Spooky Season in Lake Hartwell Country

Boo! It’s that time of year again: football season is in full swing, the leaves are changing, the morning air is crisp… and Halloween is right around the corner. Here are a few ways you can have a fiendishly fun fall in Lake Hartwell Country!

Ashtabula Historic Home is offering spooky historic ghost tours this month!

Ghost Tours at Ashtabula and Woodburn

Throughout October and into November, Ashtabula and Woodburn Historic Homes in Pendleton are offering a terrifying twist on their usual house tours. Expert guides lead guests through the properties by candlelight, regaling them with ghost stories. From paranormal encounters to unexplained deaths, plenty of oddities have occurred in these homes’ nearly two centuries of existence. You can book a ghost tour at Ashtabula on October 11, 18, and 19, and November 2. Woodburn offers ghost tours on October 12 and November 1.

South Carolina Bigfoot Festival

Though not technically Halloween themed, this annual festival honors one of the scariest cryptids of all. Whether you call the creature Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Skunk Ape, or Yeti, these giant, hairy humanoids will make an appearance on Westminster’s main street October 11-12. Both kids and adults can participate in a costume contest on Saturday, as well as trying their hand at summoning Bigfoot. Strange things will certainly be afoot in Westminster that weekend.  

Keowee Marina Fall Festival

Dive right into the Keowee Marina Fall Festival! From 12pm-4pm on October 20, this free event will delight the whole family. Costumes are welcome, and an on-site photobooth will let you commemorate your best Halloween attire. Food trucks, local craft vendors, a DJ, games, and a trunk or treat ensures you get the full Halloween experience with a gorgeous marina backdrop. Good thing there’s only a “Creature from The Black Lagoon” and not one from Lake Keowee!

Anderson County Museum Monster Mash

Fun, games, and a little bit of education combine to make this costume party a graveyard smash. Kids 12 and under (and their parents/guardians) are invited to the Anderson County Museum from 1pm-3pm on October 26 for a scary good time. Admission is just $1 per person to help support the museum.

Halloween Spooktacular Concert

“Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!” Bram Stoker’s Dracula once waxed poetic about the “music” of his howling wolves, but for those of us who prefer more melodious tunes, Clemson University’s Symphony and String Orchestras are here to provide. At 3pm on October 27, these talented students will take the stage at the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts and perform a selection of haunting songs. This concert is free to attend (and is sure to put Dracula’s wolves to shame).

Enjoy some kid-friendly, scare-free fun at the Anderson County Museum's Monster Mash.

When it comes to family-friendly Halloween activities, Lake Hartwell Country is as full as your kid’s trick-or-treat bag. Of course, we couldn’t list them all, so don’t forget to check your municipality’s website or social media pages to find more trunk-or-treats, parades, markets, and parties near you. Anderson’s Trunk or Treat, the City of Pickens Trick or Treat Down Main Street, and Walhalloween are just a few of the ways you can celebrate close to home. We can’t wait to jump into spooky season with these ghostly good times!