If You Dare: 6 Can't-Miss Spooky Events in WashCo This Season

Consistently ranked one of the best haunted houses in the Pittsburgh region and described as “the home of evil,” Demon House in Monongahela is a must-do for lovers of all things scary. Take a tour of this real, 130-year-old stone mansion and descend into terror as you and your friends discover the horrors inside. If you survive, there’s plenty more frights to be found on the mansion’s grounds, including firepits to gather around on chilly nights, soul-screaming music, and even an outdoor movie theatre showing the best in horror.

Demon House is open Sept. 7 all the way through Nov. 1. Click here to check each month’s operating hours and for pricing.

Photo credit: Demon House

Some of the trolleys at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum have been around for a long time – perhaps long enough to see some paranormal activity? Find out for yourself at the museum’s Trolley Tales of Terror! Join spooky storytellers from the Washington Community Theatre as they spin tales of what sort of spirits and specters may haunt the museum’s vast and historical collection. Then, if you dare, take a spooky trolley ride through the darkened forest that surrounds the museum.

Before you go, sample concoctions from FireWhistle Brewing, taste spook-tastic eats from Santello’s Food Truck, or get your face painted for free inside the museum. 

Trolley Tales of Terror is Oct. 16-17. Click here to get your tickets.

*Update 9/17/26: October 16-17’s event is sold out, but the museum has added additional tours on Oct. 23, so get your tickets ASAP!

Photo credit: PA Trolley Museum

Monongahela is an old town – it dates back to around 1769 before even the official founding of our nation, so it makes sense that the town might just be a little bit haunted. On the official Monongahela Candlelight Ghost Walk tour, you’ll be led through the darkened streets of Monongahela with candlelight as your only defense against dark tales of the town. Your guide Susan Bowers, author of “Haunted Tales Along the Mon,” will detail ghostly tales, describe paranormal activities seen by townspeople over the years, and share photos of real spirits people have encountered as you sip on cocoa and wonder if anyone else saw that shadow move, or if it’s just your eyes playing tricks on you. The best part? The entire event benefits the Monongahela Area Library.

Monongahela Candlelit Ghost Tours are Oct. 9-10 and 23-24. Click here to reserve your tickets, which can be purchased online for $17 or day-of at the library for $15.

Can you make it out unscathed? The West Alexander Scare Fair is back for another year of scares throughout the entire month of October! Grab your bravest friends and try to escape the Scare Fair while dodging all sorts of creepy characters and spine-chilling terrors around every corner. If that’s not enough thrills for you, we definitely recommend attempting the Scare Fair’s 2 escape rooms.

For littles and those who aren’t so fond of scares, the Scare Fair even does a special “Lights on Chicken Nugget Event” with all lights on, no actors and no working scares that will be taking place on Oct. 18.

The West Alexander Scare Fair is every Friday & Saturday in October starting Oct. 9 and ending on the 31^st. General admission is $18, kids 12 & under are $12, and repeat visits on the same night are $5. The escape rooms are just $5.

Yes, that’s the real name of the road. Steeped in decades of legend, Shades of Death Road is a 2-mile, windy road in Avella and is the subject of all sorts of paranormal tales and folklore that contribute to its haunted-ness. Its rumored ghost tales range from everything to a violent coal miner riot to car crashes and mysterious apparitions causing cars to randomly shut off, making it somewhat of a thing of local legend. Regardless if you believe the tales, the road is extremely beautiful – during the fall, the canopy of trees covering its length make it a spectacular sight.

While the rumors appear to be just that, the organizers behind the annual Shades of Death 10-Miler have taken the road’s creepy nature in stride. The race is notoriously difficult, with over 1,200 feet of ascent and 1,200 feet of descent to cover in under 4 hours, but it is a walk/run, so participants are invited to participate however they’d prefer to challenge themselves. During the race, you’ll even pass by Meadowcroft Rockshelter & Historic Village.

The Shades of Death 10-Miler is Oct. 17 in Avella, PA. Click here to register.

Photo credit: Shades of Death 10-Miler

Yes, that’s the real name of the road. Steeped in decades of legend, Shades of Death Road is a 2-mile, windy road in Avella and is the subject of all sorts of paranormal tales and folklore that contribute to its haunted-ness. Its rumored ghost tales range from everything to a violent coal miner riot to car crashes and mysterious apparitions causing cars to randomly shut off, making it somewhat of a thing of local legend. Regardless if you believe the tales, the road is extremely beautiful – during the fall, the canopy of trees covering its length make it a spectacular sight.

While the rumors appear to be just that, the organizers behind the annual Shades of Death 10-Miler have taken the road’s creepy nature in stride. The race is notoriously difficult, with over 1,200 feet of ascent and 1,200 feet of descent to cover in under 4 hours, but it is a walk/run, so participants are invited to participate however they’d prefer to challenge themselves. During the race, you’ll even pass by Meadowcroft Rockshelter & Historic Village.

The Shades of Death 10-Miler is Oct. 17 in Avella, PA. Click here to register.

Photo credit: Shades of Death 10-Miler

Here's a brand new event: AngCo After Dark Haunted Corn Field in Burgettstown. When darkness falls, the cornfield comes alive. The various dead ends in the maze might be the least of your problems as various scare actors, haunters, animatronics and other spooky surprises stalk (no pun intended) your every move through this darkened corn maze. You'll quite literally never know what's around every increasingly dark corner as you try to make your way out. 

While the bravest among us can enter AngCo After Dark when they dare between the hours of 8-11 p.m., those who want to experience the field in a more toned down way are welcome during Family/No Scare hours between 5-7 p.m - there will be no scare actors in the field during this time. 

AngCo After Dark Haunted Corn Maze is Fridays and Saturdays between Oct. 2-31st. Click here to grab your tickets.