October is the one month of the year when the room you book is part of the plan, not just the place you sleep afterward. Spooky season in Minneapolis runs from the last week of September straight through Halloween night, and the good rooms downtown go early. If you want a Halloween weekend that starts the moment you turn the key, 300 Clifton is a National Register mansion in Loring Park that comes with its own ghost stories — and its own EMF meters.
Stay in a haunted mansion, not a hotel room
300 Clifton is the Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion, built for one of the founders of the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts and often called the finest Georgian architecture in Minnesota. It is also, by reputation, one of the most talked-about haunted buildings in the city. Our Dead & Breakfast package leans all the way in: a self-guided 300 Clifton ghost map of the rooms and corners guests have whispered about for years, EMF reading equipment so you can blame the beeping on “energy,” and discounted tickets to the Minneapolis Trolley Candlelight Ghost Tour.
Add a private rental of the garden hot tub under the stars, or a late-night screening in the haunted movie room — heated reclining seats, very low lighting, and whatever followed you home from the ghost tour. Downstairs, Gertrude’s Cistern is the speakeasy-style lounge that gives the house its after-dark personality.
Spooky season 2026: the October dates worth booking around
Here is what is already confirmed on the Minneapolis calendar for October 2026. Book the room first; tickets to most of these are easier to find late than a good room is.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show Spooktacular Tour — Thursday, October 1
The original Brad Majors, Columbia and Magenta — Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn — appear in person at the State Theatre (805 Hennepin Avenue) for a screening of the unedited film with the live shadow cast Transvestite Soup, audience participation, prop bags and an on-stage costume contest before the show. The performance is listed at 7:30 p.m. on Hennepin Arts. It is a fifteen-minute ride from the mansion.
Twin Cities Horror Festival XV — October 16–31
The longest-running live horror performance festival in the country returns for its fifteenth year at the Crane Theater in Northeast Minneapolis (2303 NE Kennedy Street). It is a juried festival covering theatre, dance, cabaret, puppetry, a short film festival and spooky kids programming — the deepest two weeks of horror anywhere in the state. Line-up and tickets are posted at tchorrorfestival.com.
The Candlelight Ghost Trolley Tour — select dates all season
Our sibling business runs what is arguably the city’s best-known ghost tour: the Candlelight Ghost Trolley Tour, boarded at the historic Pillsbury Club mansion and narrated by real guides rather than actors. If you want something more hands-on, the Club also hosts paranormal ghost hunts and psychic readings through the season. Your stay includes discounted tickets.
Jack-O’-Lantern Spectacular — September 25 to November 1
If you are travelling with kids, the Minnesota Zoo’s glowing trail of thousands of hand-carved pumpkins in Apple Valley is the easy win. Tickets are timed and must be bought in advance; dates and details are on the Minnesota Zoo events page. It is a drive, so plan it as an early evening and be back downtown for a nightcap.
Watch out for October 4 — the city is already full
Halloween is not the only pressure point in October. Twin Cities Marathon weekend lands on the first Sunday of the month and fills downtown hotels months out. If your spooky-season trip is flexible, the second and third weekends of October are the sweet spot: the Horror Festival is running, the leaves are turning in Loring Park, and rooms are still available.
Which room for a Halloween stay?
The Crystal Mansion is the theatrical choice — the one guests photograph. The Grand Edwardian is the one for a couple who want carved woodwork, a fireplace and a door that closes on the rest of the world. Every room in the house is different, and in October they book in that order.
Book direct and the city gets cheaper
Every guest who books directly with us receives a $20 Pillsbury Club dining voucher for each night of the stay, plus a $20 Minneapolis Trolley voucher per stay. Both are direct-booking only and both are explained on our vouchers page. Getting around is simple: the mansion sits between Loring Park and downtown, and the Metro Transit trip planner will route you to any of the theatres in a few minutes.
If you are still deciding what else to do while you are here, our guide to Minneapolis holiday lights trolley rides covers what comes next once the pumpkins come down.
Ready for a haunted night in Minneapolis?
October rooms at 300 Clifton go early, and the Dead & Breakfast package is limited by the number of ghost maps we can hand out. Book your haunted mansion stay and let spooky season start at the front door.
Keep reading: Where to Stay in Minneapolis September 25–27, 2026: Orchestra Hall’s Season Opener and Rangers at Target Field