It’s now the season of cooler weather, changing leaves and spooky festivities.

Halloween is a time for dressing up — maybe with a jacket if it continues to stay chilly — but you can get in the spooky mood ahead of Halloween night.

Pumpkin patches, apple orchards, murder mysteries and more are right here in Ames and surrounding communities.

Things to do

Witches Walk: From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, businesses downtown will be open later than normal with snacks and sips.

Spirits in the Gardens: More than 1,000 carved jack-o-lanterns will be lit in Reiman Gardens from Friday, Oct. 10 to Sunday, Oct. 12. See times and ticket prices at the Reiman Gardens website.

The Pumpkin Express: Take the train at the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad to the pumpkin patch on Saturday, Oct. 11, or Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Reserve your spot here.

Fall Puzzle Competition: Prefer something less spooky? Dog-Eared Books is hosting a fall puzzle competition on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. Vampire costumes encouraged for a costume contest.

Brains and Brews Trivia: Want to make sure you have brains? Brains and Brews Trivia at Alluvial Brewing from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 15, is a great way to find out. There will be raffle prizes, with proceeds going to the Ames Public Library. Register here.

The Howling: The Halloween Spirit will take over the Shipley Schoolhouse with music, local food, vendors and seasonal activities from 1 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18.

The Addams Family musical: Prefer to bring in the spooky spirit with a familiar story? Watch the classic Addams Family story in musical form at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19 at Stephens Auditorium.

Bricktown Bakery Hocus Pocus Party: Treats, photos, a costume contest and the Sanderson Sisters from the hit movie “Hocus Pocus” will be at Bricktown Bakery from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24. You’ll even get free tickets to showings of the movie at The Camelot Theater in Nevada.

Places to go

Black’s Heritage Farm: Just south of Ames, Black’s Heritage Farm, 26156 530th Ave., open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, you’ll find pumpkins of all sizes and colors.

Center Grove Orchard: Pumpkins, apples, tasty treats and more are at Center Grove Orchard, 32835 610th Ave. near Cambridge. Buy tickets online or at the gate.

DeMoss Pumpkin Farm: North of Ames, 51428 170th St., you’ll find the DeMoss Pumpkin Farm, open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. You’ll find more than just pumpkins, too.

Special movies

Movies 12: If you prefer your spooks on the big screen, Movies 12, 1317 Buckeye Ave., has showings outside the annual influx of new scare flicks. The Christina Ricci-starring Casper is back beginning this weekend. Other limited returnees are Friday the 13th Part 2 (Oct. 13), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (Oct. 15), Halloween II (Oct. 17), Corpse Bride (Oct. 19 and 21) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (Oct. 22 and 29). Returning for longer engagements are Spirited Away (beginning Oct. 18) and ParaNorman (beginning Oct. 25), and the 5-film Twilight series is being shown one chapter per night beginning Oct. 29.

Trick-or-Treat

Treehouse Village, Iowa Arboretum: From 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, a Halloween Scavenger Hunt, a coloring contest and more will be at the Iowa Arboretum near Madrid. Regular admission rates apply.

Downtown: From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30, businesses in Ames’ downtown area are ready to see ghouls, ghosts, goblins, and characters of all kinds.

City-wide: From 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31 — Halloween night — trick-or-treaters will be out in full force.