Halloween: 8 family-friendly outings on Delmarva

If your child was born today, it will cost an estimated half-million dollars to put him or her through four years at a public university, including room and board.

Now that’s scary.

If ghost stories are more your speed, consider rubbing elbows with the paranormal at these family beaches-area events.

Selbyville Public Library’s The Haunted Library

If you thought overdue fines were the scariest a library could get, check out Selbyville’s library on Halloween, when the library will continue its 16-year tradition of transforming into a haunted house.

Last year, more than 500 people visited The Haunted Library, which will this year be free and open to the public from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 31. To prepare for the event, the library will be closed Oct. 29 and 30.

“The Haunted Library grows in complexity every year, therefore we need more time to set up,” Library Director Kelly Kline said in a news release.

Because the haunted house is aiming for some real scares, the library recommends only children ages 7 and up attend. The library is also looking for volunteers, and asks them to register online to attend a noon meeting on Oct. 20.

Zwaanendael Museum — Mysteries of History

The museum’s walking tour explores St. Peter’s Episcopal Church graveyard and its unusual tombs.

The tour leaves from the museum at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27. Admission is free, but the museum asks attendees to reserve a space by calling 302-645-1148 by Oct. 26.

The walking tour is part of a month of special historical and cultural programs around the state.

Hike Through History — Delaware Seashore State Park

Park interpreters will lead walkers through separate tours at two parts of the park: Thompson Island and the Indian River Inlet Bridge.

The tours, held on Oct. 26 and 27 (see times below), will explore Native American history on the island and maritime history at the inlet, including tales of shipwrecks, superstition and tragedy.

Registration is required for both events, and the cost is $6 per person. Call 302-227-6991 to register.

Thompson Island: Tours begin Friday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (due to limited parking on site, participants will take a shuttle from Rehoboth)

Indian River Inlet Bridge: Tours begin Friday, Oct. 26, at 5 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 27, at 5 p.m.

Pemberton Park Pumpkin Tour

The tour of decorated and carved pumpkins also includes festivities like games and ghost stories. It’s held at Pemberton Park on Friday, Oct. 26, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

The tour will also include a hayride, a play from the Theatre Academy of Delmarva, a bonfire and amphitheater entertainment.

For those looking to claim a $250 prize for best pumpkin (or $100 apiece for spookiest and goofiest), registration is free before Oct. 25 and is $5 on the day of the event.

The entry cost is $10 per car, though the tour is taken on foot. Organizers suggest bringing a flashlight. Dogs are not allowed at this event.

For more information, visit the event website or register online.

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Ghost Tours in Ocean City

Held by Ripley’s Believe It or Not, these ghost tours begin at the company’s 401 S. Atlantic Avenue location in Ocean City.

They start at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights throughout October. Ticket are $10 per person. For more information, call 410-289-5600 or visit their website.

Cape Henlopen State Park — Children's Fantasy Trail

Kids are invited to trick-or-treat in costume alongside storybook characters on a train lined by jack-o-lanterns.

It will be held Saturday, October 27 at 6 p.m. and includes more entertainment under the tent.  The cost is $5 per person and no strollers are allowed on the trail.

Ghosts of Delaware

Carol Pollio, director of Intuitive Investigations, will travel throughout southern Delaware this month, sharing ghost stories and the evidence she’s collected during paranormal investigations.

Pollio hopes to change how attendees think about ghosts. Catch her at one of the following dates:

●      Oct. 16, 6 p.m., Rehoboth Beach Public Library

●      Oct. 18, 10:30 a.m., Milton Cheer Center

●      Oct. 19, 5:30 p.m., Milton Public Library

●      Oct.  29, 6:00 p.m., Georgetown Public Library

Trick or Treat Off The Street

If trick-or-treating at night with young children in an unfamiliar neighborhood scares you more than any ghost ever could, there’s an off-the-street option in Rehoboth Beach.

Children 12 and under are invited to trick or treat from store to store on Halloween at all three Tanger Outlet locations in Rehoboth Beach from 5 to 7 p.m.