Hey {{first_name | Friend}}! 👋

Hope you're soaking up this sunny week, frosty windshields and all. Heads up, the clocks fall back next Sunday, so the 6 AM wake-up is about to feel a lot like 5 AM for a few days. 🕰️

This week's scoop has a Halloween train day with mini train rides, a pool party with pumpkin painting and a sensory swim, and a free birds of prey show on Halloween morning. Plus a pumpkin parade with an accessible early entry to close out the season.

Note: This is your HALTON Edition. Reply YORK to switch. Or BOTH to get both editions.

PS: See all events on our event page.

Newly found or rare events

📍 Hamilton Hamilton Museum of Steam & Technology · SUN Oct 25 · 11 AM to 4 PM · 💰 Free, museum by donation

Rides on the Golden Horseshoe Live Steamers' miniature trains, Halloween crafts, and a look inside the 1859 pumphouse with its giant steam engines. Costumes welcome. → Details

📍 Burlington Tansley Woods Pool · SAT Oct 24 · 1 to 5 PM · 💰 Regular swim admission

Pumpkin painting and a scavenger hunt from 1 PM, a fun swim 1:30 to 3:30, then a sensory swim 4 to 5 PM. Kids 18 and under get a pumpkin while they last. → Details

📍 Acton Acton Town Hall Centre · SAT Oct 31 · 10 AM · 💰 Free

A seated, indoor presentation with Hawkeye's live birds of prey, for the whole family. Seating opens at 9:45 AM. → Details

📍 Dundas Dundas Museum & Archives · SAT Oct 24 · 10 AM to 3 PM · 💰 Free

McMaster anthropology experts run hands-on stations: dig for artifacts in play sand and meet the monsters of the Greek myths. All ages. → Details

Exclusive offers for our community. See full list on our perks page

Fri Oct 23 to Sun Oct 25

📍 Oakville Iroquois Ridge Library · FRI Oct 23 · 4 to 5 PM · 💰 Free

Kids bring a stuffed animal for a check-up, a teeth cleaning and a bandage, with pet-care tips from the local humane society. Ages 5 to 8, 15 spots, tickets handed out 15 minutes before. → Details

📍 Milton Crawford Lake Conservation Area · SAT Oct 24 and SUN Oct 25 · 2 to 3 PM · 💰 $10 plus park admission, under 2 free

A guided tour of the reconstructed longhouse village, then traditional games. Max 20 people a slot. Also runs Oct 31 and Nov 1, the last weekend of the season. → Book

Mon Oct 26 to Sat Nov 7

📍 Dundas Dundas Valley School of Art · MON Oct 26 · 9 AM to 4 PM · 💰 $75 + HST

A full-day art camp for the Hamilton (HWDSB) PA Day, in two groups: ages 4 to 6 and 7+. Halton boards are in school that day. → Register

📍 Burlington Alton Library · THU Oct 29 · 6:30 to 7:30 PM · 💰 Free

Folk tales from India and a craft, ahead of Diwali on Nov 8. All ages. → Details

📍 Hamilton Locke Library · SAT Oct 31 · 10 to 11 AM · 💰 Free

Kids make a puppet, then try it out on the branch puppet stage. Ages 6 to 12. → Details

📍 Hamilton Art Gallery of Hamilton · SAT Oct 31 and SUN Nov 1 · 12 to 2 PM · 💰 $5 per family

Kids paint and draw on slides of Hamilton photos with artist Paige Smith, and every slide joins one big lit-up artwork. Drop-in. → Details

📍 Hamilton Concession Library · SAT Nov 7 · 2 PM · 💰 Free

A drop-in display of dinosaur skulls, teeth and claws for Dinovember. Ages 6 to 12, limited space. → Details

📍 Milton Hilton Falls Conservation Area · SAT Nov 7 · 1 to 3 PM · 💰 $8 plus park admission

A guided hike to the falls, then kids make a pinecone bird feeder and try hand-feeding the chickadees. Add it when you book your park reservation. → Register

Scare-free and accessible, Oct 24 to Nov 1

📍 Brantford Bell Homestead National Historic Site · SUN Oct 25 · 12 to 4 PM · 💰 Free, donations welcome

Kids make a craft to take home and play old-fashioned Halloween games at Alexander Graham Bell's family home. Costumes encouraged. → Details

📍 Burlington Joseph Brant Museum · SAT Oct 31 · 10 AM to 4 PM · 💰 $6-$30 (museum admission)

A family trick-or-treat day inside the museum. Registration recommended, walk-ins if there's space. → Register

📍 Waterdown Waterdown Village · Daily to SAT Oct 31 · Any time · 💰 Free

A self-guided stroll past scarecrows made by local shops, with a scavenger hunt ballot for prizes. A few are a little spooky. → Details

📍 Milton Andrews' Scenic Acres · SAT Oct 31 and SUN Nov 1 · 10 AM to 4:30 PM · 💰 Pumpkin Smash entry free with a jack-o'-lantern or a food bank item

A costume contest and a free pumpkin painting station on Halloween, then on Sunday kids smash their old jack-o'-lanterns for the compost. → Details

📍 Grimsby Coronation Park · SUN Nov 1 · 5:30 to 7:30 PM, accessible entry 4:45 PM · 💰 Free

A walk along the park path past 300+ carved jack-o'-lanterns, with photo spots and light refreshments. You can add your own carved pumpkin (drop-off 9 AM to 4 PM). → Details

Still on: Mountsberg's Skelebration, Fri to Sun evenings to Oct 31 (no jump scares, live raptors, wagon rides); the Great Pumpkin Trail at RBG, last nights Oct 23 to 25; Triple C Farm's sensory-friendly 1 PM entry SUN Oct 25; Milton's accessible trick-or-treat street SAT Oct 31, 2 to 4 PM; and free Park Your Pumpkin at Bradley Museum, Mississauga, SUN Nov 1, 6 to 8 PM.

These run every week, see the full list on our sensory hours page.

🏊 Sensory Swim: SAT 4 to 5 PM @ Tansley Woods CC, Burlington | SUN 3:45 to 4:45 PM @ Sixteen Mile Sports Complex, Oakville | SAT 3 PM @ Milton Leisure Centre ($0-$3.40)

Oakville Trafalgar CC runs THU 2 to 3 PM, weekly.

Thank you for being here and read this far! This list only exists because you keep telling me what your family actually needs.

Hit reply and tell me one thing you are hoping goes smoothly this week. I read every single one.

See you next week!

Stella

Sensory Scoop · sensoryscoop.ca