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Halloween Weekend Plans: Trick-or-treating, Harry Potter, train rides, Shopping Spree, more

It's Halloween weekend! Get the details on pumpkin patches, mall events, trick-or-treating times, a Harry Potter concert and even some events that have nothing to do with the holiday!

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New Hope Valley Railway
By
Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Happy Halloween weekend!

Pumpkin patches, corn mazes and haunted trails are still open. This weekend is the last chance for some, but others will remain open for another week or two. Our Halloween and fall fun database has the details.
Halloween is on Saturday. If you’re wondering when to go trick-or-treating, our When is Halloween post offers some guidance. If you’re considering spending Saturday evening at one of the region’s malls, which host trick-or-treating and other activities, we have a post about that too! (And, as always, check WRAL.com's Out & About calendar for more weekend ideas.)

Some other Halloween-related highlights:

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill will host screenings of “Scare-olina Skies.” The family-friendly version is planned for 2:30 p.m., Saturday, and 3:30 p.m., Sunday. For adults and older teens, check out the spookier version at 7 p.m. or 8:30 p.m., Friday.
The N.C. Symphony kicks off its Young People’s Series for the season with Halloween at Hogwarts: The Music of Harry Potter. Concerts are 7 p.m., Friday, and 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., Saturday, at the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts in Raleigh. The symphony will perform selections from the Harry Potter films as a professional illusionist stirs up his own magic. Costumes are encouraged - especially Harry Potter-themed ones. Before the concert, enjoy face painting and the symphony’s Instrument Zoo. Tickets are $23.
New Hope Valley Railway’s Track or Treat wraps up Saturday with rides throughout the day. Take an hour-long ride in an open-air train car through southwestern Wake County. There will be some Halloween scenes along the way. It gets spookier as it gets darker. So, if you have younger kids, be sure to hop on the earlier trains. Tickets are $13.
Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh will have a Halloween parade and dance party from 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., Saturday. On Friday, its IMAX theater will open “Goosebumps,” the PG-rated movie based on the wildly popular series by R.L. Stine. The theater also is showing “Room on the Broom,” based on the popular picture book. That movie is great for all ages.
And the Scrap Exchange in Durham hosts its Great Create Race on Saturday, which looks like fun!

And we have a few events that aren’t Halloween-related.

A Shopping Spree, the Junior League of Raleigh’s annual shopping event, is open through Sunday at the Raleigh Convention Center. It features a host of vendors from across the region and country. This is a great place to get a head start on all of that holiday shopping! The event features some special shopping times, including early morning, stroller-free opportunities and family day on Sunday afternoon when kids 12 and under are free and there is special entertainment, visits from princesses and other characters, and face painting.
The Carolina RailHawks play their last regular season game at 7:30 p.m., Friday, at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. It’s fan appreciation night, which means there will be some giveaways and other special activities, including post-game fireworks. My family really loves going to these games.
The Raleigh Civic Chamber Orchestra features works by composers just as they began their careers. First Things First: Composers in their 20s Take on the World includes works by Beethoven and Debussy, along with a world premiere by award-winning composer Michael-Thomas Foumai. This is an inexpensive way to introduce kids to live classical music. Tickets are $10; $8 for seniors; $5 for students; and free for kids under 12. It’s 4 p.m., Sunday, at Stewart Theatre on the campus of N.C. State.
And Durham Central Park will host one of its massive food truck rodeo from noon to 4 p.m., Sunday. Yum!

Have a safe and wonderful Halloween!

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