Plants and Zombies

This weekend, you can have a generous portion of monstrousness with your merlot, as Bloomsbury Farm hosts an under-the-moon, five-course dinner served by zombies in the dead center of a cornfield. The Friday, October 5 event begins with a cocktail hour from 7 to 8 p.m., followed by rural transport (think hayride) to the dining area. After the candlelit meal, guests may stroll through the Slaughterhouse, a two-story corncrib repurposed as a haunted abattoir/house, and the evil-clown inhabited Curtain Chaos, a maze with a twisted circus theme. Happy early Halloween!

GO Monsters and Merlot at Bloomsbury Farm, 3260 69th St., Atkins, Iowa. 7 to 10 p.m. on Friday, October 5. Tickets are $50; for more info, go to bloomsburyfarm.com or call 319-446-7667.

While you’re in the area: Follow a night of the living dead with an evening of the dead dead—on a guided walking tour of the Oak Hill Cemetery (1705 Mt. Vernon Rd. SE, Cedar Rapids) 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, October 6. The event (bring a flashlight) features appearances by early Cedar Rapids residents telling their tales tomb-side. Dessert and coffee follow the ghoulery. Tickets $16; for more information go to crrec.org or call 319-286-5731.

Where to stay: The Belmont Hill Victorian Bed & Breakfast (1525 Cherokee Dr. NW, Cedar Rapids, 319-366-1343, belmonthill.com) has three opulent guest rooms in a restored 1840 carriage house on the grounds of a former vineyard; rates range from $95 to $145 a night. The Hotel at Kirkwood Center (7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids, 319-848-8700, thehotelatkirkwood.com) has 71 upscale guest rooms in a location convenient to downtown; rates range from $125 to $204 a night.

Where to dine: The Croissant Du Jour (3531 Mount Vernon Rd. SE, Cedar Rapids, 319-363-7767, croissantdujour.biz) serves breakfast, lunch, and pastries. Zins (227 2nd Ave., SE, Cedar Rapids, 319-363-9467, zinsrestaurant.com) serves a locally sourced menu of small and large plates, and salads.

Photograph: Courtesy of Bloomsbury Farm