On the Thumb Coast this month: Haunted Village, harbor walks, and a fiber festival

LEXINGTON, Mich. — Fall on the Thumb Coast is quieter than July, which is the point. The water is still there. The crowds are not.

In Port Sanilac, the Sanilac County Historic Village and Museum brought back Haunted Village on Oct. 10 and has one more night, Oct. 17. WGRT reported the Halloween tradition has run more than 20 years and expects just over 750 guests. After dark, the 10-acre village fills with costumed characters. Families can pick a Family-Friendly Trail or a Super Spooky Trail, with trick-or-treating, bonfires, cider, cocoa and s’mores. Admission is $5; children need an adult.

The same campus just won state money to stabilize the Loop-Harrison House, so the village is both a night out and a place the county is trying to keep standing.

A short drive south, Lexington’s harbor and Main Street still work as a day trip: walk the pier, get coffee, watch freighters if the lake is cooperating. On Oct. 23–24, the Thumb Fiber & Folk Arts Festival lists vendor hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 3335 Lakeshore Rd., with classes earlier in the week, according to the event listing.

Update (Oct. 21): This festival has been reported canceled for 2026. Check with organizers before going.

Summer lighthouse tower tours in Port Sanilac wrapped Aug. 28. In October you get the exterior, the shore wind, and whatever festivals the towns still put on before the cottages empty for winter.

If you are driving M-25 between the Blue Water Bridge and Caseville, leave time. The Thumb rewards the slow lane.

Updated Oct. 13, 2026: This guide was published before the first Haunted Village night on Oct. 10, and that line and the summary have been changed to the past tense. The Oct. 17 night is unchanged.

Sources:
WGRT, “Haunted Village,” Oct. 2, 2026, https://wgrt.com/haunted-village/
AllEvents listing, Thumb Fiber & Folk Arts Festival, Oct. 23, 2026, https://allevents.in/lexington/thumb-fiber-and-folk-arts-festival/200030411586757
Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Rural Heritage Partnership awards including Port Sanilac Loop-Harrison House, Oct. 1, 2026, https://www.michiganbusiness.org/press-releases/2026/10/shpo-awards-local-grants-through-rural-heritage-partnership-grant-program/
Photo: Ken Lund, “Lexington Harbor, Lake Huron, Lexington, Michigan,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/), cropped and color-corrected; derivative under the same ShareAlike license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lexington_Harbor,_Lake_Huron,_Lexington,_Michigan_(21217949604).jpg

Thumb Coast

Tags: Thumb Coast · Michigan Travel · Halloween · Festivals · Beaches and Lakes · Things To Do