With spooky season in full swing, we know you’re in need of some eerie October activities. We’ve selected the best ghostly encounters, haunted historical tours, and Halloween themed events from around Rutherford County.
Haunted Historic Sites
In Rutherford County, there are more sites with recorded hauntings than we can count. Here are a few of the most predominant spooky sites across the county that you and your family can enjoy together, or you can enjoy with your friends for a weekend of fright.
Oaklands Mansion
While in Rutherford, make your way to Oaklands Mansion to learn about its haunted history. The mansion has a long history of Civil War involvement and enslavement. Because of this history of strife, and the many conflicts that took place in and around the mansion, visitors have reported a myriad of ghosts roaming its halls. Visitors have reported seeing the ghosts of children, while others have seen “women widowed to the war weep as they walk in the night.”
In order to give visitors a chance to experience this eerie history themselves, Oaklands Mansion will be hosting “Night Tours,” on Friday, October 27. During these Night Tours the lights will be dimmed, mirrors will be covered with black drapes and coffins will be set up for viewing.
If you want to experience this one-of-a-kind ghostly encounter, you can visit the Night Tour Facebook Page to learn more. Tours will begin on the hour at 7:00 p.m,, 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., and admission will cost $25.00. Each tour is limited to 20 people and tickets are available for purchase in advance, so don’t miss your opportunity to explore one of Tennessee’s most haunted mansions this Halloween season!
Sam Davis Home
Another well-known attraction in Rutherford County with a lesser-known haunted history is the Sam Davis Home. The site keeps alive the stories of confederate soldier Sam Davis and of the communities that were enslaved on the plantation. Like the Oakland Mansion, the Sam Davis Home has a similarly complex history of conflict during the Civil War era, and many guess that the reported ghostly encounters relate to this history. Both visitors and employees of the home have witnessed spirits wandering the premises, including a woman in green watching from a window, a man with a long beard wandering the halls, and even supernatural forces affecting the trees and tombstones around the site.
Throughout it all, the house will be set as it would’ve been during a Victorian funeral, so you’ll get to not only experience a haunting, but also learn about social practices surrounding death during the Victorian era. The home will also host the annual Toddler Tuesday Pumpkin Patch on October 31. With games, crafts and a pumpkin patch ripe for the picking, you and your toddlers will have endless opportunities for Halloween fun at the Sam Davis Home.
Stones River Battlefield and Tucker Theater
Other historic sites such as Stones River National Battlefield and Tucker Theater on the MTSU campus provide excellent ghost watching opportunities throughout the month of October.
Between 1862 and 1863, the Stones River battlefield witnessed long and bloody battles between the Union and Confederate troops. It is said that the spirits of thousands of soldiers who were killed there still wander the battle grounds. Even more, visitors have spotted a headless horseman and ghostly horses roaming the grounds.
Another spot that is reported to be crawling with spirits is the Tucker Theater of MTSU. With the haunted history accumulating for over 100 years, you might just get an eerie encounter in the theater. Hear the sounds of phantom horse hooves, smell the cigarette smoke of a MTSU professor who passed away many years ago, or feel the poke of a young woman who roams the theater after passing away there. You can visit these spots during the day, after sunset, or both to meet some of Rutherford County’s longest standing ghosts!
Sugaree’s Boutique
A more contemporary spot with ghostly inhabitants is Sugaree’s Boutique in Murfreesboro. At Sugaree’s you can shop for trendy, fashionable pieces to add to your wardrobe while also bearing witness to some of the county’s most active spirits. We spoke with Staci Higdon, the owner of the boutique, who told us that, since she moved into the building, she and her employees have encountered “many mysterious phenomena in the shop.” She went on to explain that occasionally they “smell cigars, witness hats flying off the shelves, clothing racks moving and many more unexplainable occurrences.”
Sugaree’s Boutique has even had over 10 paranormal investigations conducted in the space, and they are now proud to have actual certificates proving their haunted status. Visit Sugaree’s with the family for an unforgettable experience, not only because of their excellent inventory but also because of their hyperactive supernatural guests!
Spooky Special Events
In addition to the spooky places across Rutherford County, there are even more seasonal events to honor its haunted histories.
Throughout the season, The Farm at Route 8 Shady Lane will have haunted woods explorations, a maze (one for adults and one for toddlers), a flashlight maze (bring your flashlight), and even pumpkins for sale. Open from 2:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., entrance is completely free for kids under the age of 5 years old, and $5 for everyone else. For more information, call the Farm at (615) 300-7599.
In Murfreesboro, take a tour of the haunted square with Haunted Murfreesboro. In this square, director Jen Freeman explains, “there has been a lot of tragedy,” and that “since there is so much limestone in our area, it tends to absorb [the] energy” of its haunted past. You can get your tickets online for a variety of days and times.
For a break from the ghoulish, visit Cannonsburgh Village, also in Murfreesboro, for its free annual Harvest Days on Saturday, October 28, 2023. This fun-filled October harvest day at Cannonsburgh features crafters, vendors, blacksmithing and other vintage demonstrations, Murfreesboro Art League exhibit, clogging, music, the Murfreesboro Antique Auto show, hayrides and more. Special entertainers include Jake Let Stompers, Mid-State Cloggers, and Stones River Bluegreass.
For a family-oriented Halloween event, you, your kids AND your pets are invited to the second annual Howl-O-Ween Dog Costume Contest on Halloween Day at Quinn’s Mercantile, a one-of-a-kind gift shop in Murfreesboro. Tracy Toy from Quinn’s Mercantile told us that the event “is an opportunity for our customers to dress their dogs in their best Halloween costumes and bring them into the store for a special treat and a photo.” On Halloween night, specifically, they’ll be sharing the pups’ photos on Instagram Stories and the photo with the most likes wins!
Get Spooky in Rutherford County!
With a history full of haunted encounters and so many opportunities to explore them, you’re sure to have an October jam packed with spooky community events in Rutherford County. You can now relax because we’ve got everything planned out for you, your family and your friends. For more information about the famous historical sites across the county, check out our “History Comes Alive” blog and the “Play” section of our website. Grab your flashlights and put on your bravest faces; we’ll see you soon to meet the spirits of our county!