From the state’s rich history, to its spooky attractions, and festive parties, Kentucky celebrates Halloween big. Over the course of the weeks leading up to the big day, you can learn something new about the state, listen to tales of ghosts and haunted places, or sample some real Kentucky spirits. Get ready to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve in the Bluegrass State.
If the idea of ghosts and spooks appeal to you, then you have to stay at the Jailer’s Inn B&B in Bardstown. There may be other places to stay, but none as unique as this building built in 1874 that served as the only jail in Nelson County until 1987. Guests stay in beautifully renovated jail cells, some with fireplaces and all with private bathrooms. And for those who want more “boo” in their stay, there’s an original cell-turned-guestroom that has minimal redecorating and the original shower used by female inmates. Located in the oldest part of the jail, there are displays of the weapons prisoners made during their incarceration, poems on the walls written by lonely convicts, and newspaper articles about the activities there. Previous guests and the innkeeper herself have been known to see and hear a few of the men and women who were incarcerated, and there have been reported sightings of a man, woman, and child wandering in the graveyard in back that served as the potter’s field.
Come to Pivot Brewing in Lexington and help celebrate their anniversary and Halloween with boos and brews. Two spectacular Halloween-themed events will be taking place—one during the daytime and one after dark. If that doesn’t send chills up your spine, watch one of the scary movies that will be played and enjoy sweet pumpkin and apple empanadas. There’s a costume party, too, so dress up in your best (or worst) costume and come on over for a frightfully delightful time.
This 100-acre family farm that sells vegetables, fruits, and baked goods by day becomes something altogether different at night. Devine’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Harrodsburg is kid-friendly with a Kiddie Corn Maze, petting zoo, and pumpkin picking, but adults get treated to their worst nightmare in the Field of Horror every weekend through October. You never know who you’ll encounter in the rustling cornstalks.
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Known as an award-winning location for excellent bourbons, there’s more to the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, than meets the eye. According to an investigation by the cast and crew of “Ghost Hunters,” the distillery is home to Colonel Blanton, who can be seen roaming the property. The only problem is, he died in 1959! Join the free ghost tour when you visit the distiller and see if you can see the colonel or any of the other ghosts that have been known the frequent they establishment. You’ll also get to sample some “spirits” made right there at the distillery.
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If you’ve ever watched the Kentucky Derby, the song you hear before the race is the state song, “My Old Kentucky Home,” written by Stephen Foster in 1852 from inspiration by Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery book, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The beautiful three-story mansion was built in the late 1790s and was surrounded by 1,200 acres that were intended to be farmed by John Rowan, a relative of Stephen Foster’s. Tours are given daily and guides are dressed in period costumes. Well-versed in life during the Civil War, the guides take you through the family’s journey across several generations up to 1923, when the house was given to the state as a state park. During the month of October, an exhibit and lecture series called “Weep No More” is provided and gives detailed information about Victorian funeral customs and how people dealt with death. This is not something to miss.
One of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War took place in a field that is now a 7,000-acre historic site in central Kentucky. Casualties from both the Union and Confederate armies totaled more than 7,600, and it was a strategic battle that ultimately helped turn the tide of the way for the North. When you visit this National Historic Landmark, you can still see canons and the remains of the battle dotting the rolling countryside, and it has been reported numerous times by paranormal investigators from “Ghost Adventures” that shadowy figures have been seen roaming the fields. Each year, the park has an interpretive program for visitors that allows you to live like a Civil War soldier for a day, and there’s a walking tour, “Ghost of Battle,” every Saturday.
You’ll think you died and went to candy heaven when you visit Witt’s End Candy Emporium in Bellevue, Kentucky. From small glass jars on the shelves that line the walls to the barrels of individually wrapped candies on the showroom floor, there are more than 600 types of candy from today’s favorites to popular confections from days gone by. So many options, so little time! They also sell bulk candy so you can stock up for Halloween and never run out on trick or treat night!
Most people who visit downtown Louisville are familiar with the Little Slugger bats, museum, and the stadium that bears that name, but few know that there’s another bat in town. Located a little further down on Main Street, there’s a giant black blood-sucking vampire bat on the side of the country’s oldest remaining magic and novelty stores. Caufield’s Novelty has been around since 1915, first as a photography studio, then developing into a place where you can buy practical jokes, magic tricks, and Halloween costumes for kids and adults. The three-story building holds everything you could want to celebrate Halloween from a dungeon with state-of-the-art decorations and props to rooms of costumes, masks, scary make-up, and everything that will make you transform into someone, or something, else! Still family-owned and operated, the store is open seven days a week during October.
Do you love being outdoors? Do you love ghost stories? Then you’ll want to visit Carter Caves State Resort Park in Olive Hill and take an adventure on the wild side through the quarter-mile trail that has been named one of the best haunted places in the area. Ghosts and goblins await you if you dare, but better leave the little ones at home for this one. Open weekends through October.
Reported to be the most haunted place on earth, one look at Waverley Hills Sanatorium sends shivers up and down your spine. Located near Louisville, the 1910 building was first used as a hospital, then for tuberculosis patients in the 1920s. Created to be a very modern and comfortable building with over 500 rooms, there were over 6,000 deaths at the sanatorium, including staff members, but medical records have never been found to substantiate the exact number. The Death Tunnel is a popular haunted place because it was used to take bodies out of the hospital. Perhaps some never left? Open on weekends during the month of October, there is always something going on at Waverly Hills, like regular tours and the official haunted house tour that begins at midnight.
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