Halloween in New Haven: What to Do and Where to Get Spooked
If you’re on the hunt for the best things to do in New Haven this Halloween, then you’ve come to the right place. To celebrate the spooky season, the city is filled with haunted happenings. From paranormal ghost tours on hallowed grounds to mysterious ancient cemeteries, here’s the ultimate guide for where to get spooked in New Haven this Halloween.
Join ‘Ghosts of New Haven’ for an evening walking tour with an expert guide who shares haunting tales while visiting some of the spookiest sites throughout the city. While visiting spooky sites such as the Skull and Bones Society, New Haven City Hall, New Haven Public Library, Grove Street Cemetery, and the Green, you may even experience supernatural and paranormal activity. Truth be told that the ghost of Benedict Arnold still haunts the Green to this day. Interested in a ghost tour? Visit ghostsofnewhaven.com to book an hour-and-a-half-long group tour or private tour ahead of Halloween.
The Cushing Center – Brain Museum
Dubbed New Haven’s ‘brain museum,’ pay a visit to The Cushing Center at Yale’s Whitney Medical Library for an eye-opening yet eerie look into Dr. Cushing’s, the “Father of Modern Neuroscience,” pioneering efforts to treat patients with brain disorders and tumors. On permanent display, The Cushing Center features real human brains donated by nearly 400 of his patients with the entire collection still remaining in its original jars along with patient photographs. It is open free of charge to the general public; however, visitors must check in at the Circulation Desk to get a Yale Proximity ID card for access to the collection.
Ready for a chilling fun fact? The Crypt, which contains the identified remains of about 137 people and unidentified remains of over 1,000 people, lies just below the Center Church on the Green. Even the city founder Theophilus Eaton; the first wife of Benedict Arnold, Margaret Arnold; one of the founders of Yale College, James Pierpont; and the grandparents of U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes are all buried here. Protected by the church for over 200 years, The Crypt offers visitors a mysterious glance into its storied ancient past.
For ultimate chills and thrills, urban legend has it that Evergreen Cemetery is home to its own resident ghost, known as Midnight Mary, who continues to haunt the area after she was accidentally buried alive in 1872. Although no evidence exists that this ever happened (or did it?), the long-standing story eerily stems from her epitaph that reads “The people shall be troubled at midnight and pass away.” Feeling brave? Visitors can find Midnight Mary’s tombstone at the back of Evergreen Cemetery on the path that parallels the iron wrought fence.
