BATH — Blackbeard; Gov. Charles Eden; a Victorian woman in mourning — they’re not characters that people run across every day. Next weekend, however, those visiting Bath after sundown may just encounter them.

The Historic Bath State Historic Site will host Bath Towne After Dark on Oct. 13-14. Starting at 6 p.m., hour-long tours will leave the Visitor Center in 15-minute increments, taking visitors on a stroll through the town and its history. Along the tour through North Carolina’s oldest town, they’ll meet a variety of people who shaped the town over the course of three centuries.

“There will be a cast of characters through all different time periods,” said Erica Smith, assistant manager of the Historic Bath site. “Every character is based on historic characters.”

The cast of Bath Towne After Dark is made up of volunteers from schools in eastern Beaufort County: TEACH home-school students, as well as students from Northeast Regional Biotechnology and Agriscience, Beaufort County Early College High School and Northside High School. Each volunteer actor will be dressed in period costume as he tells the stories of the particular character in history.

“They’re all kids; they’re not paid actors,” Smith said. “It’s a learning experience for them because they get to learn about the characters they play and give back to the community

Though the Bath Towne After Dark is associated with Halloween simply because of the proximity to the holiday, Smith said the event is educational.

“It’s not designed to be scary. It’s designed to be more historical,” Smith said.

Tickets costs are $12 per adult and $8 for children, and free admission is offered to children under 5 years old. All proceeds will be used to support the Historic Bath site.

Tours are limited to groups of 20 to keep the crowd size small and so all ticketholders will be able to hear the actors, Smith said. While tickets will be sold on the nights of Oct. 13-14, she recommended that people buy tickets in advance.

“The only problem is (if purchasing the tickets) the night of, you run the risk that you may have to wait,” Smith said.

The last tour on each night starts at 8 p.m. and returns to the Visitor Center at 9 p.m.

For more information, call 252-923-3971. The Historic Bath State Historic Site Visitor Center is located at 207 Carteret St., Bath.