Mackinac Island’s Halloween weekend, a free lighthouse climb and Petoskey’s pumpkin walk fill the Straits’ October

MACKINAW CITY, Mich. — The last weeks of the season around the Straits of Mackinac bring a free climb up a lighthouse tower, Mackinac Island’s Halloween weekend before most of its businesses close for the season, and a costume parade through downtown Petoskey.

Autumn at McGulpin Point, Saturday, Oct. 17. Emmet County’s McGulpin Point Lighthouse, at 500 Headlands Road in Mackinaw City, opens its tower from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a free, self-guided climb with views of the Straits, according to the county. Cider and doughnuts are served while supplies last, and the gift shop is open.

Mackinaw City scarecrows, through Oct. 31. Businesses and community groups have put up scarecrows downtown for the monthlong Scarecrow Stroll, according to the Northern Michigan Guides events listing, which also lists a chamber of commerce trunk-or-treat at Old School Park from 5 to 7 p.m. on Halloween.

Mackinac Island Halloween Weekend, Oct. 23–25. The island’s tourism bureau bills the weekend as typically the last big one before most businesses close for the season. Kids can trick-or-treat at participating downtown businesses from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, and adults get costume parties and live music downtown after dark, the bureau says.

The weekend also brings the 30th Great Turtle Trail Run, a half marathon and a 5.7-mile run and walk on the island’s interior trails. The bureau says it draws more than 2,200 runners and walkers and generally starts around 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

At Grand Hotel, the Haunted Trail and Haunted Maze run from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, starting at Caskey’s Snack Shack. Admission is $10 a person, and the hotel says every dollar goes to Give Kids the World, a nonprofit that serves critically ill children and their families.

Downtown Petoskey Trick-or-Treat, Saturday, Oct. 31. Costumed kids gather at Central Elementary School at 9:45 a.m. for a 10 a.m. parade down Howard Street to Mitchell Street, followed by trick-or-treating at downtown stores until noon, according to the Downtown Petoskey organization. Downtown streets close to cars during the event, and the Wolfshäger Hexenbrut Witches of Sault Ste. Marie dance at 10 a.m. at East Lake and Howard streets.

Later that day, Petoskey’s Jack-o’-Lantern Walk asks families to bring a pumpkin, carved or decorated, to Pennsylvania Park from 1 to 6 p.m. for a chance at Downtown Dollars, with the pumpkins lit at sunset, according to the Northern Michigan Guides listing.

Downtown Petoskey notes that event details can change, so check each listing before you go.

Sources:
Emmet County, McGulpin Point Lighthouse events, https://www.emmetcounty.org/experiences/mcgulpin_lighthouse/events_at_mcgulpin.php
Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, “Mackinac Island Halloween Weekend”, https://www.mackinacisland.org/halloween-weekend/
Grand Hotel, “Haunted Trail & Haunted Maze at Grand Hotel”, https://www.grandhotel.com/events/haunted-trail-haunted-maze-at-grand-hotel/
Downtown Petoskey, “Downtown Trick or Treat”, https://www.petoskeydowntown.com/events/halloween-fun/
Northern Michigan Guides, “There are an Abundance of Halloween Events in Northern Michigan”, https://northernmichiganguides.com/halloween-trick-or-treat
Photo: Nheyob, “Jack-o-lanterns 2012.JPG,” Oct. 31, 2012, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jack-o-lanterns_2012.JPG

The Straits

Tags: The Straits · Michigan Travel · Halloween · Lighthouses · Things To Do · Pumpkins and Corn Mazes