Spooky Season: No Better Halloween than at UVA

Note: Although Halloween was a month ago, I wanted to share a short post I wrote about Halloween at UVA.

Between the candy, decorations and costumes, Halloween holds a spot in many of our hearts. Like ghosts and vampires, this holiday seems to sneak up on us, but there are a number of reasons to make plans to visit UVA during this spooky season.

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the University of Virginia’s home in Charlottesville, VA has the perfect balance of atmosphere, enthusiasm, tradition, and of course, candy, to enjoy the scariest time of the year. Here are 5 reasons why UVA should be at the top of your list of places to celebrate Halloween:

Trick-or-Treating on the Lawn

A long time tradition at UVA, trick-or-treating on the lawn is a popular event every year. Placed among the 54 lawn rooms, residents and student organizations hand out treats (but be careful for a trick) donated by 70 student organizations at UVA. 

Not only a highlight for little trick or treaters, adults alike can enjoy the festivities. Embracing the beauty and history of the lawn, and its gorgeous architecture, costumes are encouraged. Open to the public, this longtime Halloween event has been popular since the 80’s.

UVA Trick or Treating on the Lawn 2019: Relive Halloween in Hoo-ville

The Great Rotumpkin

There is no place more iconic to UVA than the Rotonda. Every year UVA projects a variety of original images onto the building including jack-o-lantern or skeletons. A true spectacle to see! 

Open and free to the public on the evenings leading up to and on Halloween, there is no need to travel far to enjoy the magic of this special season. Turning Jefferson’s great Rotunda into a ‘Great Rotumpkin’ is truly something you will not want to miss. 

The GREAT ROTUMPKIN

UVA’s Secret Societies

Deep within UVA’s history lies the untold secrets of its secret societies. With some more commonly known than others, and likely many that are truly a secret, there is one society that makes Halloween even more special on grounds. 

P.U.M.P.K.I.N. society annually distributes pumpkins as well as letters of commendation around grounds each Halloween night. In addition, pumpkin pies, amongst other seasonal specialties, are often given to faculty and students who have silently and selflessly served UVA’s community.  

A Haunted History

Within the serpentine walls of UVA’s history lies Room 13 West Range. Former student and resident, Edgar Allan Poe, was forced to depart the University early, but his legacy lives on. Etched on the windowpane of Room 13, Poe left a poem:

O Thou timid one, let not thy

Form rest in slumber within these

Unhallowed walls,

For herein lies

The ghost of an awful crime

The ghost referred to is one of many, so this Halloween make sure to beware. With the long history of the University comes a long list of ghosts and one of the most haunted college campuses. So where better to spend a ghostly Halloween than UVA?

Natural Surroundings 

Not only does UVA offer both a fun and haunted history during this spooky season, its natural backdrop is undeniably gorgeous. The rolling hills blending in with the orange and red tones of the trees shedding their leaves is something you do not want to miss.

Whether stopping at Carter Mountain Orchard for some apples and a view from above or standing on the UVA lawn, the fall foliage in Charlottesville in October is a must. With trees losing their colored leaves around the grounds, there is no better place to celebrate Halloween than during UVA’s fabulous Fall.