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Manhattan
Nightmare—New York’s Original Haunted House
107 Suffolk St., at Rivington St.; 212-868-4444; hauntedhousenyc.com
A guided tour through the thirteen chambers in the temporarily possessed Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center promises to unsettle visitors by skipping clichéd visions of witches and goblins for rooms literally meant to embody your worst nightmares. Among the creators are Obie Award-winner Faye Armon and operatic set designer Robin Vest.
• Date: Oct. 13-31, showtimes vary
• Price: $15-$20; smarttix.com
Jack-O-Lanterns and Pumpkin Pie
Union Square Café: 21 E. 16th St., at Union Sq. West; 212-989-3510, ext. 24; unionsquarecafe.com
Along with pumpkin carving, pastry chef Emily Isaac engages youngsters with this hand-on experience of some of her favorite recipes like pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin pie. There will also be a tour of the Union Square Greenmarket. Donated cans go to City Harvest. For kids 7-12. Reservations required.
• Date: Oct. 15, 8:30 a.m.-10 a.m.
• Price: $65 and two cans of food
NYC Horror Film Festival
Tribeca Cinemas: 54 Varick St., at Laight St.; 866-468-7619
Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist) and George Romero (Land of the Dead) are among the NYCHFF’s previous honorees. This year’s lineup of short- and full-length horror flicks includes groan-worthy titles such as Horror Business, Little Dead Girl and Newlybleds. For the finale, a new 35mm print of Steven Spielberg’s early blockbuster Jaws will be screened.
• Date: Oct. 19-23
• Price: $15 for three-film program
Halloween Ball
Rumsey Playfield, at 72nd St. and Fifth Ave.; 212-310-6691
If you’re trying to tighten your belt, this may not be the Halloween event for you. But if you care about the Central Park Conservancy and have a few hundred dollars to spare, book yourself a table at the Conservancy’s annual benefit dinner smack in the center of the park. Come costumed for drinks, dinner, and dancing in the Sorcerers’ Tent. Prizes for Best Costume are given. Advanced tickets required.
• Date: Oct. 26, 7 p.m.
• Price: $500 and up
Blood Manor
524 W. 27th St., bet. Tenth and Eleventh Aves.; bloodmanor.com
A trip through Chelsea’s haunted mansion is not for the faint of heart. Descend into the pitch-black catacombs surrounded by zombies and creatures unknown amid the stench of embalming fluid. The masterminds behind this terrifying labyrinth claim that their diabolical creation “makes Freddy Krueger look like Leave it to Beaver.” Now that sounds scary.
• Date: Oct. 26-31
• Price: $20-$30
An Evening with Poe
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum: 421 E. 61st St.; 212-838-6878; mvhm.org
In the museum’s candlelit Upper Hall, Edgar Allan Poe impersonator Kevin Mitchell Martin stars in this one-man play based on the life and writings of the master of the macabre. Wine will be served for the adults; kids ages 10 and up can enjoy cookies and cider. Preregistration required.
• Date: Oct. 27-28, 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
• Price: $15, $12 for museum members
Halloween Extravaganza and Procession of Ghouls
Cathedral of St. John the Divine: 1047 Amsterdam Ave., at 112th St.; 212-316-7540stjohndivine.org
Gear up for El Dia de Los Muertos with a screening of the 1925 silent masterpiece The Phantom of the Opera starring the man of a thousand faces, Lon Chaney. Obie Award-winner Ralph Lee’s puppet creations make up the concluding grand procession. Reservations are suggested.
• Date: Oct. 28, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.
• Price: Adults: $15; students and seniors: $8
Morning of the Gargoyles
Cathedral of St. John the Divine: 1047 Amsterdam Ave., at 112th St.; 212-932-7347; stjohndivine.org
This event starts with a reading of Eve Bunting’s Night of the Gargoyles. Afterwards, children head down to the workshop to assemble clay gargoyles, skeleton creatures and creepy masks. For kids 4 and up.
• Date: Oct. 29, 10 a.m.-noon
• Price: $5 per child with adult
Gotham City Ghost Tour
For reservations and meeting place, call 212-465-3331
A tour of the historic, infamous and eerier landmarks in Greenwich Village with stops at the cemetery at St. Mark’s Church, a burial ground at Washington Square, the hanging elm (a 19th century public execution site), and Edgar Allan Poe’s home. Monday’s tour ends at the Halloween Parade site on Sixth Ave.
• Date: Oct. 29, 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.; Oct. 30, 12:30 p.m. and 2:45 p.m.; and Oct. 31, 6 p.m.
• Price $13
Boo! Not So Scary Stories for Halloween
Museum of Modern Art: 11 W. 53rd St., at Fifth Ave.; 212-708-9805; moma.org
Part of MoMA’s Family Film Series includes this evening of cinematic shorts adapted from such children’s book classics as Where the Wild Things Are and Strega Nona. For kids 5 and up.
