October is National Archives Month and two of the city’s repositories — open year-round — are marking it with a variety of activities.
With records dating back to the 1700’s, the city’s Notarial Archives (1340 Poydras St., Ste. 360) are a treasure chest. Kicking off the month is an exhibition launch party, including a tour and open house, for “200 Years of the Louisiana Civil Code: History and Legacy,” Oct. 1, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. The rest of the month, explore historical records, notarial archives and plan books. Enjoy tours; seminars, such as “Introduction to Historical Records,” Oct. 7; and weekly blog posts released every Wednesday throughout October. Reservations recommended for tours and seminars. orleanscivilclerk.com
The New Orleans Public Library is home to the City Archives and Special Collections. Along with its vast resources for research, among the special events are “The Evolution of Horror Tours in New Orleans,” Oct. 25 at the Main Library (219 Loyola Ave.) or on Zoom. nolacityarchives.org, @nolalibrary
Hallowed Ground
An argument could be made that Halloween is celebrated year-round in New Orleans. Haunted houses, apartments and buildings abound, as do alleged vampire sightings — if you believe those potential slayers on TikTok. The above-ground tombs are also unique to the city and second-lines have their roots in funerals. All this to say that October is when the witches’ hats and fangs go on and the city shakes off any cobwebs to celebrate. Check ahead as sometimes weather can affect start times.
• Haunted Houses throughout October: The Mortuary (4800 Canal St.), the mortuary.net, @themortuary; New Orleans Nightmare, (319 Butterworth St.), neworleansnightmare.com, @neworleansnightmare_; Age-restricted, check each house’s rules; advance tickets recommended
• Ghosts in the Oaks: Monster Mash Oct. 16-19 in City Park’s Carousel Gardens Amusement Park. Families; costumes encouraged; advance tickets required, neworleanscitypark.org, @neworleanscitypark
• Boo at the Zoo Oct. 17-19 in Audubon Zoo (6500 Magazine St.) Families; costumes encouraged; advance tickets recommended, audubonnatureinstitute.org/boo; @auduboninstitute
• Brews and Boos Oct. 24 in City Park’s Carousel Gardens Amusement Park. Adults only, costumes encouraged, neworleanscitypark.org,
@neworleanscitypark
• Boo Carré Halloween Haunt Oct. 25. Daytime trick-or-treating for kids in Dutch Alley (900 block of N. Peters St.), French Quarter, frenchmarket.org, @frenchmktnola
• Krewe of Boo Parade Oct. 25, Halloween parade in the evening through the French Quarter, kreweofboo.com, @kreweofboo
• Halloween New Orleans Oct. 24-26. A fundraiser for Project Lazarus, the theme for this year’s gay party weekend is “Myths and Legends.” Adults only, halloweenneworleans.com, @halloweennola
Wicked Wonders
Step into a strange and wondrous world when New Orleans Pharmacy Museum (514 Chartres St.) hosts its Oddities Emporium, Oct. 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. On view and for sale are eerie and artistic items including entomology sculptures and embroidery. Enjoy a “Mostly Ghostly” guided tour 10 a.m.-11 a.m., then explore the museum’s first floor until 4 p.m., pharmacymuseum.org; @pharmacymuseum
Cinematic Celebration
Get ready for the 36th annual New Orleans Film Festival, Oct. 23-27, featuring 130-plus films, chosen from 3,700-plus submissions across 125 countries. The opening-night film is “Michalopoulos: The Art of Celebration,” a documentary about local artist, James Michalopoulos. The festival is also kicking off a new three-year partnership with black content studio Andscape, debuting its supernatural thriller, “STAY.” Audiences can enjoy films at local theaters and online (Oct. 23-Nov. 2) via NOFF Virtual Cinema. neworleansfilmsociety.org,
@neworleansfilmsociety
Artistic Explorations
Spread your creative wings at one of the adult classes offered at Arts at the Center at the Jewish Community Center (5342 St. Charles Ave.) in October.
All levels are welcome to classes that include: Community Choir (Sundays, Sept. 28-Nov. 30), with a concert on Dec. 4; Painting (Wednesdays, Oct. 8-Dec. 3), with an exhibition of work on Dec. 4; Acting: Scene Study (Wednesdays, Oct. 15-Dec. 10) and Body Wisdom: Move Intelligently, Explore Creatively (Wednesdays, Oct. 22-Nov. 19). nojcc.org/creativearts, @neworleansjcc
