It’s around this point in summer that I start to get a bit tired of blistering heat, extreme storms, and the fact that you have to water every plant you own at least twice a day for it stop dying. Don’t get me wrong; I love summer, but it definitely pales in comparison to the cool autumn breezes, the grinning mugs of Jack-o-lanterns, and the pure joy of jumping into leaf piles at top speed. With almost 100 days till Halloween, I personally feel it is time to celebrate the spookiest time of year, even if the sun and the summer seem to disagree.

A few ways to celebrate Summer-ween around Maryland:

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Wander through a cemetery

Since Maryland’s inception, history has followed its coattails, and maybe the best way to scratch your Halloween itch is also the most unique way to embrace the history that allowed the world around you to grow. Maryland has many cemeteries around its lands, each housing fascinating figures of history, and each with their own story of how time was before. It’s spooky and a little scary, but the best parts of Halloween are. And you can do this anytime of year!

Take a gander at Maryland Ghost Tours if you’re looking for an informative time under the glow of the moon. Their tours allow you to learn about histories’ featured figures like Francis Scott Key and Thomas Johnson, and highlight that wild and weird stories of cemeteries through the ages. Tours are 90 minutes each, generally starting at 7:00 pm, and only cost $15 for adults. If you’re looking for a whole spooky extravaganza, they also offer Ghost Tours as well!

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Mini Golf with Some Ghosts

Is wandering through graves not really your cup of tea? What about some mini golf?

Scary Stroke in Charles County features one of the spookiest black light mini golf courses in Maryland. During your 18 hole escapade through the cartoonishly depicted occult, you’ll meet with Frankenstein, a group of pirates, and even the sphinx in 14 highly decorated rooms. Once you’re done your game, you can play in their arcade, or experience another world in the Virtual Reality room. Golfing is $12 per person, and Scary Strokes is open every day!

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Explore the Caverns

A little ways away from Maryland, you can find a whole new world’s worth of caverns, caves, and systems right beneath Virginia. At $31 a person, the Shenandoah Caverns allow you to hang with bats and stalactites in the hollows of Virginia while experiencing a guided tour through the mineral majesty. Better yet, the caverns sit at 56 degrees year round, allowing you to beat the summer heat and join in on the fun of the spookier time of year by just demoting around 200 feet into the ground. Tours begin at 10am daily, while the gift shop opens at 9am.

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Mysteries at Home

Now, I understand. It’s incredibly hot, humid, and all around miserable outside this time of year. Sometimes, just waiting for your car to cool down is too much of a task to handle in this kind of weather. I have good news then, if going to the hauntings is a bit out of your comfort zone, you can still bring the haunts to you!

With at home murder mystery games like Escape the Crate, the Deadbolt Mystery Society, and Dispatch, you never need to leave the comfort of your own AC unit to experience the thrills and chills of Halloween. Each subscription box offer short-term mysteries, spurred on by crime scene evidence, story modes, and clues delivered straight to your door. With Escape the Crate, you can join the mystery for as little as two boxes, or even by playing the virtual games they have to supplement the experiences they offer. With Deadbolt Mystery Society, you can get one-time boxes that give you up to hours of fun. With Dispatch, the stories are more vague and foreboding, giving you a horror experience like you’ve never seen. Each box comes highly reviewed, and they all can keep you occupied with good Halloween fun all the way up to spooky season! Prices range from $25 to $60 for short term box games.