New York City is a very special time during any holiday, and during Halloween it gets downright wacky. If you’ll be in the Big Apple this month, you’ll have eerily fun things to do in all five of the boroughs.
The Bronx:
- Boo at the Zoo – Along with zoos across the nation, the Bronx Zoo welcomes families on a haunted safari, a hayride, and to share in all sorts of ghoulish family experiences. Offered weekend until November 1st. Admission is $15 for adults, $11 for children aged 3-12 (FREE when wearing a wildlife costume and accompanied by an adult paying full-price admission).
- Halloween Hoorah! – New York Botanical Garden sponsors this full day of fun (and a little bit of learning) with opportunities to decorate pumpkins, play with leaves, and learn all about the mysterious vampire bat. October 25th, 11 am – 4:45 pm. Admission, which includes admission to the entire garden, is $20 for adult and $8 for children (ages 2-12).
Brooklyn:
- Gravesend Inn Haunted Hotel – This high-tech haunted house was designed by the faculty and students at New York City Collect of Technology. It’s open October 16 – 17th, 22nd – 24th, and 29th – 31st. Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for students (ID required) and kids under 12.
- Halloween at the A-Scarium – New York’s Aquarium on Coney Island host scary sea yarns, an expert pumpkin carver, and trick-or-treat stations. Experience monsters of the deep on October 24 – 25th, and October 31st – November 1st. General admission, which includes admission to the entire aquarium is $13 for adults and $9 for children aged 3-12 (FREE when wearing a wildlife costume and accompanied by an adult paying full-price admission).
Manhattan:
- Pumpkin Festival’s Scarecrow Contest – Scarecrows pepper Central Park contest. You’ll have to register online by Friday, October 16th, in order to entire your scarecrow, though. You can view the all the scarecrow entries on Saturday, October 24th, noon – 5 pm, at the Bethesda Fountain. The top 3 scarecrows from each age category will be displayed at the Arsenal Gallery.
- Nightmare: Vampires – An interactive haunted house exhibit that will explore the history of vampires. Designed to be education, as well as scare the pants off of you. Dates: October 14 – 18th, 20th – 31st, November 1st, 4 – 7th. $30 in advance, $35 at the door. October 24th is Kids Day, and children tickets available for $15. Other than Kids Day, no child under 12 will be admitted with a parent or guardian.
- Village Halloween Parade – This annual community event is full of fun and quirkiness. The parade is Halloween Day, and starts at 7 pm. Various activities and community projects will be going on all evening. If you don’t get can’t get down to the village, you can watch the parade on television (NY 1) starting at 8 pm.
Queens:
- Pick Your Own Pumpkin – A perfect activity for the whole family, the Queens County Farm Museum offers pumpkin picking on October 17th, 18th,24th, 25th, and 31st, weather permitting. Admission is FREE, except for the 25th when a $5 per person admission is charged to support the Children’s Fall Festival. Your pumpkins is priced based on its size. I always want to get a BIG one!
- Haunted Hike – Head into Forent Park, and see if there really are things that go bump in the night. Saturday, October 31st, 6 pm. FREE.
Staten Island:
- Halloween Harvest Fair – A day of outdoor family activities involving crafts, games and costumes at Conference House Park. Saturday, October 17th, 11 am – 4 pm. FREE admission, and a $10 charge for an unlimited access pass for the inflatable slide and bounce house. Those latter activities are for kids only.
- Halloween Extravaganza – The ghosts of the St. George Theatre get let loose for a night in this award-winning show. Lots of special effects and illusions make for an entertaining show, although younger kids may be a bit too spooked. Friday, October 30th, 7:30 pm. Tickets: $10-28.
Halloween in New York City is always entertaining!
Photo credit: SXC