Ghosts, goblins, and ghouls,oh my! Many museums have elegant interiors and tasteful trinkets of the past, but around October, these holders of history may take on a spooktacular air. The African American Military History Museum in downtown Hattiesburg hosted its annual Halloween Boo-seum event on Oct. 27th. The event consisted of  fun games, an obstacle course, and more. Dozens of parents and kids participated in the Halloween event.

“I think it’s a good experience for the kids to just learn about history and have fun,” museum representative Azara said. 

As kids went through the museum participating in activities, there were also opportunities for them to learn about African Americans in the US military throughout the decades. Many guests thought it was important for their kids to make positive memories associated with learning about the nation’s history.

When the guests got hungry while learning about history, they could go to the nearby snack bar, which sold pizza, chips, canned sodas, and a mysterious potion called Witch’s Brew! There were many festivities the guests could enjoy. They included a trick-or-treat tour with several areas bedazzled with Halloween-themed decor.

During the tour, kids went around the museum collecting stickers, studying statues of past military soldiers along the way.   Inside, there were stations where kids could do some fun coloring activities, creepy crafts, bowling for villains, comic toss, pumpkin putt-putt, witch hat toss, pumpkin corn hole and bingo. Children squealed when they won a game of pumpkin corn hole. Outside, there was a Spider-Man obstacle course where kids could try their luck at agility races. There was also a fire truck that kids could explore and learn how to operate. This was a favorite attraction among the younger kids. Nearing the end of the trick-or-treat tour, the kids that visited eight areas and collected stickers were allowed to enter in the Halloween Costume Competition.

Many excited kids had gone to the event prepared with their best apparel. The costumes of the night included Nezuko from the Demon Slayer franchise, the Incredibles, Sonic the Hedgehog, princesses, superheroes, scarecrows and more.

“I think that the event was well-organized and a fun event for young children to attend,” said visitor, Janet Hudson.

The African American Military History Museum’s Boo-seum event was an all-around beneficial experience for children of all ages. It consisted of an educational tour through many historical military paraphernalia while making fun memories. There was also a friendly competition at the end, where children laughed, made friends, and showed off their costume-making skills.

For more information on this museum, you can call the number (601) 450-1942. You can also follow the African American Military History Museum on Facebook.