As the weather begins to cool and the dark descends earlier and earlier each day, our thoughts naturally turn to the darker side of things. Halloween will be upon us in just a few short weeks, and with it that delicious anticipation of frights and scary sights and things that go bump in the night.

In and around Fayetteville, there are a number of opportunities to indulge that taste for the goose-bump raising, hair tingling shivers. Now in its ninth year, the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival is sponsoring three dark delights that are sure to please.

One of the most popular events of the Halloween season is the Historic Hauntings tour. An hour-long hayride takes you through historic Fayetteville’s most notable creepy locations. This is no placid pleasure tour. On and off the ride, you will meet some of Fayetteville’s most notorious criminals and spooky spirits, and hear tales of Fayetteville’s more savory characters and their famous despicable deeds. A quick trip through Cross Creek Cemetery by torchlight may bring you face to face with Confederate Soldiers, so you may want to bring a friend for moral support. Be sure to wear comfortable footwear because there is a rumor that there may even be a chase! This tour is not recommended for guests with limited mobility or strollers.

Says Carrie King, executive director of the Dogwood Festival, “The best thing about this tour is that we change it up every year. If you came last year, you won’t see the same thing this year. This event is a unique way for patrons to see things in our community that they would typically not have access to. It brings history to life. You don’t just hear about these events, through re-enactors you actually see it unfold as well.”

Tickets for the Historic Hauntings hayride are $15 and must be purchased in advance. These tickets sell out fast and are sold for a specific time slot. Be early and allow time to park and walk to the check-in point at 225 Dick St., as the ride attendant leaves punctually. Historic Hauntings tours will be available on Oct. 18-20, and Oct. 25-27. Tickets can be purchased online through etix or by calling 910-323-1934. Click through directions for etix can be found at the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival website: www.faydogwoodfestival.com.

When you are done with your tour, be sure to check out the Heritage Square Haunted House. The basement of the Woman’s Club will be transformed into a chill-seeker’s paradise. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling 910-323-1934. Proceeds from the haunted house go to benefit the Woman’s Club. The haunted house will be open between 7-10:30 p.m. on the days that the Historic Hauntings tour is running.

Now in its fifth year, the Hallow’s Eve Walk will be held on Oct. 30. You will have an opportunity to join Fayetteville Historian, Bruce Daws, on a walking tour through the Cross Creek Cemetery. During this hour-long tour, Daws will guide you by candlelight as he paints a picture of the infamous, and even the not so famous, people buried in our city’s historic resting place, and the chilling and unusual ways they came to rest there. Funds raised through the Hallow’s Eve event will go to restoration efforts at Cross Creek Cemetery.

Tickets for the Hallow’s Eve Walk are $10 and must be purchased in advance. Tickets are available at the Dogwood Festival office at 145 Person St. or by calling 910-323-1934.

Visit the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival website for more information on any of these events at: www.faydogwoodfestival.com/historic-hauntings.