There’s so much Halloweening to do in Pittsburgh during October it’s seriously scary. Between all the apple festivals, leaf peeping, Bloomfield’s iconic parade, pumpkin-carving demos, trail races, a blood-curdling ballet, and 21+ costume parties, you’ll be dead on your feet by the 31st—which is kind of the point.

No longer just a place to buy autumn gourds, Pittsburgh’s pumpkin patches are now mini fall theme parks of farmyard fun, with hayrides and pony rides, apple picking, pig races, zip lines, ball pits filled with corn kernels, and cider-and-doughnut stands. Plus, the Halloween corn mazes are just as ambitious, with sprawling acres full of dead ends and false exits, including over-the-top designs—and, this year, one shaped like Dolly Parton. Have a field day!

Founded in 1758, Pittsburgh has plenty of Halloween-ish history—and some of it refuses to stay buried. This fall, take a ghost walk to experience the city’s cursed landmarks, learn about supernatural mysteries from paranormal investigators, or go poking around places where spirits might be more than local legend. And if you dare, brave some of the most elaborate, immersive haunted houses around, where the scare tactics are to die for.

Ever since director George A. Romero’s first feature film, Night of the Living Dead, kicked off the modern zombie craze, Pittsburgh has become a hotbed of undead lore and gore. More than 50 years later, we still have horror in our blood, so indulge it this Halloween: meet the city’s scariest writers, mark the 35th anniversary of Silence of the Lambs at a special screening, and discover the Pulitzer Prize-winning author keeping Romero’s legacy alive—or is that … unalive?

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so it’s the perfect excuse to throw a ghastly get-together. Our foolproof, feed-a-crowd recipes, from easy horror’d’oeuvres and stick-to-your-ribs mains to spine-tingling sweets, will delight any Pittsburgh partygoers who darken your door. And to leave them thirsting for gore, mix up morbid multiples of our mocktails and cocktails: blood-red pours, swamp-green ooziness, and garnishes of garlic and dry ice. Just pick your poison and toast to the Halloween spirits.

Attention goblins and ghouls: if you got it, haunt it! Make this Halloween your most fashionable yet, with our easy how-tos for throwing a bewitching black-and-white bash worthy of Truman Capote’s masked ball and crafting chic, nature-inspired costumes for the little ones. Plus, get all your goth goodies at Pittsburgh shops specializing in oddities, curiosities, and all manner of witchy wares.