PINELLAS COUNTY - Plenty of spooky fun, including haunted houses, costume balls, tricks and treats and more are happening all around Pinellas and beyond.
Check out the frightening assortment of ghostly events in Tampa Bay Newspapers online Halloween Haunts listings.
Clearwater
• The historic Belleview Biltmore Resort, long rumored to be haunted, will open its doors on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 30 and 31, 7 p.m., so the public can decide if there is any truth to ghostly speculations. The hotel will conduct tours starting at the main lobby and lead throughout the property. Costumed guides will tell tales of the resort's 109-year history.
Featured haunts along the way will include ballrooms, hidden passageways and underground tunnels. The tour leaves off at the Sunset Cottage located on the north side of the property. That is when the terror begins as guests enter a Haunted House.
Tours run every hour until 11 p.m. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children. Family friendly activities also will be offered, including a pizza party with games, a costume contest and pumpkin painting. Halloween movies (PG-13) will be shown in the ballroom at 6, 8 and 10 p.m. Kids will be taken in small groups to different parts of the hotel for trick-or-treating. The resort is at 25 Belleview Blvd. Call 373-3000.
Largo
• At Heritage Village's Haunted Village, spooks and spirits of Pinellas County's past will take up residence from Sunday, Oct. 29 through Tuesday, Oct. 31, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Families can experience a spooky spectacular with safe and not-too-scary family trick-or-treating.
The village's historical structures will be decorated in themes. Festivities also will include a full lineup of entertainment, Halloween make-and-take craft opportunities and a variety of tasty treats available from food vendors. Heritage Village is at 11909 125th St. N. Call 582-2123 or visit www.pinellascounty.org/heritage.
Pinellas Park
• A haunted house at 1701 U.S. 19 will frighten visitors through Tuesday, Oct. 31. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Pinellas Park Explorers Post 912. Call 643-6095.
• The Treats You Can Trust Carnival and Treat Trail will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 6 to 10 p.m., at 5121 80th Ave. Call 541-0770.
St. Petersburg
• The St. Petersburg Museum of History will present "Haunted Tales" on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 7 to 9 p.m.
Historical actress Debra Frethem of Tampa Bay Ghost Tours will portray Sarah Williams, known as the "father and mother of St. Petersburg." The museum will celebrate the Haunted Tales Exhibit that features local eerie locations and a special ribbon cutting by the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce for the TBGT additional 10 p.m. tour. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 children 7 to 17 and free for children under age 6.
The museum is at 335 Second Ave. N.E. Call 894-1052 or visit www.spmoh.org.
Tampa
• Cracker Country will present Haunts, Legends & Tall Tales as an educational alternative to traditional haunted houses on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 30 and 31, at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Hoping to "enlighten, not frighten," museum docents will use lanterns to guide small groups as they share the folklore stories of early rural Florida.
Historically-costumed interpreters, set up at four separate stations, will spin tales of Florida 's own headless horseman legend, the ghost train of Islamorada and the bodies buried by Cracker "Bone" Mizell. In addition to other outlandish yarns of the period, guests will hear the accounts of Uncle Monday and other African-American tales. Folks will be able to shop in the J.R. Terry Store for souvenirs of early rural Florida and beverages and light snacks will be available for purchase.
Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for children 5 and under. Parking is free. Guests should enter the fairgrounds by the Orient Road gate. Tours are by reservation only and will be offered at 6:15, 7:15 and 8:15 p.m. Call 813-627-4225. The fairgrounds are at 4800 N. U.S. Hwy. 301. Visit www.floridastatefair.com.
• Lowry Park Zoo's Zoo Boo ends Tuesday, Oct. 31. Hours are 7 to 10 p.m. on Sunday through Tuesday.
This year's event will feature Frankenstein's Foam Party, Spooky Fun Fair, Little Tyke Boo House, Creepy Crawlers Lane, Halloween Animal Show, Midnight Madness, Spooky Trails: Key West Ghost Tour, Cemetery, Unearthed! Secrets of the Museum, and Factory of Living Fear. Zoo Boo uses a "skull" rating system for all attractions, rating them from one to seven skulls, to indicate the intensity of the ride and allow parents to decide what is appropriate for young children.
Cost is $14 for adults, $12 for children ages 3 to 11 and free for children age 2 and under. Ticket price includes free unlimited rides with the exception of Spooky Trails which is $4 a person. Annual Zoo pass holders receive a $1 discount with valid ID. Parking is free.
Adults age 12 and over are not permitted to wear masks, wigs, face paint or costumes. Children 11 and under are invited to come in their most spooktacular attire. Toy weapons of any sort will not be allowed in the zoo. The zoo is at 1101 W. Sligh Ave. Call 813-935-8552.
