Check out all the thrills, chills and haunts in Cortland County
Halloween is just around the corner, and Cortland County has all the thrills, chills, haunts, and happenings you’re searching for. Whether you want to scream till you cry, commune with the beyond, or enjoy a little family-friendly trick-or-treating, we’ve got just the thing!
FALL FAMILY FUN
If you are looking for some Halloween fun that is more treats than tricks, we’ve got just the list for you!
THE GREAT CORTLAND PUMPKINFEST
Court House Park
Cortland, NY
The Great Cortland Pumpkinfest comes to Cortland October 7-8. The festival features live performances, festival food, hayrides, a craft market, carnival rides, and a pumpkin patch where they can pick out their first pumpkins of the season.
Enjoy the rides, petting zoo, pony rides, games and hay rides. Browse local crafters and artisans. The Kids’ Zone offers games and activities for children of all ages. Delicious festival food can be found, with local favorites honoring the flavors of the season. Don’t forget to stop by the Pumpkin Pub for a beverage and love music.
PUN’KIN PALLOSSA
Anderson’s Farm Market
5887 State Route 281
Join us on October 14 for a full filled with fantastic fall festivities, including over 100 vendors, food vendors, brews & drink vendors, concessions, entertainment, activities, community outreach programs, photographers, live animals and MORE! Free Admission for the whole family!
HALLOWEEN FUN AT THE FIREHOUSE
Virgil Fire Dept
1195 W State Rd, Cortland
October 22, 4-6pm, join in the fun at the Virgil Firehouse with hayrides, games, trick or treating, pumpkin painting, dancing and live music.
“HOLLOW”EEN ON THE FARM
Daisy Hollow Farm
830 Daisy Hollow Rd
Bring the kids out to Daisy Hollow Farm for the annual Happy “Hollow”een on the Farm, October 28-29, from noon to 6 pm! Try your luck at a trick-or-treat scavenger hunt, snuggle all the fuzzy farm animals and enter the costume contest. Don’t worry, Mom and Dad; there is a little something for grown-ups too! Saturday night, live music from 4-6 by Li’l Anne and the Hot Cayenne. Hopshire Brewery will be on site serving fine craft beer, and Fire Dawgs BBQ will be dishing up hot, delicious meals!
TRUNK-OR-TREAT
Downtown Cortland
Court Street, Cortland
Mark your calendars! The City of Cortland Fire Dept. and Cortland Youth Bureau are hosting a Trunk-or-Treat event in historic downtown Cortland. Put on your best costumes and promenade down Court Street on October 28, from 2-4 pm, to fill your bags will loads of treats.
THIRD ANNUAL HALLOWS & HAUNTS FEST
Artisan Elements
77 S. West St, Cortland NY
October 28-29, Artisan Elements is being taken over by Hallows & Haunts! Admission to this family-friendly event includes; a Haunted House with LIVE Scares! Private Movie Theatre access, playing, “Hocus Pocus,” Trunk Or Treat Stations, Make & Take Craft, Apple Bobbing, Glow Stick Dance Off, Pumpkin Smashing, Ghostly Ringtoss, Lawn Games, Bonfire, and Haunted Garden Walk. Concessions, Beverages, Face Painting and Tarot Reads must be purchased separately.
HALLOWEEN FAMILY FUN
1890 House Mesume
37 Tompkins St, Cortland
Sunday, October 29, from 1-4pm The 1890 House Invites you to join them for a spooky good time. Crafts and games, theamed rooms, and plenty of tricks or treats makes this an event perfect for the whole family.
CINCINNATUS COSTUME PARADE
Cincinnatus Fire Department
5722 Telephone Rd Ext, Cincinnatus
Cincinnatus Fire Department is hosting a Halloween parade through Cincinnatus. October 31, from 5–8pm. Join the Cincinnatus Fire Department for trunk-or-treating and free refreshments at the fire station.
BOOS FOR THE BIG KIDS
Ready to scream, laugh, and commune with the dearly departed? This list is for the more adventurous souls among us. Proceed with caution.
SCREAMS! Find your frights in Cortland County. Be sure to check with the venue to see if it’s appropriate for your young ones.
FREAK AT THE PEAK: ZOMBIE ZIP LINE
Greek Peak Adventure Center
2000 St-Rt 392, Cortland
October 13 & 14, fly through the trees and survive high in the sky on the Zombie Zipline. This 2 Line Zip tour will take you through the woods, braving the undead that wander below. You’ll have to decide which you’re more afraid of… heights or zombies. Reservations are required.
FREAK AT THE PEAK: HAUNTED COASTER
Greek Peak Adventure Center
2000 St-Rt 392, Cortland
We’ve all heard of a haunted house, but have you heard of a haunted roller coaster?! October 20-21 and 27-28 take a spin on the scariest mountain coaster around. Flying through the forest filled with freaks and creeps is sure to get your heart racing! Want to take your young ones? Greek Peak offers a less spooky version from 6-7 pm. But once darkness descends, beware! Reservations are required.
SCREENS! From cult classics to spooky history we’ve got it all!
SCARY MOVIES IN A SCRAY HOUSE
1890 House Museum
37 Tompkins St, Cortland
The 1890 House Museum is hosting a scary movie night. Come watch a scary movie in a scary house! Concessions will be available. Tickets $5 per adult-$3 students. Ages 13 and up. Spooky Movie Schedule: October 20 at 7pm The House on Haunted Hill & October 27 at 7pm The Night of the Living Dead!
CORTLAND’S CABINET OF CURIOSITIES: EXPLORING OUR CURIOUS & PARANORMAL PAST
Center for the Arts of Homer
72 South Main St, Homer
We invite you to join us for a frighteningly fun evening unearthing our curious and paranormal past! The cabinet creeks open with a cocktail hour, where you can mingle with local historians, shop oddities and art, and discover your future, all while sipping our signature trail cocktail. It’s devilishly delicious!
