Mazes, patches and haunts – Get into the spirit of the season with these spooky local attractions

October means fall weather, fall foods and just a touch of scary. Around Baton Rouge, we have tons of options for family-friendly events that celebrate the changing season, and several good scares for the adrenaline junkies as well. Here are a few to check out.

Burden Center Corn Maze
Saturdays in October, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
Among the many corn mazes in the area, LSU’s Burden Center’s is the closest and one of the more family friendly. Admission is $5. On Oct. 29, admission jumps to $10 and includes a bonfire, hot dogs and drinks. Call 763-3990 for more information.

Haints, Haunts and Halloween: A Rural Life Fall Fair
Oct. 28, 2 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
LSU’s Rural Life Museum hosts trick-or-treating with old-fashioned treats, pumpkin decorating, apple dunking, wagon rides, storytelling and entertainment. Admission is $5. Call 765-2437 for more information.

Boo at the Zoo, Baton Rouge Zoo
Oct. 20-21, 27-28, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Billed as a “merry-not-scary trick-or-treating extravaganza,” the zoo invites kids to wear their best costumes, visit treat stations throughout the zoo and wander through a Hay Maze and Boo Den. $8.25 for adults/teens, $5.25 for children ages 2-12. Free to children 1 and younger. brzoo.org

Blackwater United Methodist pumpkin patch
Oct. 8-14, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 15-31, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
This pumpkin patch features hayrides, games and a spacewalk Oct. 22 and 27 for a fee. All events are held on church grounds at 10000 Blackwater Road in Central. For more information, call 261-4646.

Cajun Country Corn Maze in Pine Grove
Fridays, 5 p.m.-9 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
About 50 minutes northeast of Baton Rouge, this corn maze packs in the crowds with its corn launchers, pumpkin blaster and giant spider web. On Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m.-11 p.m., haunted portions of the corn maze are open to those who dare. General admission is around $10; haunted passes are $20. Other ticket options are available. For more information, call 357-4924.

Houmas House Plantation in Darrow
Monday-Tuesday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Tour guides and renovation crews claim to have seen a little girl wandering the halls, and the levee construction decades ago disturbed the family cemetery, so that never bodes well. Nighttime tours run Wednesday-Sunday ($20). Tours of the grounds are $10. houmashouse.com

The Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville
Historic tours daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mystery tours Friday-Saturday, 6, 7 and 8 p.m.
Known as one of the most haunted homes in America, its ghost stories are legendary. Daily tours are every hour and half hour ($8 per person, $4 for kids). If you’re brave enough for the nighttime Mystery Tours ($10), make reservations and watch out for Chloe. myrtlesplantation.com

The 13th Gate and the Necropolis 13
Thursdays-Saturdays, 6:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Oct. 25-31, 6:30 p.m.-midnight.
These are consistently listed among the top haunted attractions in the country. It’s easy to see why—check out the lengthy warning at midnightproduction.com, which sums it up as “an overall physically demanding environment.” Let us know if that’s true; we’ll be at the less-demanding corn mazes. 13th Gate admission is $25; Necropolis 13 admission is $20. Other ticket options are available.

This year, 225 got a chance to peek behind the scenes. Check out our exclusive video below: