At 8 p.m. a small group gathers at the gazebo in Roswell Town Square, across from the Visitor Center at 617 Atlanta Street, and heads out on foot into the dark. The operator says to plan on two and a half hours to cover the mile, all of it outdoors. They never go into a building, but they do go into the old cemetery. The Roswell Ghost Tour has a guide scheduled every night from Thursday through Halloween, and once more on Sunday, Nov. 1.
That steady nightly walk matters because the rest of Roswell's Halloween is spread out. There's no single costume festival on the city calendar for the closing days of October. Instead you get a police-hosted Trunk or Treat at City Hall, a free silent disco at a brewery, a cupcake workshop, an emo night and a bar crawl. Most of them sit on the streets around the historic square, and none of them runs more than a single night. If you want a full Halloween weekend, you build it yourself, and the gazebo is the easiest place to start.
The Walk That Shows Up Every Night
The operator says the tour stops at Founders Cemetery and Roswell King's burial site, and passes the Greek Revival mansions and the old mill-worker apartments. When Appen Media went along, the route covered key sites near Town Square, Bulloch Hall and Barrington Hall among them. In that telling, Founders Cemetery came near the end of the walk. The guide also talked about the mill-worker homes known as the "old bricks," along with a ghost named Fred who is tied to those buildings.
Some of the stories are set at addresses you probably walk past every week. 11Alive reported the tour owner's account of an alleged 1864 hanging at the Public House on the square. The story came out of a photo a guest took during a tour. A separate Appen Media feature on the ghostly haunts of Historic Roswell lists a "Creepy House," a mill house and Bulloch Hall among the places where these stories are set. Atlanta magazine described the walk as a two-and-a-half-hour trip after dark past Bulloch Hall, Founders Cemetery and other historic sites.
Here's what to know before you go:
- Price: The operator's site lists "$20 per adult, $10 for children (12 and under)," with guide tips not included. The schedule page says it takes cash or Zelle at the start of the tour and suggests paying ahead by Zelle. Confirm when you book.
- Booking: Reservations go through a form on the operator's site.
- Weather: Tours go ahead rain or shine as long as at least six people show up. They're canceled only for dangerous weather or, rarely, when fewer than six sign up.
- Demand: The 8 p.m. tour on Saturday, Oct. 17, sold out.
Thursday and Friday: The Square Gets Busier
Two small events open the weekend on Thursday, Oct. 29. Red Seal Craft Studio, at 1140 Alpharetta Street #400, is holding Monster Cupcake Decorating from 7 to 9 p.m. Each person decorates six cupcakes, and supplies are included. The listing doesn't give a price, so check before you go. At 8 p.m., Rock 'N' Taco at 928 Canton Street hosts an Emo Night and Halloween Party with no cover. Kristin's ghost tour leaves the gazebo at the same hour.
Friday, Oct. 30, is the main night for families. According to Appen Media's roundup of North Fulton Halloween events, the Roswell Police Department will bring candy, games and a petting zoo to a Trunk or Treat at Roswell City Hall, 38 Hill Street, from 4 to 7 p.m.
When Trunk or Treat ends, the evening moves over to Gate City Brewing Company's Brewery & Taproom at 43 Magnolia Street. Its Halloween Silent Disco runs from 7 to 11 p.m. It's free and open to all ages, and headphones go first come, first served. That means a family can do Trunk or Treat, cross to Magnolia Street for the disco, and still make one of Friday's two 8 p.m. ghost tours if the kids have the energy.
Saturday, Oct. 31: Halloween on a Weekend
This year Halloween falls on a Saturday, and downtown has room for that. The Boos & Booze Halloween Bar Crawl runs from 3 to 10 p.m. Check-in is at North End Kitchen & Bar, 1170 Canton Street, and the crawl moves through participating downtown bars. Tickets are sold through Eventbrite, with discounted group tickets for four or more. The event page doesn't list a base price.
The ghost tour has two groups that night, both at 8 p.m., and the schedule marks the date "Halloween." Since the bar crawl runs until 10 p.m. on Canton Street, the walk and the crawl overlap on Halloween night in the same historic downtown. One retells the 1800s and the other is a costume party. If you're doing both, book the tour first. A weekend 8 p.m. slot already sold out once this month.
The Four Nights at a Glance
| Date | Event | Where | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Monster Cupcake Decorating | Red Seal Craft Studio, 1140 Alpharetta St. #400 | 7 to 9 p.m. | Not listed |
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Emo Night and Halloween Party | Rock 'N' Taco, 928 Canton St. | 8 p.m. | No cover |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Trunk or Treat with Roswell PD | Roswell City Hall, 38 Hill St. | 4 to 7 p.m. | Not listed |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Halloween Silent Disco | Gate City Brewing, 43 Magnolia St. | 7 to 11 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Boos & Booze Halloween Bar Crawl | Check-in at North End Kitchen & Bar, 1170 Canton St. | 3 to 10 p.m. | Ticketed |
| Thu. to Sat. | Roswell Ghost Tour | Town Square gazebo, 610 Atlanta St. | 8 p.m. | $20 adults, $10 kids 12 and under |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Roswell Ghost Tour | Town Square gazebo, 610 Atlanta St. | 7:30 p.m. | $20 adults, $10 kids 12 and under |
Sunday, and the Events That Already Ran
The 7:30 p.m. tour on Sunday, Nov. 1, is the last ghost walk on the October schedule. It's also the quietest way to wrap up the weekend, after the candy and the costume party.
Some of Roswell's earlier Halloween events had already happened by the time Thursday arrived. If you went, that's one more reason the city's Halloween runs as a string of small nights instead of one big festival. The free Halloween Fun House ran at the East Roswell Recreation Center at 9000 Fouts Road on Friday, Oct. 23. On Saturday, Oct. 24, Waller Park at 250 Oak Street hosted the free, sensory-friendly Adaptive Truck or Treat for children and teens with special needs and their families. That weekend, Chamberlains Chocolate Factory and Cafe at 1575 Old Alabama Road ran kids' chocolate-making sessions for $25 and haunted-house decorating workshops for $45. Those events were spread around the city. The last four nights pull in toward Hill Street, Magnolia Street, Canton Street and the gazebo on Atlanta Street, and the ghost walk is the one event that runs through all of them.
We love it when a historic downtown keeps its stories in use, and that includes the stories told on the square after dark. If you end up on the square this week wondering about the history of the mill homes or the Greek Revival houses the tour passes, the team at Wilson Property Partners would be glad to talk. Start a conversation about your neighborhood or home.