The evening events then move into the historic theater, where it’s more than 100-year-old hallowed halls will host a viewing premier of our Curious Shorts, followed by storytelling and Q&A with our professors of the peculiar.
The door to the cabinet swings wide open at 8:30 p.m. for a paranormal investigation with Dream Seekers Paranormal. Discover whose souls roam the historic church, utilizing cutting-edge paranormal technology.
ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Center for the Arts of Homer
72 South Main St, Homer
October 27, at 7pm, is your chance to do the time warp again! Come dressed in any costume for discounted admission and concessions. Mingle over wine and beer at the bar before the show. General admission tickets are $15 and can be purchased in advance or at the doors.
SPIRITS
From ghost hunts to communing beyond the veil, Cortland County is your place to discover the otherworldly.
AN EVENING OF VICTORIAN SPIRITUALISM
1890 House Museum
37 Tompkins St, Cortland
October 7, The 1890 House presents an Evening of Victorian Spiritualism with an internationally renowned psychic medium! Dr. Susan Barnes holds a Ph.D. From NYU for Media Ecology. She has written nine books, including Unfolding Physical Mediumship in 2019. Dr. Barnes studied at the Arthur Findley College in England and is certified through the Spiritualist National Union. Dr. Sue has an art gallery in the Lily Dale community, as well as educates on Physical Mediumship and Spirit. She also hosts a podcast called Spiritual Support with Dr. Sue on Transformation Radio.
AFTER DARK PSYCHIC FAIR
1890 House Museum
37 Tompkins St, Cortland
October 13, from 6-9pm The 1890 House will be filled with tarot readers, energy workers, and vendors! Learn how to use a pendulum or dowsing rods to speak with the spirits. Tickets online and at the door are $10.
GRAVEYARD TOUR
Virgil Town Hall
1175 NY-392, Cortland
Come for the Third Annual Historic Cemetery Tour…if you dare! Walk with Virgil Town Historian Marsha Powell on October 14, 10am, through the rolling hills of the Virgil Cemetery. Learn the stories buried within the graves of some of Virgil’s most notorious, mischievous, and even murderous citizens. Hollenbeck’s cider and doughnuts will be provided. A $5 donation to the Historical Society is requested. (Tour begins at the Virgil Town Hall)
PSYCHIC READING
1890 House Museum
37 Tompkins St, Cortland
October 15 at 3pm, The 1890 Phil Jordan, renowned psychic, who will deliver messages from beyond the veil. This group reading promises to be ghoulishly good fun! Back by popular demand, these tickets will disappear quickly.
CURIOSITIES GHOST HUNT
Center for the Arts of Homer
72 S. Main St, Homer
October 26, Cortland Curiosities invites you to join us for a frighteningly fun evening unearthing our curious and paranormal past! Directly following the Curiosity Cabinet cocktail hour and viewing the premier of our Curious Shorts, the Center for the Arts hosts its first public paranormal investigation in over a decade. The door to the cabinet swings wide open at 8:30 p.m. for a ghost hunt with Dream Seekers Paranormal. Discover whose souls roam the historic church, utilizing cutting-edge paranormal technology.
PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION
1890 House Museum
37 Tompkins St, Cortland
October 28, from 6-9:30 pm, join Dream Seekers Paranormal as they host a paranormal investigation at the 1890 House Museum. The veil is thin, and the spirit world wants to communicate. Tickets are $35 per person and are available in advance or at the door. Try your hand at reaching into the unknown, all while supporting the restoration of the mansion.
SOIREES!
Mix and mingle and explore the wonderfully wired. From spooktacular fashion shows to curiosity markets and creepy cocktail hours, we know where to find the frightening fun!
CORTLAND CURIOSITIES MARKET
Experience Cortland
42 Main St, Cortland
October 13, join Cortland Curiosities for a weirdly wonderful afternoon unearthing Cortland’s most curious creators. Shop historical oddities, haunted artifacts, cottagecore, spooktacular jewelry, macabre macrame, peculiar art and devilishly good delights. You will also have the opportunity to discover Cortland County’s Strange & Forgotten History Trail at this free market event. Shop, discover and mingle with the weirdly wonderful creators of Cortland Curiosities. Friday the 13 never felt so lucky!
VINTAGE CATWALK & SOIREE
Crown City Curiosities
75 E. Court St, Cortland
The fine folks at Crown City Curiosities are putting on the Ritz on October 13, from 7-10:30pm. Witness as the historic Cortland Corset Building is transformed into a vintage fashion capital, rivaling the likes of Paris, New York, London and Milan. Sip cocktails as models strut the catwalk in vintage high fashion, transporting viewers to another area. Ooh and ahh over retro ensembles, ranging from everyday glamor to costume-worthy.
When the fashion parade ends, the shopping begins! Snag your favorite vintage piece. Create your own unforgettable ensemble. Shop local arts, makers, and creators and bring home your own one-of-a-kind curiosity! Fashion has never been so weirdly wonderful.
SAMHAIN SOIREE
Artisan Elements
77 S. West St, Cortland NY
Friday, October 27, 6-9pm Artisan Elements presents: ‘Samhain Soiree’, an adults-only evening! Dress in your costume, grab your bestie, spouse, mailman or favorite neighbor and enjoy the night without the kids! Admission includes; 15-minute tarot/psychic reading, ghost tour, eats and treats, a haunted house, viewing of the cult classic “Halloween”, costume contest, haunted walk through the gardens, escape room, bonfire and dancing, drinks & dares with the DJ All Night Long! Adult beverages available for purchase!