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Historic Cold Spring Village Transforms for Family-Friendly Halloween Event

Issue #833

October 08, 2026

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In This Cape May Local Scoop Issue…

 📆 Cape May Events

☀️ Cape May Local Weather 

 👻Historic Cold Spring Village Transforms for Family-Friendly Halloween Event

 🍂Cape May Fall Festival Returns Oct. 15-18 With Free Wildlife Programs

⚓Cape Tech Makes State History With Coast Guard JROTC Program

Cape May Local Scoop’s Events Are Sponsored By: Shop Local

Here’s what’s going on in the Cape May Local Area👇

 October 8

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Historic Cold Spring Village Transforms for Family-Friendly Halloween Event

Historic Cold Spring Village is getting a Halloween makeover this October as Ghoul Spring Village returns for four nights of family-friendly frights, haunted trails and seasonal fun.

The annual Halloween event will take place Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24, 2026, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. each evening. The final admission will be at 8:30 p.m.

Held throughout the grounds of Historic Cold Spring Village, the event transforms the open-air living history museum into a Halloween attraction designed to offer different levels of scares for children, families and adults.

Families with younger children can explore a not-so-scary portion of the village, providing a gentler Halloween experience. Those looking for something more intense can test their nerves on the Dare You to Enter Haunted Trail, a spookier route geared toward older children and adults.

Children can also collect trick-or-treat candy, while vendors, crafts, food, snacks and other seasonal activities will add to the festivities.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 12 and younger. Historic Cold Spring Village members receive free admission. Food, snacks and some other offerings are available at an additional cost.

Ghoul Spring Village will be held at Historic Cold Spring Village, 735 Seashore Road in the Cape May area. Visitors should use the Seashore Road entrance near Cold Spring Brewery, as the Route 9 gate will be closed.

The event offers Cape May County families a Halloween outing that can be tailored to their preferred scare level, from a kid-friendly stroll through the historic village to a haunted trail for visitors willing to brave a few bigger scares.

Ghoul Spring Village runs Oct. 16-17 and Oct. 23-24, giving visitors two October weekends to experience the transformed village.

Cape May Fall Festival Returns Oct. 15 -18 With Free Wildlife Programs

Birders, wildlife enthusiasts and families will have plenty to explore when the Cape May Fall Festival returns Oct. 15-18, 2026, with four days of nature-focused activities across the Cape May area.

Presented by New Jersey Audubon and the Cape May Bird Observatory, this year’s festival also celebrates the observatory’s 50th anniversary.

A major hub of the weekend will be The Nature Place at Cape May Convention Hall, where free public activities are planned Oct. 16-18. The Convention Hall programming will feature wildlife presentations, exhibits and activities designed for nature lovers of all ages.

Live animal programs will be among the weekend’s highlights. Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge is scheduled to present a live animal show Friday, Oct. 16, while the Cape May County Park & Zoo will take over the live animal programming Saturday and Sunday.

Nature Nick is also among the special guests scheduled to participate.

Visitors arriving early will have a chance to pick up a festival souvenir. More than 150 free canvas tote bags will be available to the first visitors each day while supplies last.

Beyond the free activities at Convention Hall, the larger Cape May Fall Festival offers an extensive schedule for birders and outdoor enthusiasts. Programming includes guided bird walks, hawk-watching activities, monarch butterfly tagging, boat trips, trolley outings and bus excursions to natural areas around the region.

The festival arrives during one of Cape May’s signature natural spectacles: fall migration, when the peninsula becomes an important stopover and migration corridor for birds and other wildlife.

The 2026 festival also brings notable names from the birding and conservation communities to Cape May. Scheduled guests include Dr. Laurie Goodrich of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, longtime birding author Pete Dunne and migration researcher and author Dr. Peter Marra.

Convention Hall will also host exhibitors representing the broader birding and nature community, including wildlife artists, optics companies, nature publications and birding tour organizations.

While admission to The Nature Place activities at Cape May Convention Hall is free, some programs offered as part of the broader festival, including certain excursions, presentations and specialty activities, may require advance registration or separate admission.

The Cape May Fall Festival runs Thursday, Oct. 15, through Sunday, Oct. 18. Free Nature Place activities at Cape May Convention Hall are scheduled Friday through Sunday.

Cape Tech Makes State History With Coast Guard JROTC Program

Cape May County Technical High School will make state history in fall 2027 when it launches New Jersey’s first Coast Guard Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.

The four-year CGJROTC program will begin with the 2027-28 school year at Cape Tech in Cape May Court House. It will combine maritime education with leadership development, citizenship and career exploration.

The program will also put Cape Tech among a small group of high schools nationwide offering Coast Guard JROTC. School officials said there are currently 16 programs across the country, with plans to expand that number to approximately 20.

Incoming ninth-grade students will be eligible to apply for the inaugural class, along with transfer students entering grades 10 through 12.

Cape Tech officials said the curriculum will introduce students to maritime sciences and potential careers with the U.S. Coast Guard and other maritime-related industries while developing skills that can be applied to college and a wide range of careers.

Cape May County provides a particularly relevant setting for the program because it is home to U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, the service’s enlisted accession training facility. Cape Tech’s vocational and technical education model also allows students to combine academics with career-focused learning.

Participation in Coast Guard JROTC does not create a military service obligation, and the program is not considered a military recruiting program. Students who complete two or more years, however, may qualify for certain advanced enlistment opportunities if they later choose to pursue military service.

Families interested in learning more about enrollment, curriculum and program benefits will have two opportunities to attend information sessions this fall.

The sessions are scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, and 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, at the Cape Tech Conference Center, 188 Crest Haven Road in Cape May Court House.

Online applications for Cape Tech’s 2027-28 school year are scheduled to become available Oct. 15, 2026.

Additional information about Cape Tech is available at capemaytech.com. Information about the Coast Guard JROTC program is available through the U.S. Coast Guard.

Which historic Cape May hotel, built in 1876, is known for being the oldest continuously operating hotel in the city?

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 Answer to the October 7th Trivia Question 

What is Cape May's population known to swell to during the peak summer season, compared to its small year-round population?

A) 10,000
B) 20,000
C) 40,000
D) 60,000

Answer: C) 40,000

While Cape May has a small year-round population of around 2,700, during the summer months, it attracts as many as 40,000 to 50,000 visitors, significantly increasing its population.

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