Halloween is the BEST Holiday!
/Halloween is the BEST! 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 it should be celebrated ALL October long.
Here are a whole bunch of ways to have a Spooktacular Halloween SZN!
IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY
Be Dazzled By The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze
Croton-on-Hudson, NY, Select nights through November 19th Old Bethpage, NY, Select nights through November 5th
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 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.
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 Blaze now offers a Flex ticket option, allowing guests to go any night of the run (even sold out night) and other treats.
other spooky happenings in the rivertowns
Irvington, Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, NY
The SCARY fun continues in the Rivertowns. Head to Irvington, NY for the daytime event - Home of the "Legend" (weekends through November 12th) - and Tarrytown, NY for the evening event - Irving’s “Legend” (October weekends). 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.
ALSO in Sleepy Hollow this year, try the Spirits of Sleepy Hollow Country, where master illusionists will journey into the realm of the unknown at this spooky supernatural spectacle (October weekends).
take your big kids to aN ABANDONED kmart
Yorktown Heights, NY Weekends in October
Attention Shoppers! Scared By the Sound Haunted House is back for 2023 in Yorktown Heights - an abandoned Uncle G’s Market in Yorktown Heights, to be specific. This is a walk through indoor haunted house comprised of scenes “designed to bring you face to face with your worst fears and phobias.” There is no contact with the actors here but do expect some jump scares. Best suited for kids 10+.
IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY
paint a pumpkin, stuff a scarecrow at sam bridge nursery
Greenwich, CT Saturdays in October
Sam Bridge is a lovely family owned nursery in Mid-Country Greenwich. Every fall the season is celebrated with free Friday and Saturday hayrides to the nursery’s pumpkin patch and on Saturdays in October, kids can paint a pumpkin to take home with them. Scarecrow build kits are also offered for purchase to take home.
partake in A not so scary scavenger hunt (or scare the bejesus out of your older kids) AT THE SONO COLLECTION
South Norwalk, CT Weekends in October beginning October 13th (Scary Tales: The Brothers Grimm) Fridays and Saturdays in October beginning October 21st (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 The SoNo Collection is again playing host to a walk through haunted house experience! Scary Tales, The Brothers Grimm, produced by and benefiting the Norwalk Conservatory, will feature over 50 live actors, live entertainment, a themed bar and lots of thrills. Kids under age 14 must be accompanied by an adult. This walk through experience will take about 30 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 immersive scavenger hunt involves encounters with “goofy creatures” and the performance of “bewitching tricks.” We did the hunt a few years back and it was AWESOME!
visit ARCH IN BLOOM for pumpkins and pints
Greenwich, CT Saturday, October 14th
Arch In Bloom is a beautiful family owned nursery and landscaping shop in Western Greenwich. The owner always takes great care to decorate the shop and nursery and Halloween is no exception. Visit anytime in October for your chance to meet Arch In Bloom’s humongous skeleton friend and gawk at the other spine-chilling displays on view. But DO try to come by for the Pumpkins & Pints Event on the 14th, featuring live music, drinks, food and a costume contest. We went last year and had a fabOOlous time.
Celebrate Halloweekend at the Bruce Museum
Greenwich, CT October 28, 2023
Experience hoaxes, hauntings and history at the newly remodeled Bruce Museum for Halloweekend! During the day, the littlest Monsters and Mermaids can come in costume and experience the Museum for FREE. There will be all kinds of special activities that day - from indoor trick or treating to tarot readings and fortune tellings.
Then later that evening from 5:30pm to 9:30pm adults age 18+ can enjoy special after-hours access to the Museum while engaging in entertaining activities and indulging on refreshments from the Museum cafe.
IN NEW YORK CITY
GO BOO AT THE 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.
Also! A brand new event this year for the older kids! Dinosaurs in Darkness: The Hatching is a Friday and Saturday evenings only thrilling walk-thru activity recommended for kids age 13+. The Bronx Zoo Dinosaur Safari will transform into a thrilling and scary nighttime experience that gets guests up close with prehistoric creatures in a whole new way!
HANG with Scarecrows and pumpkins at the 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. 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.
Get spooky in bayside
Bayside, NY Daily in October
A pair of houses in Bayside Queens absolutely SLAYS Halloween each year with their incredibly detailed and spooky decorations. Come at dusk to really see everything lit up and in action. The houses really are a SIGHT. Address is 53-48 214th Street in Bayside.
IN UPSTATE NEW YORK
consume A Tiny Taste Of Terror At Headless Horseman Haunted Hayrides And Haunted Houses
Ulster Park, NY Saturday, October 7th and 21st
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).
Cozy Up to An Outdoor famIly friendly halloween Movie AT apple RIDGE OrchardS
Warwick, NY Friday, October 13h and 20th
For two 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 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!
new for ‘23 - pumpkin world arrives in rockland county
Pomona, NY Daily in October
A new Halloween experience has come to the Metro New York area. Pumpkin World, located at Clover Stadium in Rockland County is a place “Where Jack O’Lanterns Glow.” Guests will be immersed in a captivating world where over 5000 meticulously hand-carved pumpkins illuminate the night. Also included is Pumpkin Village, a wonderland of delicious food, refreshing drinks, thrilling competitions, and vibrant music.
PLUS SOME SCARY AMUSTMENT PARK MAKEOVERS!
Luna Park Coney Island, Brooklyn Weekends in October
You’ve got to hit the famous Coney Island Boardwalk at least once and why not do it in October for Luna Park’s 10th Annual Halloween Harvest. Included in the amusement park’s regular admission, guests will be able to partake in many Halloween themed activities such as pumpkin decorating, balloon twisting, face painting, tractor racing and trick or treating. The Park’s decor and food offerings also get fall festive for the season.
LEGOLAND Goshen, NY Weekends in October
LEGOLAND in Upstate New York is really cute, particularly for the younger kiddies. Now through the end of the October, the Park is offering its annual Brick-or-Treat Event included with admission. Guests will bewitched by Legoland’s signature Halloween event, which includes lots of candy, themed shows and exclusive new LEGO characters.
This post updates the 2022 Halloween post.
