Providence Children’s Museum Plans a Playful October for Kids and Grown-Ups

October at Providence Children’s Museum is shaping up to be a little less finger paint and a little more tarot cards and reptiles. The museum’s calendar stretches from an adults-only night with beer and baby bunnies to a family Halloween celebration filled with carnival games, candy, and creatures that slither.

The grown-ups get first crack at the fun on October 16 from 6-10pm, when Play ON! opens the museum after hours to guests 21 and older. PCM describes the night as a “nostalgic playground reimagined for the young-at-heart,” but the details are much more specific than that. Board games, crafts, a museum-wide scavenger hunt, a tarot card reader, music, and a petting zoo with baby bunnies will fill the space, while Ja Patty and Artisan Bites handle the food and Long Live Beerworks supplies the drinks. Costumes are encouraged, which feels like a fair trade for getting to roam a children’s museum with a beer in hand.

A week later, the museum switches gears for families. Boo Bash returns October 23 with trick-or-treating, a Creepy Crawly Animal Encounter from Rainforest Reptiles Show, and a lineup of Halloween games that includes Spider Cornhole, Witch Hat Ring Toss, Boo-ling, Pumpkin Checkers, and Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe. Kids can also make bone-themed projects in the Maker Studio, explore Light & Color in the iLab, and visit a Teeny Tiny Pumpkin Patch in Little Woods.

The month also brings two chances to visit for free. Admission is free on October 24 through a partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Health Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, followed by another free day on October 31, sponsored by Brightstars. Costumes are welcome on Halloween, and Brightstars representatives will be on-site with information about child care and early learning resources.

Elsewhere on the calendar, the rescheduled 42nd Annual Allen H. Chatterton Memorial Golf & Tennis Tournament returns October 20 at Agawam Hunt, benefiting PCM’s Blue Star Program for active military members and their families. For tickets, event details, and the full October schedule, visit ProvidenceChildrensMuseum.org.