Downtown Greenville Offers Plenty of Family-Friendly Halloween Happenings

It’s October…the temps are getting cooler, the leaves are changing colors and Downtown is decidely SPOOKIER! Halloween is around the corner & this is a very important tie of year for the little ones. Not only is the choice of costume so very important, but all the other things that make this time of year so frightfully fun must be addressed. So if you’re looking for some Halloween Happenings to entertain your little monsters (& your teen monsters too), head Downtown for these events sure to fright & delight!

The Greenville Library System is offering many family-friendly Halloween events. Their kids’ craft events – Kindercraft, CraftTime & In BeTween Crafts – are all offering Halloween & Fall-themed projects this month. The tiniest ghouls & boos can have some Howlin’ Good Fun at the Hughes Main Library’s Bouncing Baby BOO Bash, for babies 18 months and under. This event which offers games, prizes and costume contests, will take place October 30th, starting at 11AM. The Library’s Storytime events take on a certain spookiness as kids are encouraged to come in costume to hear scary, Halloween-themed stories. For more information on these and other events at your local library, visit http://www.greenvillelibrary.org.

The Children’s Museum is offering two Halloween themed events this season. The first, BOO-seum, is returning for another year with science-themed, spooky fun every weekend in October. In addition to this family favorite, TCM is offering a twist on their art-themed events with Haunted Art Studios. Kids can create Halloween themed art projects under the guidance of the artist-in-residence. TCM also offers other events such as Halloween & Fall-themed craft projects to really get the kids in the Halloween spirit! For more info on these and other events at The Children’s Museum, visit http://www.tcmupstate.org.

For many families, no event signals the coming of Halloween like the Greenville Zoo’s BOO in the Zoo! For more than two decades, this zoo sponsored trick-or-treating has been the “must-attend” Halloween event for the “under 12 set.” This year’s event takes place October 19-21 & 26-28. Cost is $3 for adults & $6 for children (Children must have an adult chaperone). For more information on this not-so-scary event, visit http://www.greenillezoo.com.

The Saturday Market (on Court Street) is a favorite with families – and October is no exception. Join them on Saturday, October 27 for their Autumn Harvest from 8AM until noon. This year’s celebration will feature trick-or-treating for the kids, a cake walk, Ghost Buddies crafts with the folks from The Children’s Museum, a Fall Recipe Swap & a visit from the Star Wars 501st Legion, who will be roaming the Market. Best of all, it’s FREE!   For more info, visit http://saturdaymarketlive.com.

Looking for a Halloween event with a little more BITE? Then join the Zombie hoard on October 19 for the 3rd Annual Greenville Zombie Awakening. For the past couple of years, hundreds of the Walking Dead have invaded Main Street in search of BRAINS! A grassroots effort started by a group of college students & zombie enthusiasts, this year’s event promises to be even more “zombielicious”. Zombie costumes are required to participate & this is an all ages event. For more info, visit their Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/gzombieawakening.

Chills and thrills, with a little history thrown in, are what you will find when you take a Greenville Ghost Tour. Writer and paranormal specialist, Jason Profitt will lead you on a spine-tingling tour of Greenville’s supernatural side. 3 special Halloween night tours are scheduled, in addition to his regularly scheduled Thursday-Sunday 7PM tours. Tour cost is $20 for adults, $10 for children 13 & under. To book your tour & for more information, call 248-6472 or visit http://greenvilleghost.com.

In addition to the Zombie Walk & the Ghost Tours, two Haunted attractions, which are particularly popular with teens, are open in Downtown Greenville. The first, The Haunted Vault of Horror, is located at 245 N. Main Street (across from The Hyatt). Open weekends, starting at 7:30PM, this haunted attraction will take you on a frightful tour of freaks and frights. Cost is $15 per person. For more info, visit www.screamfinder.com. The second haunted attraction is a longtime Greenville favorite, Nightmare on Pendleton Street. Cooked up by the guys at B93.7, this attraction is an ever-changing screamfest of terror. Located at 904 Pendleton Street, this event is open every weekend in October from 7PM until everyone has gone home . For more info, visit www.b937online.com.

There you have it…plenty of family-friendly events for kids of all ages. So, head Downtown to get your hair raised and your spine-tingled. For more Howlin’ Good Halloween Happenings, check out the Downtown Greenville, SC Facebook Page every Friday for a posting of a calendar of events. Happy Halloween!

Classic Movies on the Stage & Screen in September

I just love the old classic movies…the good ones, the bad ones and the ones that are so bad, they’re good! And I really love getting to see them in new and different ways. This month, Downtown Greenville gives you two options of experiencing time-honored classics – both of the traditional & cult classic varieties – that will be tons of fun for you and your fellow cinema addicts.

 

One of my favorite events to take place in Downtown Greenville is Moonlight Movies. Every May & September, classic old movies, starring legends of old Hollywood, are shown on an outdoor screen for your viewing pleasure.  This family friendly, free movie event takes place every Wednesday evening around 8-ish.  Due to construction at the Peace Center, the location for Moonlight Movies has been moved to Falls Park. Movie lovers will have the chance to experience such classics as “High Noon”, starring Gary Cooper (on September 5^th), “12 Angry Men”, starring Henry Fonda (September 12^th) and “An American in Paris”, starring Gene Kelly (September 19^th). Classic cinema aficionados will  even have the opportunity to choose what movie will be shown as the finale of this event. For the September 26^th screening, viewers can choose between “Roman Holiday” (starring Audrey Hepburn),  “On the Waterfront” (starring Marlon Brando) or  “To Catch a Thief” (starring Cary Crant & Grace Kelly).  Lawn chairs, blankets and picnics are welcome at this event, but please leave your pets at home.  Drinks (of both the alcoholic & non-alcoholic variety) will be available for sale, but individuals consuming alcohol at the event will need to purchase a $1 wristband. Like all City of Greenville events, Moonlight Movies is smoke-free. For more information, a movie schedule or to vote for your Viewers’ Choice, visit http://www.greenvillesc.gov/PublicInfo_Events/MoonlightMovies.

 

If you prefer your classics to be more of the “cult” variety, then has the Warehouse Theatre got a show for you! Back by popular demand, that campy fave, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is returning  September 7^th in all its theatrical glory to the stage at the Warehouse Theatre.  Starring Will Ragland as Frankenfurter, this year’s production promises to be even bigger, better & bawdier!  Performances are 8PM on September 7 – 8, 13-15, 20-22 & 27-29^th, with special midnight performances taking place on Saturdays (the 8^th, 15^th, 22^nd & 29^th). Tickets are $40 and are selling fast (the last time “Rocky Horror” was performed, shows sold out in record time).  For those wanting a “behind the scenes” glimpse of this popular production, the theatre will hold a WHT Forum on Wednesday, September 5^th at 6PM. For more information on this and other Warehouse Theatre productions, visit http://www.warehousetheatre.com.

 

So, there you have it movies lovers…Downtown gives you the chance to be in a gunfight at high noon, get angry with Juror #8, dance in Paris or even do the Time Warp! Hey, it’s just a jump to the left…