IMAGE COURTESY BRIGHTON HEIGHTS HOUSE TOUR

Now in its 19th year, the annual Brighton Heights House Tour returns this fall with a festive twist.

Jon Ebeck, a member of the planning committee for the Brighton Heights House Tour, says that although they are embracing a Halloween theme this time around, don’t expect any jump scares.

“We didn’t want anyone to conflate this with being a scare house or a haunted house,” Ebeck says. “It’s going to be fall-themed, think more, opening up Martha Stewart, October magazine than zombies.”

PHOTO COURTESY ANNIE PERRI COLE

Located on Pittsburgh’s North Side, Brighton Heights is an architecturally diverse neighborhood with homes that range from turn-of-the century Victorians to 1950s-era infill homes built after The Great Depression.

The housing will be on full display during the annual house tour, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 4.

The self-guided tour features nine homes decked out in fall decor. Annie Perri Cole, another organizer for the tour, says everyone in the community is encouraged to decorate their homes in preparation for the tour as a way to give visitors a better taste of the charming atmosphere Brighton Heights fosters during the holiday.

“Halloween night in our neighborhood is incredible, like out of a movie. Every house is decorated — kids as far as the eye can see,” Cole says. “It’s really picturesque and idyllic. We want to bring some of that feeling to our tour.”

PHOTO COURTESY ANNIE PERRI COLE

Tickets to the event cost $28.52. After the tour, guests are invited to Legion Memorial Park for a celebration that includes live music, a specialty tour beer crafted by Allegheny City Brewing, local food trucks, vendors and lawn games.

Dogs and kids are both welcome at the event. Ebeck says he recognizes that architecture tours may not be for everyone, so including a kid- and dog-friendly portion of the day was ideal for reaching multiple demographics in the neighborhood.

“It just kind of makes it a little bit more family friendly, gets more of the community involved and makes for a nice fall day for our neighbors,” he says. “And people that live outside of the community can come and see the best of Brighton Heights.”

PHOTO COURTESY ANNIE PERRI COLE

Proceeds from the event benefit the Brighton Heights Citizens Federation, a non-profit focused on benefiting the community with projects such as a neighborhood refrigerator for people facing food insecurity as well as beatification efforts. The house tour is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the federation, according to Ebeck.

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