Franklin Square to host Halloween-themed mini golf, trick-or-treating and a pumpkin patch in October

Nearby, storytellers at the Betsy Ross House will share spooky tales of smallpox, yellow fever and other illnesses in Philly in the 1700s

Franklin Square is celebrating fall with spooky mini golf, trick-or-treating and a pumpkin patch beginning Oct. 1.
Provided Image/Cari Feiler Bender

While wandering through crisp fall air and freshly fallen leaves, autumn-lovers can ring in the beginning of spooky season with multiple events and attractions coming to Old City in October.

Spooky Mini Golf returns to Franklin Square on Sunday, Oct. 1 and runs through the end of the month. Tickets to the 18-hole course, which will be decked out with fog, twinkling lights and frightening music, are for $15 for adults and $12 for kids and can be purchased on-site or online. The course will be open daily from 6-9 p.m.


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On Saturday, Oct. 21, families can visit Franklin Square and pick a pumpkin out of the park's pumpkin patch for free between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Decorating materials will be provided and advanced registration is recommended.

The following Saturday, Oct. 28, parents and children can collect free candy at the square's Trick-or-Treat Street from 12-2 p.m.

Nearby, the Betsy Ross House will host spooky storytelling on Friday and Saturday evenings beginning Oct. 13 and ending Oct. 28. There, visitors can tour the house, listen to tales about smallpox and yellow fever and learn what it was like to be sick in Philly in the 1700s. Tickets to the event, which runs every half hour from 6-9 p.m., are $12.

Historic Philadelphia is offering a Spooky Twosome package that includes one ticket to mini golf and one ticket to the Betsy Ross House storytelling tour. Tickets, which are $25 per adult and $22 per child, will be made available in early October. The tour is not recommended for small children.

More information about these events and others can be found at Historic Philadelphia's website.