Halloween is the BEST Holiday!
/Halloween, I love you! I love the spooky vibes. I love the pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns. I love watching my kids go nuts for fun sized candy bars. Halloween is SUCH a fun holiday and I love celebrating it ALL October long.
Here are a whole bunch of ways to have spooky, candy filled fun this Halloween SZN!
1. Be Dazzled By The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze
Croton-on-Hudson, NY, Select nights through November 21st Old Bethpage, NY, Select nights through November 7th
Once again Croton-on-Hudson’s Van Cortlandt Manor has been transformed into a stunning Jack-O-Lantern Wonderland called the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze. Long Islanders are similarly in luck because the Blaze has also returned to Old Bethpage Village!
The event is very popular and tickets go quickly, especially for earlier evening slots. Tickets are available now for both locations and no tickets will be available for purchase at the event.
The fun continues in nearby Irvington, NY where a daytime event - Home of the "Legend" (weekends through November 8th) - and an evening event - Irving’s “Legend” (October weekends) - will take place. In Home of the “Legend,” guests take a spooky but safe tour of the first floor of Washington Irving’s estate, followed by a filmed puppet show. And at Irving’s “Legend,” master storyteller Jonathan Kruk does a dramatic performance of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow outdoors for all ages. We’re going to Irving’s “Legend” for the first time ever this year! I’m super excited!
The Blaze is so pretty and magical - everyone from the youngest to the oldest in your group will be blown away by its magic. Visitors walk along a path filled with thousands of carved, lit up pumpkins in all kinds of gorgeous shapes and arrangements, while spooky music plays in the background. For those with babies, it’s best to leave your stroller at home and instead use a baby carrier for purposes of navigating the darkened path.
2. consume A Tiny Taste Of Terror At Headless Horseman Haunted Hayrides And Haunted Houses
Ulster Park, NY Saturday, October 9th and 23rd
The website for Ulster Park’s Headless Horseman Haunted Hayrides and Haunted Houses clearly states that (i) children aged 8 and under will NOT be admitted and (ii) children age 15 and under need to be accompanied by an adult - these events are NOT for the young or the faint at heart.
For those of us with younger ones, Ulster Park DOES offer two much less scary Children’s Days known as “A Tiny Taste of Terror.” At these two daytime events, Ulster Park turns down its scare level and offers a daytime drive-through experience that includes friendly characters to meet along the way. Afterwards, guests can come inside the Park for a Magic Moon Maze, Haunted Gardens and other family friendly surprises. Tickets may be purchased in advance or on site (for $2 extra).
3. Pumpkin pick, pumpkin smash AND MORE DEEP into brooklyn
Aviator Sports, Brooklyn, NY Weekends in October and Select Weekdays
Luna Park, Brooklyn, NY Weekends in October and Select Weekdays
Aviator Sports is a huge indoor/outdoor sports complex serving families and athletes in Brooklyn. Included in its offerings is Green Meadows Farm, which has quite a lot brewing in the month of October. Visit any weekend (or Wednesday!) in October from 11am to 5pm and you’ll experience a hayride, 10 different tractors for the kids to sit in, a bulldozer to operate, a bumpy roller slide, a huge farm playground, “Katie” the milk cow and pumpkins to take home - all for just $12 admission. On the last two weekends of October (October 23, 24, 30 & 31), Green Meadows will be hosting a candy hunt in addition to the above. Come dressed in your costume, kiddies!
Just about 15 minutes away from Aviator Sports, Luna Park Coney Island is hosting Halloween Harvest on holidays and weekends in October. For an extra $10 on top of the usual amusement park admission, guests at Luna Park will experience balloon artists, stilt walkers, caricature artists, character visits and more. There’s also a pumpkin picking and decorating area and a hay racetrack with mini-tractors for kiddies to ride on.
4. Try your hand at haunted mini-golf (brand new for 2021)!
DC Sports, Wappingers Falls, NY Weekends in October
I am very excited about this. DC Sports is one of the best mini golf set ups around and this October, the course will be transformed into something extra spooky! Visit after 4:30pm on any Friday, Saturday or Sunday in October for scary mini golf and a walk through haunted house. They’ve been pimping something called the “Garage of the Dead” pretty hard on their Instagram - and I’m scared!
5. Celebrate Halloween With Your Favorite Animals At Boo At The Zoo
Bronx Zoo, Bronx, NY Saturdays and Sundays in October
The Bronx Zoo is always a wonderful visit (we are SO lucky it’s nearby) but visiting for its adorable Boo at the Zoo event is a seasonal must do.
In addition to the usual zoo activities, Boo at the Zoo offers extra fun family friendly Halloween stuff like haunted pirate hayrides, magic shows, an extinct animal graveyard, arts and crafts and costume parades!
Read all about our past visit HERE. This year, tickets MUST be purchased in advance. PS Don’t forget to parlay your visit with a delicious meal in nearby Arthur Avenue.
