the 31st. It's big enough to have it's own Wikipedia page! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutland_Halloween_Parade
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I would come up to Vermont for Halloween. What other events are happening? I already took 4 days off with no plans.
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IF any corn mazes are still standing, take advantage.
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Honestly, the best part of Halloween up here in my mind is just walking down a farm road under the waning gibbous moon breathing in the smell of decaying leaves and pumpkins. I used to go trick-or-treating as a kid in our very rural surroundings, and it would be a long walk from one house to the next. It doesn't get much more deliciously spooky than that. Even if you're too old to trick-or-treat, you can still take in the ambiance.
There are lots of events going on in Brattleboro; I'm sure that's true of other towns as well. http://www.reformer.com/ci_19220330
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Yes. Exactly. One of the reasons I lived in VT as long as I did was exactly what you describe. Just thinking of VT in autumn, and at Halloween, makes my heart hurt.
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Dude! You're breaking my heart! Why'd you leave? :)
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Ohh god. Such a long story.
Basically, I had been out of work for a lot of years because A) I had Lyme; B) there was no longer any work after the crash of '08; C)I discovered that my girlfriend of SEVENTEEN FUCKING YEARS had been having a year long affair with an obese married bald guy she worked with. Broken heart aside, I needed her income to survive, just like she needed mine for the first ten years we were together.
Anyway, I rented my house out and moved down to NYC, where I am from. Met a lovely woman who lived in Larchmont, just outside of the city, got a decent job working with awesome people.
I miss Vermont and the life I used to have there so badly I almost can't talk about it. (I'm actually crying as I write this.) I miss the quiet, I miss the wood stove, I miss the snow, I miss how just surviving winter seems like an accomplishment; I miss my garden. And especially, missing autumn makes me hurt deep in my soul. Autumn in Vermont is so much of the fabric of who I am. Walking down a dirt road on a late autumn night, with owls hooting, and the bare trees silhouetted agains t the starry sky...cider and apples; the sound and smell of the leaves, waking up in the morning with the sun pouring through the windows, looking out onto the towering mountains glowing in brilliant red and golds..
I'll move back someday. Please God. I just need a good job or a lot of money, and my ex to move back to Texas or be hit by a car. Especially the latter.
Thanks for asking, man. Ima go cry myself to sleep now. I literally have tears running down my cheeks.
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That's really rough. I hope things turn around for you soon.
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Wow... thanks for making me tear up at work. :(
I hope you get a chance to get up to the hills to visit. It's not enough to fill the hole, but it takes the edge off.
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Great corn maze! http://www.vermontcornmaze.com/HAUNTED.html
Latest they do is Oct. 10
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Pittsford Haunted House :)
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Halloween parade in Rutland.
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Queen City ghost walk is pretty cool. Nightmare is also fun to do.
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Well Halloween is a children's holiday so not sure what you're expecting to get out of it. Unless you're 5.
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Shameless plug (I work for these folks): http://gainesfarm.com/haunted/haunted.hayride.html
Is there anything else to do in the area?
Brattleboro, just 15 minutes north of there is a great town. Its downtown got hit by both fire and flooding (Irene) a few years back, but it's been bouncing back lately. There are a number of good restaurants, shops, galleries, etc. I like eating outside on the Connecticut river at Whetstone brewery(gastro pub), but there are many others. Really depends on what you are looking for.
Thank you!
The Whetstone Brewery is the best. Their burgers are amazing, but everything is great. :D
I second u/Tupshin , Bratt is on the up and up. Definitely hit the breweries (Hermit Thrush, Mcneils, Whetstone) and head to Metropolis for the chance at some music late night.