From Mobile’s historic theatres to beachfront boardwalks, Gulf Coast communities packed the 2021 Halloween season with family festivals, costume contests, haunted attractions and trick-or-treating. Here is a rundown of what was on offer across the region.
Mobile-Area Halloween Events
Boo at Bellingrath returned to Bellingrath Gardens Saturday, Oct. 23 from 3 to 9 p.m., with inflatables, treat stations, a pumpkin patch, spooky storytime with the Mobile Public Library, the Environmental Studies Center’s Raptor Road Show, food trucks and a screening of “Hocus Pocus” on the Great Lawn.
The Exploreum Science Center hosted its Halloween event Oct. 30 from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with experiments including Pumpkin Boom, Bat Gliders and Pumpkin Volcano, plus Dr. Cornelius P. Jitters’ Chambers of Fear and a 2:30 p.m. showing of “Corpse Bride.” General admission applied; members got in free.
The Saenger Theatre launched its first Scream on the Screen movie series — “Friday the 13th” Oct. 29 and “Beetlejuice” Oct. 30 at 7 p.m., with $6 adult tickets and $3 for children and seniors, available only at the Saenger or Civic Center box offices.
Mob-tober Fest staged a free Family Friendly Zombie Fun Run Oct. 30 at Medal of Honor Park, while the USA Archaeology Museum offered free trick-or-treating and activities in its Native Plant Garden Oct. 9. The Boots and BBQ Barn Dash at O’Daly’s Irish Pub on Oct. 24 benefited Children’s of Alabama’s Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic, with $40 tickets covering Moe’s BBQ, games and s’mores.
In Daphne, the public library ran a drive-thru Halloween craft event for pre-K through fifth graders Oct. 15.
Baldwin County Festivities
Terror in the Park at OWA ran weekends Oct. 15–31 with three scare zones and walkthrough haunts, alongside kid-friendly downtown trick-or-treating and even bug candy challenges at Sweet Tooth. Foley’s Family Fun Park hosted a Spooktacular Celebration Oct. 31 with games, balloon art and trick-or-treating, and Zaxby’s locations in Daphne, Malbis, Foley, Robertsdale and Gulf Shores handed out free kids’ meals to costumed children Oct. 31.
The third annual Witches Ride pedaled through downtown Bay Minette Oct. 30 at 1 p.m., benefiting the North Baldwin Animal Shelter, while Halloween at The Fort brought shopping and food to Spanish Fort’s container district Oct. 29. The 35th Annual Halloween Howler disc golf tournament took over Chickasabogue Park Oct. 23–24.
Gulf Shores and Orange Beach
Gulf Shores highlights included BooLu’s at LuLu’s on Oct. 30 with a kids’ costume contest and trunk-or-treating, BOO at the Zoo at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo the morning of Oct. 23, and Ghouls on the Gulf beach camping at Gulf State Park. The Flora-Bama closed out October with a Boo Fest for kids and its traditional costume contest carrying more than $2,000 in cash and prizes.
Pensacola and the Florida Panhandle
Pensacon HalloweenFest filled Museum Plaza in downtown Pensacola Oct. 30 with vendors, celebrity guests — including actor Deep Roy of “Star Wars,” “Star Trek” and “Doctor Who” fame — live entertainment and trick-or-treating, all free to attend. The Pensacola Beach Chamber’s inaugural Halloween Pub Crawl hit a dozen island venues the same day, and Beach-O-Ween brought four days early of boardwalk trick-or-treating Oct. 22.
The Blue Wahoos combined stadium trick-or-treating, a screening of Disney’s “Cruella” and a fireworks show over Pensacola Bay on Oct. 29 for $5 a ticket. Elsewhere: Palafox Market’s special Halloween Market edition ran Oct. 30 with costumed characters and a scavenger hunt, Escambia County Fire Rescue held a truck-or-treat on Lillian Highway, Milton threw its first Fall Festival at Jernigan’s Landing, Perdido Key paired trunk-or-treating with an outdoor showing of “E.T.” at Baars Field, and the Destin Library hosted its Halloween Hike and an after-hours spooky movie night.
