Felt Estate busy with Halloween events

Free-For-All Day, paranormal talks, trick-or-treating make for a month of spooky fun.

A cloudy night during the “Hauntings & History Nights” at the Felt Estate, 6597 138th Ave., on Friday night, Oct. 24, 2025.

The Felt Mansion, 6597 138th Ave. in Laketown Township, is rolling out the spooky fun for October with special tours, paranormal events and trick-or-treating for kids.

Free tour

The month starts with a Free-For-All Day from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026.

The Free-For-All Day events are self-guided tours at no charge. The tours on the first Sunday of the month are from April through October. They started in 2024 as a way to share local history and thank the community for its support in the restoration process.

“Historic places belong to the whole community, and we want children and families to feel that the Felt Estate is a place for them,” said Elizabeth McEwen, executive director of the estate. “We created Free-for-All Sundays to remove admission cost as a barrier and give families an opportunity to experience history together in a space where kids are welcome to explore, ask questions, and be curious.”

The tours have been popular.

“Seeing more than 1,100 people take advantage of these days since April tells us there is a real appetite for that kind of access,” McEwen said.

A self-guided tour generally takes about 45 minutes to an hour with direction by a tour booklet, which includes architectural and historical details about the estate, plus two videos that play on repeat. The Felt Mansion can accommodate groups of any size, and visitors of all ages are welcome.

Only the first floor of the mansion is handicap accessible. All other floors are accessible via stairs only.

Check the mansion’s web page www.feltmansion.org for other guided and self-guided tours and costs.

Once inside the Felt Mansion, a volunteer greeted visitors and answered questions during the “Hauntings & History Nights” at the Felt Estate, 6597 138th Ave., on Friday night, Oct. 24, 2025.

Halloween Events

The 25-room mansion turns eerie and fills with other-worldly tales as the month progresses.

Paranormal Investigation with Adam Berry is 6-11:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24. Tickets are $200. Join Berry for an exclusive investigation of Felt Mansion and Carriage House with special guests John E.L. Tenney and Jessica Knapik from What’s Up Weirdo podcast.

Spooky Self-Guided Tours are 4-8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, Tuesday, Oct. 27 and Wednesday, Oct. 28. Tickets are $5 for children ages 7 and under, $11 for people 8-17, $15 for adults and $11 for seniors 60 and older. History meets just the right touch of Halloween haunt. No jump-scares or gory frights. Just spine-tingling stories, eerie ambiance, and a hint of the supernatural woven into the mansion’s century-old charm with dimmed lights, creaking doors, and just enough spooky décor to stir imagination.

Hauntings & History Nights are 7, 8 and 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31. Tickets are $35. Advance ticket purchase required. No tickets at the door.

Embark on a journey through time as the estate’s rich history and spine-tingling supernatural phenomena intertwine. This year’s experience begins in the chapel where those who have personally confronted the spectral mysteries share their encounters, sending shivers down your spine. This is followed by self-guided exploration of the mansion and Carriage House.

Volunteer Kim Doele hands out treats in the Agnes Felt room at The Felt Mansion, 6597 138th Ave., in Laketown Township on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025.

Children’s Trick-or-Treat is 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. The event is free. For elementary-school-aged children.

Volunteers are needed. Email operations@feltmansion.org to volunteer.

For information on any of the events, visit https://www.feltmansion.org/tours.

The mansion will be closed Nov. 1-30 while the facility is decorated for the Christmas holidays.

About the mansion

Construction on the mansion began in 1925 by Dorr Felt, inventor of the Comptometer, the first machine that could do all four math functions — add, subtract, multiply and divide. The building was finished in 1928.

Felt’s wife, Agnes, died in 1928, six weeks after the house was complete. Dorr died two years later.

The property went on to serve as a minor seminary for the Augustinian order (attended by Pope Leo XIV), a state prison, and a Michigan State Police post before the property was purchased by Laketown Township.

Today, following years of restoration by the Friends of the Felt Estate, the mansion is a top cultural, educational, and event destination, welcoming thousands of visitors annually.