6. Cozy Up to An Outdoor fam friendly halloween Movie in An apple Orchard
Apple Ridge Orchards, Warwick, NY Friday October 8th, 15th and 22nd
For three Friday nights in October, Warwick’s Apple Ridge Orchards will be doing an outdoor evening viewing of “Spookley,” a family friendly Halloween outdoor movie that promotes “tolerance and kindness.” Grab your blankets and masks and head to Apple Ridge at 5:30pm to claim your spot and purchase snacks from the farm stand. The 45 minute movie will begin at 6:45pm on a screen set up amongst the beautiful apple orchards. Advance tickets are required ($16pp, kids under 2 free) and each ticket comes with the movie showing, parking AND any sized pumpkin from the patch. Oh AND Bellvale Farms Creamery is also in Warwick and it’s delicious and open only seasonally through October!
7. get spooky at a ct nature center
Stamford Nature Center, Stamford, CT Friday, October 22nd through Saturday 31st
New Canaan Nature Center, New Canaan, CT Friday, October 29th
Halloween activities are full speed ahead at Fairfield County’s best nature centers. The Stamford Nature Center’s adorable Trick or Treat at the Farm will happen again this year. There will be TEN sessions in total and at each, kids will participate in a scavenger hunt around the farm and then trick or treat to claim prizes and crafts. This event is for kids age 2-10 and will take place from 5-6pm (4-5pm on 10/31). Tickets are very limited so book ASAP!
Or on October 29th, get into the Halloween spirt with a Spooktacular celebration in New Canaan. There will be two evening sessions (5:30pm to 7pm and 7:30pm to 9pm) at the New Canaan Nature Center Halloween Spooktacular. Guests will meet some creepy creatures like snakes and spiders, make some spooky crafts, roast marshmallows around a crackling campfire and more. And costumes are encouraged!
8. try a “not-so-scary day” at bayville’s scream park!
Bayville Scream Park, Bayville, New York Saturdays and Sundays in October and Columbus Day
Similar to the Tiny Taste of Terror in Hudson Valley, Long Island’s incredibly creepy sounding Bayville Scream Park (7 creepy attractions in one place - recommended for ages 10 and up - the website alone is freaking me out!!), offers “Not-So-Scary" Days for younger guests. But here, the less scary option happens each weekend during daylight hours!
Come to Bayville from 11am to 6pm on any October weekend plus Columbus Day for less scary versions of its nighttime haunted house (no live actors), plus a fun house, a mirror maze, a Halloween train ride, a pumpkin bounce and all kinds of other spooky fun.
9. visit with scarcrows and pumpkins at the new york botantical garden
New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY Daily in October
This October tons of pumpkins and gourds and whimsical scarecrows have taken over the New York Botanical Garden. NYBG’s amazing Everett Children’s Adventure Garden is filled with over 100 silly scarecrows, while the area by the Mertz Library Building and Haupt Conservatory features a plethora of pumpkins. Visit on October 23 or after for a chance to see some of the largest pumpkins in the world! There will also be pumpkin carving demonstrations on select days, and on Saturdays and Sundays, stunning pumpkin and skeleton puppets will greet visitors around the garden from 1 to 4pm. These events are included in an NYBG garden pass.
10. partake in A not so scary scavenger hunt (or scare the bejesus out of your older kids) at the sono collection
SoNo Collection, Norwalk, CT Thursdays thru Sundays in October (Haunting of Water Street) Fridays and Saturdays in October beginning October 16th (Not So Scary Scavenger Hunt)
Usually the only thing scary about a visit to the mall is your credit card statement but this October, South Norwalk’s newish mall, The SoNo Collection is playing host to an outdoor walk through haunted house experience! The Haunting of Water Street, produced by and benefiting the Norwalk Conservatory, is so frightening that it’s not suitable for kids under age 11 OR for groups smaller than 2 people. This fully outdoor, COVID compliant trail will take about 25 minutes to complete….but the nightmares will last much longer!
If your kiddies are younger or on the wimpy side, The SoNo Collection will also play host to a second event from the Norwalk Conservatory, a Not So Scary Scavenger Hunt. This event is indoor, immersive and involves encounters with “goofy creatures” and performing “bewitching tricks.” It’s also about a 25 minute activity and tickets can be purchased now for Saturdays and Sundays in October.
11. ADD SOME SPOOKY VIBES TO AN OTHERWISE BRICKTASTIC DAY
LEGOLAND New York, Goshen, NY Saturdays and Sundays in October
Everyone knows that the long delayed opening of LEGOLAND Goshen was one of the biggest things to happen to NY metro area family activities in a long time. If you haven’t visited yet or if you’re itching for a return, know that weekend visits in October will provide a little extra Halloween spice!
Every Saturday and Sunday in October from 3pm-6pm, LEGOLAND is offering Brick-or-Treat, included with guests’ regular admission. This will include spectacular live entertainment, dance parties, character meet and greats, costume contests and trick or treating!
12. Drive through a “family friendly” halloween scape in norwalk
Stew Leonard’s, Norwalk, CT
Daily in October
Get your food shopping done and check out Stew Leonard’s “family-friendly” Halloween Drive Through, featuring inflatable pumpkins, a spooky tunnel of spiders, and many of kids’ favorite Halloween cartoon characters! Customers can also tune their car’s radio to a special radio station where Clover the Cow’s spooky Halloween soundtrack will delight kids of all ages. We’ve done this free drive-thru in the past and the Halloween displays have been quite SPOOKY and GORY and not in the least bit family friendly, but it’s still a good time (even if a bit shocking as a parent).
