Trick-or-Treating at Mount Vernon

Trick-or-Treating at Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon does Halloween on the actual day this year. Saturday, October 31, from 2 to 5pm, kids walk the historic grounds with a treat bag and collect candy at stops around the estate. It costs more than a neighborhood trick-or-treat, and you pay for that with room to roam: wide lawns, no cars and no doorbells.

The schedule fills the afternoon. A costume parade leaves the upper garden at 3:30pm, there are magic shows on the bowling green at 3 and 4:30, and Punch & Judy puppets run twice. You can also watch blacksmithing, apple butter and bread baking, say hi to George and Martha, and visit livestock. A treat bag is required to collect candy, and it comes with the ticket. Dogs aren't allowed at this one.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Buy tickets ahead. Entry is by trick-or-treat ticket, and members need either a ticket or a registration. Sales are final, so check your plans first.
• ✓Hit the parade or the magic show first. Both start on the half hour and the lawn gets crowded. Show up 10 minutes early to sit near the front.
• ✓Plan dinner for after. Kids 12 and under eat free at the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant from 5 to 8pm with one adult entree, dine-in only. That is a handy way to end the day.
• ✓Wear shoes made for grass and gravel. The grounds are big and the paths are uneven. Wheeled costumes and tutus will have a rough time.
• ✓Skip the dog. Pets are not allowed at this event, so leave Fido at home.