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Angels, Devils and Spirits | An Insubstantial Afternoon at Glencairn Museum

First floor FREE. Additional Activities: $5 Adults, $3 Seniors/Students with I.D. FREE for members and children 4 & under.

Trick-or-treaters young and old will make Glencairn their first stop this Halloween! Explore magical objects and mythical creatures in Glencairn's collections when you take “Muggle Magic and Fantastic Beasts,” our Harry Potter scavenger hunt. Dare to take our special cell phone audio tour, “Angels, Devils and Spirits.” Nourish your spirit (or as the ancient Egyptians would say, “feed your ka”) at the Castle Café. And don’t forget to treat yourself to a few earthly rewards at the Gift Shop! Come in costume to this family-friendly event that is fun for kids and adults alike.


Angels, Devils and Spirits press release: Museum links Harry Potter tales with artifacts'

MuggleMagic & Fantastic Beasts’ scavenger hunt awaits visitors to Glencairn Museum’s Halloween event Oct. 31

Cauldrons, owls and lucky charms. Dragons, griffins, snakes and more.

Magical objects and mythical creatures await visitors to Glencairn Museum in Bryn Athyn Oct. 31 in a Halloween scavenger hunt evoking tales of Harry Potter.

The hunt, “Muggle Magic and Fantastic Beasts,”  is part of “Angels, Devils and Spirits: An Insubstantial Afternoon at Glencairn” from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

“A lot of what is in the Harry Potter books comes from the Western magical tradition, which began in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, and was passed on to Greece, Rome, and eventually Europe” said Joralyn Echols, outreach and public relations coordinator at Glencairn, a museum of religious art and artifacts, housed in a nine-story medieval-style castle at 1001 Cathedral Road.

The family friendly event for all ages sends visitors searching for museum objects that relate to items in the popular Harry Potter stories by J.K. Rowling. “Answer all the questions and you win a prize,” said Echols. “For instance, Nearly Headless Nick would have appreciated having one of the magical amulets in our Egyptian Gallery. Which one? Lots of objects in our collection remind me of Harry Potter characters,” she said. “We have a big 16th century tapestry on the walls of our Great Hall that shows a hairy wild man of the forest and a griffin. Whenever I see that tapestry, I think about Hagrid and hippogriffs.”

Those who come in costume and decorate a Halloween bag will receive free candy. The event also features a special cell-phone audio tour called “Angels, Devils and Spirits” and an opportunity to visit the Castle Café and Gift Shop.

The event title, “Angels, Devils and Spirits: An Insubstantial Afternoon at Glencairn,” is a play on words, said Echols. “Many people believe that angels and spirits are insubstantial, that is, lacking material form. But that doesn’t mean they are imaginary or unimportant. Artists have been depicting them for thousands of years.”

Admission to the museum’s first floor is free. All activities, including the scavenger hunt, are $5; $3 for seniors and students with ID; and free for members and children 4 and under.

For additional information, visit www.glencairnmuseum.org or call Glencairn at 267.502.2600.