Scarecrows, pumpkins, mazes, oh my! Litchfield, Minn.
Check out a scarecrow-making contest (sorry it's too late to enter), and create your own fall decorations for your home or yard during a Pumpkin Patch Festival today, Saturday and next Sunday at the Nelson Family farm in Litchfield. Other activities include live entertainment, corn and straw mazes, games, fall color walks, pumpkin picking and more. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $7 (1-320-693-7750; www.nelsonfarm.com).
Hit the (haunted) decks in Duluth Duluth, Minn.
Have a frightful good time during a Haunted Ship Tour on board the William A. Irvin ore carrier in Duluth. Tour the haunted decks, jam-packed with monsters, ghouls and haunting sounds, Thursday through next Sunday and Oct. 29 through Nov. 1. Hours are 6:30 to 10 p.m. most days. The cost is $8 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under. Bring a canned food item and get 50 cents off admission (1-218-722-5573).
Swan song for migrating birds along bluffs Wabasha, Minn.
Watch bald eagles and tundra swans soar above the Mississippi River bluffs during their annual fall migration along the Mississippi River Nov. 1 and 2 at the National Eagle Center Deck Opener in Wabasha. While there, check out eagle feeding programs, a talk and book signing by Stan Tekiela, music, American Indian dance, riverboat cruises and other events. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $4 for ages 4 to 18 and free for children 3 and under (1-651-565-4989 or 1-877-332-4537; www.nationaleaglecenter.org/deckOpener.htm).
COLLEEN A. COLES
