Slice of Life: Spooky Season Wrap-Up 2024
The Halloween season is over which means I’m already transitioning over into Christmas mode. I did manage to get out more this Halloween season and check out some local events this year! Though it’s been a particularly warm Autumn season, I’m glad it didn’t rain when I did go to these events and that we’ve been having good crisp Autumn weather (even though it’s mostly been warm). Here are some of my highlights of Halloween/Autumn Season 2024 and how I celebrated throughout the season.
FrankenFest
FrankenFest features mad, magical and mystical artwork from the area’s most intriguing vendors stitched together with a showcase of literary guests, haunt aficionados and paranormal experts. It was held at Detroit’s Historic Fort Wayne which surprisingly I haven’t been to yet since I’m such a history nerd. The place needs a lot of upkeep, but the architecture is neat to see up close. They had lots of vendors and entertainment along with panels.
Black Lagoon Pop-Up
Black Lagoon is an immersive Halloween experience, from creepy themed cocktails, to things that go bump in the night. This pop-up was held in multiple cities within the US and I went to the one hosted at The Skip Detroit. Even though it is an open air bar I love how they used the space to go all in with the spooky décor. They had a good variety of drinks and mocktails (no food). Also how cool is the cup (first picture) for the drink called “Siren’s Song”.
MrBallen: The Strange, Dark, & Mysterious Live Tour
My good friend Lisa, introduced me to MrBallen’s YouTube channel a couple of years ago and since then I’ve been hooked. Usually we go to a Halloween Garage Sale every spooky season but it was cancelled. Luckily MrBallen came to the Detroit area so we decided to meet up and go to the show together. MrBallen is a true crime podcast host and one of the internet’s biggest storytellers and this is his first ever live tour. It was interesting to see how the stories were formatted for a live show and the fifth tale really had me shook. It was a cool experience and I’d be interesting in checking out another show like this in the future.
Saugatuck
Saugatuck, MI is known for its art galleries, harbor, marinas, scenery, unusual stores, the view from atop Mount Baldhead, and tourist attractions. I got to go back in October for an Autumnal weekend getaway with family. It was very cozy, relaxing, and I was most definitely living out my Autumn Hallmark town movie dreams. There was beautiful scenery, lots of cute shops, and delicious restaurants. I got to visit the Saugatuck Dunes State Park (right photo) and had a fun time on the dune rides (picture in the middle is me at the top of a sand dune!). I loved seeing the fall foliage everywhere and made stops at Crane’s Orchard and the nearby cities of Douglas and Holland. Can’t wait to go back here again!
Terror on Tillson St
Terror on Tillson, one of Michigan’s largest neighborhood-funded Halloween attractions! I’ve heard about it for years and finally got to go. Decorations start to go up early October and even by mid-October (when I visited) they still were adding to each displays. My tip would be to go early as soon as it gets dark and the closer you get to Halloween the more completed the displays are. Each display is unique and you can see the passion they put into creating spooktastic yard displays.
Jack O Lantern Journey
This was a brand new experience offered by the Detroit Zoo which featured enchanting, illuminated pumpkin displays, fall décor and photo opportunities where the magic of the season comes to life. Of course the weekend I went we had actual autumn weather and even with a jacket over my Halloween costume I was freezing! Sans being cold, this was a great event which I hope the zoo will host again. The trail is not only illuminated with great displays but there were also entertainers along the path and it was fun to see all the various costumes.
Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert
Anyone who knows me, knows I love the Nightmare Before Christmas so when I heard the Detroit Symphony Orchestra was playing the live score I had to snag some tickets. Being a super fan I was delighted to hear the music being played live while watching the movie. It was a magical music moment!
What were some of your highlights from Halloween/Autumn? Did you get to do anything fun? Let me know in the comments! And as always you can follow me on my Instagram page to see my bookish adventures, life stuff, and current reads.