• Date: Oct. 29, noon-1 p.m.
• Price: Free
A Little Somethin’ Spooky
Symphony Space—Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater: 2537 Broadway, at 95th St.; 212-864-5400; symphonyspace.org
As part of the Just Kidding Club Day, this celebration will screen animated classics like Bugs Bunny’s Harem Scarem and Witch Is Which, Disney’s Lonesome Ghost, and Porky Pig’s Jeepers Creepers. For kids 7 and up.
• Date: Oct. 29, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• Price: $6-10
Central Park Conservancy:Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Sail
The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center at 110th St., bet. Fifth and Lenox Aves., 212-860-1370; centralparknyc.org
You’ll need to bring a carved jack-o’-lantern (10 pounds or less) to join the 14th annual holiday parade around the Harlem Meer. Prizes are awarded for the best costumes and the best jack-o’-lantern. The event culminates with candlelit pumpkins sailing across the meer.
• Date: Oct. 29, 2 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Price: Free
Halloween at Sea!
South St. Seaport, at Pier 16.; 212-748-8758; southstseaport.org
This family festivity takes place aboard the tall ship Peking, where there will be face painting, craft making, storytelling and a haunted room. Kids 10 and under get a free treat.
• Date: Oct. 29-30, noon-5 p.m.
• Price: $5
Tenth Annual Halloween Celebration
Museum of Natural History: Central Park West at 79th St.; 212-769-5200; amnh.org
Live music resonates through the halls as characters like Clifford the Big Red Dog and Winnie the Pooh roam alongside trick-or-treating youngsters. Children are encouraged to come in costume.
• Date: Oct. 31, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Price: $7-$8
Brooklyn
The Great Pumpkin at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum
145 Brooklyn Ave.; 718-735-4400, ext. 110; brooklynkids.org
Explore the pumpkin’s role in Halloween traditions such as jack-o’-lantern decoration, pumpkin pudding and a screening of the movie, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Pre-registration required.
• Date: Oct. 22, 11 a.m.
• Price: $4; kids under 4: Free
Prospect Park Zoo
450 Flatbush Ave. in Prospect Park, 718-399-7339, prospectparkzoo.com
The zoo celebrates Halloween with pumpkin-smashing baboons, a haunted barn, and wildlife witch shows with creepy critters. Children in costume can march in the parade around the Sea Lion Court.
• Date: Oct. 28-29, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Price: Adults: $5; children: $1; kids under 3: Free
Halloween and Harvest Festival Weekend
Brooklyn Children’s Museum: 145 Brooklyn Ave.; 718-735-4400, ext. 110; brooklynkids.org
A weekend full of activities celebrating All Hallows Eve and the harvest season. Costume revelers can make corn husk dolls, get their faces painted, hear spooky stories, meet slithery and scaly reptiles, and enjoy live performances. Little ones can enjoy crafts in the Totally Tots gallery.
• Date: Oct 29-30, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Price: $4; kids under 4: Free
Halloween at the Cemetery Tour
Green-Wood Cemetery: Fifth Ave. at 25th St.; 631-549-4891, green-wood.com
Jeff Richman, Green-Wood Cemetery’s leading historian, conducts two macabre tours. Graves visited include the final resting sites of actor Frank Morgan (Wizard of Oz) and George Washington’s dentist John Greenwood. An excursion into the catacombs increases the goosebumps.
• Date: Oct. 29-30, 1 p.m.
• Price: $15
Ghouls and Gourds Festival
Brooklyn Botanical Garden: 1000 Washington Ave.; 718-623-7200; bbg.org
A wacky Halloween extravaganza featuring live music, a Brazilian body-percussion workshop, medieval armor-making demonstrations, non-permanent tattoos, and a haunted hide-away. The event concludes with a costume parade.
• Date: Oct. 30, noon-4:30 p.m.
• Price: Adults: $5; kids 16 and under: Free
Queens
Halloween Haunted House
Queens County Farm Museum: 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy.; 718-347-3276; queensfarm.org
A haunted tour will be conducted through the borough’s sole functioning historic farm. Mulled cider, apples, pumpkins, cotton candy and popcorn will be available for purchase.
• Date: Oct. 29-31, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Price: $4; Hayrides: $2; Corn Maze: Adults, $7; children 4-11, $4; children under 3: Free
Children’s Fall Festival
Queens County Farm Museum: 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy.; 718-347-3276; queensfarm.org
Children are invited to wear their costumes and enjoy games, pony rides and a petting zoo. Food vendors will sell hamburgers, sausages and even Greek fare, while craft vendors will offer items such as handmade pillows and scarves. Entrance to the Haunted House will be $3 to Fall Festival participants, and the Haunted House will be open from 1 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Date: Oct. 30, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Price: $4
Alley Pond Environmental Center
228-06 Northern Blvd.; 718-229-400; alleypond.com
Little ones might be spooked on the Haunted Walk by local students from Marie Curie Middle School dressed as goblins, ghouls and devils. The event culminates with scary story-telling around a campfire. Bring a flashlight and a ghost story; goodie bags will be provided. For ages 5 and up. Pre-registration required.
