Two local Halloween pop-up bars to get you in the ~spirits~
Spooky season is creeping into Raleigh early—and this year, it’s bringing better (boo)ze than the average cauldron punch. Two local cocktail haunts are going all in for the haunted holiday, from an apothecary dripping in herbs and candlelight to a nostalgia-fueled takeover straight out of the Halloween aisles of your childhood. Prepare to eat, drink and fall under the spell.
The Haunting
Call it a “Nightmare on North West Street”—the good kind. Killjoy is leaning all the way into over-the-top vintage decor, glowing jack-o’-lanterns and haunted-house nostalgia this Halloween as it becomes Raleigh’s only outpost for The Haunting, the inaugural Halloween pop-up from the team behind the beloved Miracle Christmas brand. Like an eerie ghost story or your favorite scary movie, the wonderfully strange environment immerses guests in a twisted realm of oddities, playful mischief and creepy secrets. The cocktails are also bewitchingly inventive: Scream-sicle mixes tequila, spiced vanilla, carrot-orange cordial and habanero, while Poison Apple layers Calvados and rye whiskey with bitter apple, sherry and miso. And for anyone who likes their booze with a little souvenir, the Pumpkin Payback shot comes with a collectible Haunting glass. Oct. 1–31, Killjoy, Glenwood South, killjoycocktail.com
Courtesy of Wye Hill
Witch, Please!
Something wicked this way comes as Wye Hill swaps its usual brewery scene for something far more spellbinding. The buzzy Boylan brewery’s first-ever Halloween pop-up, Witch, Please!, fills the taproom with flickering candles, dangling herbs, weathered spell books and ancient-apothecary energy. Behind the bar, ~spirited~ potions and elixirs get the full treatment—smoke, scorched herbs and dramatic flair included. So basically—witchy theater meets cocktail hour. Try the Wise Woman, a tequila-and-Strega concoction with cucumber, mint, lime and absinthe, or go darker with the rye whiskey- and pomegranate-laced Better Half of Hades. Even the glassware gets in costume, with specialty vessels adding to the theatrical pours, while seasonal bites complete the spell. Through Nov. 1, Wye Hill, Warehouse District, wyehill.com
Tricks or it didn’t happen. … Creep it real with our festive quiz on local horror movies, spooky seasonal specials and other Oak City Halloween tidbits. So if ya got the knowledge, now’s the time to haunt it.
1. While Cape Fear, a tantalizing thriller about a convicted criminal seeking revenge, wasn’t actually filmed on location in NC (boo!), it’s still set in a popular local destination. Where was most of the 1991 version of the film shot instead?
a. Savannah
b. Charleston
c. Wilmington
d. Hilton Head
2. Calling all nerds! Nerd Escape Room on Glenwood South offers up perplexing puzzles perfect for escape room novices or seasoned experts. How many escape room options are there to choose from?
a. 3
b. 4
c. 5
d. 7
3. By day, Dorothea Dix Park is a pleasant place for rest and play. … By night, some say the cemetery on the grounds near Dorothea Dix Hospital is haunted by the spirits of patients long passed. What year did the hospital cease operations?
a. 2000
b. 2012
c. 2015
d. 2018
4. Time to up the fear factor. … Filmed in Shelby, NC, Final Exam is your classic Halloween slasher film feat. college students getting picked off by a nameless killer (how fun!). What year was this hair-raising horror film released?
a. 1981
b. 1990
c. 1995
d. 2002
5. Happy haunting! The Raleigh Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour combines local ghost stories, folklore and history during visits to four different ghost and paranormal sites. At which historic home might you find a peg-legged ghost?
a. The Yarborough House
b. Heck-Andrews House
c. The White-Holman House
d. The Oberlin House
6. If you think being a Wolfpack fan is easy, you’re dead wrong. NC State’s supposed curse of athletic hardship has haunted our beloved football team for decades. When was the last time the Pack secured an ACC championship?
a. 1979
b. 1980
c. 1983
d. 1995
7. Sir Walter Coffee has scary good coffee and cocktails, NTM rotating seasonal specials that are to die for, including all the classic autumn drinks. What is the name of Sir Walter Coffee’s pumpkin spiced latte?
a. Witch’s Brew
b. Pumpkin Potion
c. Pumpkin King
d. Spice Up Your Life
8. Don’t get your knickers in a twist. Which classic Halloween flick will be showing at Raleigh Little Theatre this month?
a. Scream
b. Halloweentown
c. The Addams Family
d. Hocus Pocus
9. Trick or treat yo’ self to a free doughnut at Krispy Kreme by showing up in your costume on Halloween (um, doughnut mind if we do!). In what NC city did the first Krispy Kreme open its doors in 1937?
