(WWJ) Spooky season is in full swing, and that means there's lots of frightfully fun things to do! Here are a few of our top picks for events happening this weekend in Metro Detroit, brought to you by WWJ's Don't Miss List.
1. Cider in the City
Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 11-12 & 18-19, 1PM-5PM
Beacon Park, Detroit
This fall-time fun event features Detroit city views, parkside dining, live music, family activities, an open-air tent and enticing food options including fresh hot cider, tasty caramel apples and more — courtesy of Blake’s Farms. Food trucks will be onsite, and Lumen Detroit, the park’s flagship restaurant, will feature its fall cocktails, craft beer and hard cider selections.
2. Zoo Boo
Friday-Sunday, Oct. 10-12, 17-19 & 24-26
Detroit Zoo, Royal Oak
Gather your little goblins for one of the most popular Halloween events in Metro Detroit! Bring your reusable bag, enjoy trick-or-treating at the zoo — with a full lineup of family-friendly entertainment, character meet-and-greets and seasonal fun at every turn. As the sun sets, watch as the zoo comes alive with glowing “fun-kins,” elaborate, illuminated displays, costumed performers and nonstop fall festivities.
3. Detroit Opera House Tours
Saturday, Oct. 11, 11AM or 12:30PM
Detroit Opera House, Detroit
If you haven't seen inside this place, here's your chance! A 55-minute tour offers the public a behind-the-scene look at this beautiful, historic 1922 theater, designed by renowned architect C. Howard Crane. Reservations are required with tickets available online or at the Box Office (Broadway Street) during regular business hours.
4. Jack O’ Lanterns Unleashed
Every Thursday-Sunday through Halloween
Ingham County Fairgrounds
Step into the magic at Jack O’ Lanterns Unleashed in Mason: a half-mile trail glowing with 5,000 hand-carved pumpkins arranged into 30+ displays. There will be a pumpkin smash rage room, dirty soda bar, train display, fire pits, glow golf, and more family fun! Perhaps the best part: Children ages 12 and under get in FREE.
5. Erebus Haunted Attraction
Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 9–12 (& MORE DATES)
18 S Perry St., Pontiac
Can you endure over a half-mile indoor walk through one of the world's largest haunted attractions? What some say is the scariest haunted house in Metro Detroit is now open — with a new theme for 2025. Promoters say: "In a ghastly turn, advanced AI has gone rogue, taking control of Erebus and creating an AI Armageddon with a mission to wipe out humanity. The fright-fest of electrifying, hair-raising, skin-crawling sensory assaults that have made Erebus famous rises far above the haunt’s four floors of terror." This one is not for the littles.