• Date: Oct. 31, 7:15 p.m.-8:15 p.m.
• Price: Adults: $2; children: $6
Bronx
Haunted Happenings at Van Cortlandt House
Van Cortlandt Park: Broadway at W. 246th St.; 718-543-3344; vancortlandthouse.org
Highlights of this free event include a haunted walk, a haunted basement and a costume contest.
• Date: Oct. 29, 3 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Price: Free
Boo at the Bronx Zoo
2300 Southern Blvd.; 718-367-1010; bronxzoo.com
Sure, they’ve got bats. But the zoo’s staff has other ways to help you get into the spirit: magic shows, craft making classes, concerts and a costume parade.
• Date: Oct. 22-23 and 29-30.
• Price: Adults: $12; children 2-12: $9; children in costume: Free
Goblin Fun at the New York Botanical Garden
Everett Children’s Adventure Garden: 200th St. and Kazimiroff Blvd.; 718-817-8700
Kids learn all about goblins, ghouls, and creepy crawlies then go on to make ghostly leaf rubbings, design pumpkin faces, and pot up a spider plant to take home.
• Date: Oct. 29-30, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
• Price: Adults: $6; children: $1
Halloween on Haunted Walk
New York Botanical Garden: 200th St. and Kazimiroff Blvd.; 718-817-8700
Spooks and spirits are haunting the Garden for the 13th year in a row. Master Puppeteer Ralph Lee (founder of the Village Halloween parade) has created fanciful demons, goofy giants, and tap-dancing skeletons that creep in the bushes and sway in the trees so you never know who or what might jump out at you if you join the parade of chracters through the Benenson Ornamental Conifer.
• Date: Oct. 30, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Price: Adults: $8; children: $3
Staten Island
Pumpkin Picking at the Decker Farm
Historic Richmond Town: 441 Clarke Ave.; 718-351-1611, ext. 280; historicrichmondtown.org
After picking pumpkins, hop on a hayride or indulge in refreshments available for purchase.
• Date: Oct. 1-30, Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Price: Family of four: $10; individuals: $3
Halloween in Historic Richmond Town
441 Clarke Ave.; 718-351-1611, ext. 281; historicrichmondtown.org
Children can trick-or-treat at historic homes with performers in period dress or show off their bone-chilling style in a costume parade.
• Date: Oct. 28, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. for pre-school children; 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m. for school-aged children.
• Price: Adults: $3; children: $7
Upstate New York
Historic Hudson Valley: A Spooky Sleepy Hollow October
Van Cortland Manor, South Riverside Ave., Croton-on-Hudson, 914-631-8200; sleepyhollowhalloween.com
Take in the spectacle of 3,000 hand-carved, illuminated pumpkins set against 300-years-old Van Cortland Manor. Follow the Jack-O-Lantern Cascade down the manor house steps into the Jack-O-Lantern Garden on the front lawn, and then explore the 700-foot-long Pumpkin Promenade before the amazing, bottom-of-the-sea finale of the Pumpkin Aquarium. Pumpkin cookies and hot cider provided. Advance tickets required.
• Date: Oct. 13-16 and Oct. 20-23, Thu. and Sun., 6 p.m.-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 6 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
• Price: Adults: $12; children 18 and under: $8
Legend Weekend
Philipsburg Manor, 381 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, 914-631-8200; sleepyhollowhalloween.com
Listen to a chilling retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as the surrounding area is transformed into a wicked, wicked place with ghosts, witches, pirates and characters from local folklore. Reservations required.
• Date: Oct. 28-30, Fri.-Sat., 6 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; Sun., 5 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Price: Adults: $12; children 18 and under: $8
Daytime Fun: Washington Irving’s Sunnyside
W. Sunnyside Lane, Tarrytown, 914-631-8200; sleepyhollowhalloween.com
On Saturday, there’s a 19th century magic show with Charles Dickens; on Sunday, balladeer Linda Russell sings songs of grave betrayals and departed lovers; both days, you’ll have Irish ghost stories from Jack McGuire and puppet shows re-enacting The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
• Date: Oct. 29-30, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Daytime Fun: Philipsburg Manor
Philipsburg Manor, 381 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow; sleepyhollowhalloween.com
Take a step into yesteryear with old-fashioned rituals like pumpkin carving, corn shelling, open hearth cooking and even colonial amusements such as mancala, 18th century boardgames and stilts.
• Date: Oct. 29, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Oct. 30, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.