The Whaling Museum and Education Center in Cold Spring Harbor is splitting Halloween week in two: a Victorian themed evening for adults on Friday, October 23, and a daytime ghost fair for families that Sunday, both inside its galleries at 301 Main Street.

Ghosts in the Galleries, for adults only

Ghosts in the Galleries: A Night of Victorian Mischief runs Friday, October 23, from 7 to 10 p.m. The evening is built around the ghost culture of the 19th century, the same decades the museum's whaling collection comes from, with ghost stories, a Victorian style seance and unsettling histories told among the exhibits. Each guest leaves with a spirit photo, and a cocktail or mocktail is included in the ticket.

Admission is $25, or $20 for members, and registration is required. The museum closes October 22 through 24 to prepare and host the event, so daytime visitors that week should plan around those dates.

The Haunted Boo-seum, for everyone else

Two days later, on Sunday, October 25, the museum runs Haunted Boo-seum: Ghost Edition from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The family version trades the seance for potion brewing, a fortune teller and a photo booth, with activities included in the price. Admission is $20 for kids, $10 for adults and $5 for seniors; for member households, kids pay $20 and adults and seniors enter free. Registration is required.

Through the rest of October, a Skull Scavenger Hunt and seasonal crafts run during regular gallery hours and are included with museum admission.

Monsters, mermaids and a book night

The Halloween programs land alongside Monsters and Mermaids, the museum's new special exhibit on the creatures sailors reported, imagined and feared at sea, now on view during regular hours.

On Wednesday, October 28, at 6:30 p.m., the museum's Beyond the Book series takes up Whalefall, the novel about a diver swallowed by a sperm whale. The evening is free for members and for library cardholders in Cold Spring Harbor, Huntington and South Huntington, and $15 for everyone else.

November brings an adults craft night making corn husk figures on November 12 and a pickle making workshop and tasting on November 15.

Planning a visit

The museum's fall and winter hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration for all programs is through the museum's event calendar at cshwhalingmuseum.org or at 631-367-3418.

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