The best of Boca Raton this week happens after the beach empties out. Between Thursday, Oct. 15, and Thursday, Oct. 22, the city's nature center opens its trails after hours, the Children's Science Explorium rolls its telescopes into the parking lot for a free night of stargazing, and the Boca Raton Historical Society leads two small groups of 15 through the city cemetery to meet the people who built the place. Add a Broadway-style musical on North Federal Highway and a kids-only detective night downtown, and you have five reasons to stay out past dinner, none of which involve a costume.

Friday, Oct. 16: Gumbo Limbo at sunset

Most people know Gumbo Limbo Nature Center as a daytime stop: the sea turtle tanks, the boardwalk, a school field trip. On Friday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. the center runs one of its After Hours Tours, a guided walk through the open-air butterfly garden and along the Ashley Nature Trail, ending at the outdoor aquariums with their lights on. The route also catches the sun going down over the Intracoastal from the barrier island at 1801 N. Ocean Blvd.

Why go: the same trail you have walked a dozen times at noon is a different place in the last hour of light, and seeing the aquariums lit is something daytime visitors never get. The tour is for adults and children 7 and up, with minors joining a registered parent or guardian. Reservations are required in advance through the city's WebTrac system, and part of the walk is on a mulched trail, so skip the sandals.

Friday, Oct. 16: a detective night for kids, two ways

Parents get two options for the same Friday evening. Downtown, the Historical Society's Mystery at the Museum: The Case of Chesebro's Missing Diary turns The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum, 71 N. Federal Hwy., into a family-friendly case to crack from 6 to 8 p.m. It is aimed at ages 5 to 12, includes decorating a mini pumpkin, and costs $10 for children and $20 for adults. Some ticket tiers on the museum's site already show as sold out, so book before you promise anyone.

Out west at Sugar Sand Park, the Children's Science Explorium holds its monthly Friday Night at the Museum from 6 to 9:30 p.m., this month themed around edible extremophiles. This one is a drop-off: kids get a pizza party, after-hours run of the exhibits, a movie and a hands-on experiment, and the parents get a free evening. Pre-registration is required, and siblings are not allowed to tag along.

Monday, Oct. 19: free telescopes behind the Explorium

This is the easiest yes on the list. The Explorium's Eyes To The Skies night starts at 8 p.m. in the Camino parking lot behind the museum at 300 S. Military Trail, and it costs nothing. Staff aim a computerized 16-inch Meade telescope and an 8-inch Celestron at whatever is up, with stargazing apps to help you find your way around. No registration is needed, and the telescopes stay out for at least an hour after the start time.

Why go: a 16-inch telescope is far more instrument than most backyard astronomers will ever own, and a quiet Monday in mid-October, before the holiday crowds arrive, is a good time to get one to yourself. The program is recommended for ages 8 and up, children must come with a parent, and the stars have to be visible for the telescope to align. If the sky does not cooperate, the session moves indoors to the Explorium's inflatable planetarium, so the trip is not wasted.

Wednesday, Oct. 21: a walk among Boca's pioneers

The quietest and most memorable event of the week is the Historical Society's Historic Cemetery Walking Tour at the Boca Raton Cemetery, 451 SW Fourth Ave. Docents lead guests past the graves of early settlers and notable residents and tell the stories of the people whose lives shaped the city. To keep it personal, the group is split in two, with no more than 15 people on each route, both starting at 6 p.m. That caps the whole evening at 30 guests.

Why go: Boca has a reputation as a place that arrived fully formed with Mizner and a resort. A cemetery walk is the fastest way to learn who was here before all that. Tickets are $20 for society members and $25 for everyone else, registration is required in advance, and check-in is at 5:45 p.m. sharp. With 30 spots in total, this is the one to book today.

If the tour sells out, the society's downtown museum has a consolation prize: its temporary exhibition Life's a Beach runs through Feb. 27, 2027, and the museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All week: Young Frankenstein at the Wick

For a proper night out, The Wick Theatre at 7901 N. Federal Hwy. is in the middle of its run of the musical Young Frankenstein, which plays through Nov. 1. The Wick bills itself as Boca's Broadway musical house, and the building also holds a costume museum and a supper club, so you can make a full evening of it without moving the car. It is the only production on the Wick's calendar until The Nutcracker on Nov. 7 and 8. Show times and seats are on the theatre's ticketing page, or call the box office at 561-995-2333.

Why go: an October monster comedy is about as seasonal as Boca theater gets, and catching it now, mid-run, means the cast has settled in and the closing-weekend rush has not started.

What it adds up to

The thread running through all five is that they happen in places most of us already drive past: a nature center on the barrier island, a park on Military Trail, a museum on Federal Highway, a cemetery just southwest of downtown. One of them is free, and the priciest ticket on the history side is $25. The cemetery tour and the museum mystery night are the two that will run out of room, so if you only do one thing today, reserve those. Then keep Monday night open and look up.