The Children’s Museum of Manhattan's Halloween party.   (Photo: Courtesy of Children’s Museum of Manhattan)

Manhattan

Spooky Museum
The Children’s Museum of Manhattan offers pumpkin painting, mural painting, collages, a magic show, and more. Boo!10/24–10/31. (cmom.org); free with $10 admission.

Play Pumpkin
The Shadow Box Theatre puts on a show called “Lumpy Bumpy Pumpkin,” about an orange specimen who overcomes physical flaws to become one scary jack-o’-lantern. 10/26, 1 p.m. (shadowboxtheatre .org); $10.

Spooky Songs
Singer-songwriter Big Jeff celebrates the holiday at the Chatham Square branch of the New York Public Library. Be sure to request “Werewolves of London”—he does a mean version. 10/23, 4 p.m. (nypl.org); free.

Seriously Haunted House
Warning: The hour-long ghost tours at the Merchant’s House Museum may bring on nightmares. Expect spine-tingling stories and a building draped in black crepe. 10/24, 10/25, 10/29, and 10/30, 6–10 p.m. (merchantshouse.org); $25, reservations required.

Read All About It
Halloween books are signed by their authors and illustrators at Books of Wonder. Expect Wendy Wax (City Witch, Country Switch), Michael Rex (Goodnight Goon: A Petrifying Parody), Jane Manning (Cat Nights), and Mark Siegel (Boogie Knights). 10/25, noon–2 p.m. (booksof wonder.com); free.

On Parade
If the kids are too young for the big parade on the 31st, they can help create a banner that will be in said parade. Meet at Hippo Playground in Riverside Park, at 91st St. 10/25, 10 a.m.–noon. (riversideparkfund.org); free.

Do Good
Dress up for good—the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital’s seventh annual Halloween fund-raiser fête with activities and the Dirty Sock Funtime Band. Benefits Mount Sinai’s NICU. 10/26, noon–3 p.m. (212-241-9598); adults, $150; kids, $75.

Float Your Boat
Head to Pier 40 and hop on the Queen of Hearts (a Louisiana-type paddle-wheel boat) for a themed Halloween cruise, with balloon sculpting, arts and crafts, magic, storytelling, and healthy snacks. 10/26. (kiddiecruise.com); adults, $35; kids, $25.

Dress Your Dog
Gussy up Fido and drag him to a doggie costume contest at Riverside Park or Tompkins Square Park; the latter boasts a canine parade. 10/25. Riverside Park: noon–3 p.m. (riversideparkfund.org); $10 to enter costume contest. Tompkins Square Park: noon. (firstrunfriends.org); $5.

Doll Treat
Got a doll fan? Bring him or her to trick or treat, enter a raffle, and meet a new Madame Alexander Halloween Doll. 10/25. (212-283-5900).

Bowl, Spit, Carve
Camp Sunshine’s annual pumpkin festival in Central Park is always a treat—join in on the fun by gourd-bowling, pumpkin-seed spitting, pumpkin carving, visiting a haunted house, and more. 10/25. (campsunshine.org); free.

Float Your Pumpkin
Have you ever seen a pumpkin float? It’s the sort of thing small people get a kick out of. Launch ten-pounders (or smaller) as a part of a sunset Halloween sail flotilla at the Harlem Meer. Crafts, storytelling, and other activities abound. Costumes encouraged. 10/26, 4–7 p.m. (centralparknyc.org); free.