How many people can join a ghost tour of Gault Avenue on any given night this October? Thirty. The Downtown Fort Payne Ghost Walk runs two tours a night with 15 people in each group, and every guest needs a ticket bought ahead of time. There are five tour nights this season, which works out to about 150 spots for the whole month.
A block south, the Historic DeKalb Theatre is showing a free movie on the same Friday the Ghost Walk opens, and its event page also says seating is limited. The next night brings the Third Saturday Sunset Cruise-In, and the city's listing for it doesn't mention tickets or reservations.
So the weekend of October 16 and 17 is the fullest stretch downtown Fort Payne has this fall, and how well it goes depends on what you book this week. A good plan starts with the two old buildings that host the scarce seats.
Two Theaters, Three Blocks of Gault
Both of the reservation-only events take place inside buildings that have anchored Gault Avenue for generations.
The Fort Payne Opera House at 510 Gault Ave. N. went up in 1889, during the city's industrial boom, and Wendell P. Rice is credited with building it. It held its grand opening on September 16, 1890. The Encyclopedia of Alabama calls it the oldest theater in Alabama still in use. Landmarks of DeKalb County, the nonprofit that bought the building in 1969 and reopened it in 1970, notes that it has served as a movie house, a live theater, and a public forum. Every Ghost Walk tour starts and finishes there.
The DeKalb Theatre at 306 Gault Ave. N. came later. It opened on July 1, 1935, with a screening of Naughty Marietta. An earlier Times-Journal report described it as vacant and mostly unused. Today the City of Fort Payne lists it as an active venue with movable seating that can be arranged for shows or for dancing. That restoration is what makes a free monthly movie night possible.
The two theaters sit close enough to walk between in a few minutes. The catch is that their October schedules overlap.
Friday, October 16: Pick One
Here is how the Friday timing works out:
- 6:00 p.m. The DeKalb Theatre opens its doors for The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the first Ghost Walk group leaves the Opera House.
- 7:00 p.m. The movie starts, and the second Ghost Walk group heads out.
- About 7:30 p.m. The first tour group gets back to the Opera House, since tours last about an hour and a half.
- About 8:30 p.m. The second tour group returns. The movie night is listed as running until 9 p.m.
Once you line it up, the overlap is clear. A 6 p.m. tour ends half an hour after the film has started, and a 7 p.m. tour starts at the same moment as the film. If you want both events, give Friday to one and move the other to a different night.
The movie is the easier one to pin to Friday because it only happens once in October. Admission is free, there are concessions, and seats are reserved by calling or texting 256-996-2131. The city's movie night page lists the next film as The Grinch on December 18. If you miss October, the next holiday movie is about two months away.
The Ghost Walk Has More Nights, but Fewer Seats per Night
The Ghost Walk has a longer run but far smaller groups. This is its fourth year, and Landmarks of DeKalb County organizes it. Two guides lead it. Bill Potter is a local historian who founded the DeKalb County, Alabama Historical Group on Facebook. Cassie Wigley is one of Landmarks' Boom Town Players. The route follows the Main Street District along Gault Avenue and covers people and places from different periods of the city's history, along with some DeKalb County stories.
Before you buy, here is what to know:
- Dates: Friday, Oct. 16; Saturday, Oct. 17; Friday, Oct. 23; Saturday, Oct. 24; and Friday, Oct. 30. Each night has tours at 6 and 7 p.m.
- Price: Eventbrite shows $17.85 per ticket. The listing doesn't make clear whether fees are included.
- Group size: 15 people per tour, with tickets bought in advance.
- Ages: Some stories aren't suited to young children, so the tour isn't recommended for kids under 10.
- Arrival: Plan to be there 15 minutes early. The tour covers several blocks on foot.
- Refreshments: Available for a donation before and after each tour.
The Saturday, October 17, tours fit the weekend best, because they line up with the Cruise-In, which runs all evening.
Saturday, October 17: Tour First, Then the Cruise-In
The Third Saturday Sunset Cruise-In runs from 5 to 9 p.m. The city's event page lists vendors, live entertainment, shopping, cars and trucks on display, a Kidz Zone, and pony rides. The October lineup has two stages. The Last Call plays the Main Stage, and The nEli Gurley Band plays at the Coal and Iron Building.
That four-hour window leaves room for a Ghost Walk. If you take the 6 p.m. tour, you're back at the Opera House around 7:30, with about an hour and a half of music and cars still ahead. If you take the 7 p.m. tour, you can spend the first two hours at the Cruise-In and walk back for the last half hour. Either way, you can do both on one evening without overlapping, which Friday doesn't allow.
The Cruise-In page is the place to check for any schedule changes before you head out.
Dinner on Gault Fits Around the Schedule
The weekend gets easier if dinner is close to the events. Two Gault Avenue restaurants fit the timing well.
Mater's Pizza & Pasta Emporium at 107 Gault Ave. N. serves deep-dish pizza on house-made dough, plus pasta, sandwiches, and salads. It has a full bar, and the 2026 innkeepers' dining guide at nippersinklodgebb.com says Mater's has live music most evenings. Because it's at the south end of the downtown strip, it works for a late dinner after the movie lets out.
Roadside 'Que at 607 Gault Ave. smokes its meats over hickory, using pasture-raised beef from Fudge Family Farms. It was named Best BBQ in DeKalb County in 2024. It's open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. That 8 p.m. closing time matters on Saturday. If you book a Ghost Walk, eat there before the tour, since the walk back from a 7 p.m. tour lands after the kitchen closes.
The Rest of October Downtown
After the 16th and 17th, the October calendar spreads out. The Ghost Walk runs again on October 23, 24, and 30. If you didn't get a seat for the opening weekend, those dates are your best chance.
The month ends with the Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce Halloween Block Party on Saturday, October 31, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Main Street Square, 509 Gault Ave. N. Main Street Square's address is a single digit off from the Opera House at 510 Gault Ave. N., so Halloween afternoon happens on the same stretch of Gault where the Ghost Walk tours start, and the block party wraps up at 5:30, before the evening begins.
One Week Later, Up on the Canyon Rim
The first big event of November moves out of downtown. The 15th annual Canyon Fest is set for Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Little River Canyon Center, 4322 Little River Canyon Rim Parkway. The listing calls it the Canyon Center's biggest event of the year. It promises live music, nature and art activities, demonstrations, food, arts and crafts, children's activities, and live animal programs, and leashed pets are welcome. The state tourism listing says both "free and open to everyone" and "admission charged," so call the Canyon Center at (256) 845-3548 or check the Canyon Fest page before you go.
If you're planning October around the Opera House and the DeKalb Theatre, the team at Valley Real Estate Co. would enjoy seeing you downtown, and we're glad to talk about Fort Payne whenever it suits you. For now, the one thing to do this week is text 256-996-2131 for movie seats. Let's Make Your Move.
